Rising Star to the Heavens
by Seeker of the Soul
Summary: Seto Kaiba's famed Duelist Academy. A place where young duelists gather to improve, prove themselves, and kick a little bit of ass. Of course there are problems involved when you gather teenagers together, especially teenage duelists.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I don't like the KCGP fic since it's pointless, so to help myself avoid staying on the darker stuff in Twilight, I've started this. I hope you enjoy it.

_**Rising Star Straight To Heaven**_

**Chapter One: Gifted Child**

"Do you get that special twinge when you hear the word 'duel'?" The girl watching the TV screen nodded swiftly, hardly realizing that she was nodding in response to a question asked by someone who couldn't see her response.

"Does the trickling sound of the opponent's life points dropping to zero give you a secret thrill?" Again she nodded, and of course the man on the screen once more didn't respond. Slowly she leaned forward in her chair, staring at the screen.

"Have you felt the bitter taste of defeat and want a chance to improve your skills enough to show you can make the cut?" She paused a second, barely able to admit it in front of this mystery man on TV. Finally she nodded once again, becoming even more excited.

The screen flashed with pictures of a large island, with a bunch of different buildings on them. Then it zoomed in and showed teenagers wandering around in blue, yellow, and red uniforms. And all over the place they were dueling!

"If you fit any of these categories and you think you've got the skill, come on down to any of these following locations this Saturday to take the Entrance Exam for Kaiba Corp's legendary Duelist Academy! Then you too can one day be a champion level duelist!" The girl was so excited that she nearly fell out of her chair reaching for a pen to write down the locations.

"Duelist Academy, here I come!"

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"Do your older siblings overshadow you at all times?" The teenage boy sitting on the couch watching the television set frowned briefly before shrugging, not wanting to admit it. It seemed true though.

"Do you find yourself profoundly jealous of even your younger siblings?" The boy frowned slightly, looking at a picture at the side of the couch showing a young girl in front of a camera crew, beaming at them.

"Do you have a hidden talent that even your outstanding siblings can't match up to?" Again the boy couldn't help but mentally agree to what the man on the screen was saying. It was just so odd that it was so…accurate.

"If that secret talent is dueling, and you can duel until the sun comes down, then we've got the perfect place for you! Develop those dueling skills and prove yourself beyond even your siblings as a champion duelist at Kaiba Corp's Duelist Academy!" The camera panned across a beautiful landscape with numerous teenagers engaging in duels.

Following were lists of locations and times where the entrance exam could be taken. And the teen couldn't help but write them down. "Gee…I wonder how the commercial was so accurate?"

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"Do you find it difficult dealing with your family members, because they're just so different from you?" A set of nods, and two surreptitious glances later, two teenagers returned to watching the commercial.

"Do you all share things, particularly a love for dueling?" Once again there was a set of nods, and a muffled giggle from one of them.

"Do you want to share time together, but at the same time compete, proving who amongst you is best?" Both heads bobbed up and down enthusiastically, even though they knew they probably shouldn't be.

"If proving yourself and dueling is important to you, and you want to strut your stuff, then come on down to any of the following locations on Saturday to take the entrance exams to Duelist Academy!" A list followed, and the two teenagers immediately searched for pens and paper to write it down.

As one they turned to look at each other and grinned. "You think big brother would approve?"

"Oh absolutely."

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With a swift glance down at the duel disk on her arm she was able to reassure herself that she was ready for this, ready for what was to come. With that reassurance she leaned back against the seat of the Shinkansen and closed her eyes, relaxing until the time would come when she would have to get off the bus.

Somewhere along the way she drifted off to sleep, only to be awakened again by a jolt that nearly tossed her into the seat in front of her. "Azuya 117 is now arriving at Station 12. Azuya 117 is now arriving at Station 12."

_'Eh! My stop is Station 11! How the heck did I sleep past it?'_ The fingers of panic began to massage her brain, and she started to fidget, doing the math in her head to figure out how long it would take to get between Station 11 and Station 12.

_'If the distance between the two is approximately 20 kilometers, and the Shinkansen on average travels approximately 160 kilometers per hour then….wait a second, that's pointless! It'd take me hours to walk back to the other station, and I'm not sure if I have the money for a taxi. Auuu…'_ The fingers of panic went into a sonata, with her mind as the piano.

The man in the seat next to her was giving her strange looks as she fidgeted about in her seat, looking in every direction in her panicked state of mind. _'What a strange child….'_

"Azuya 117 is now departing Station 12. Azuya 117 is now departing Station 12. Next stop, Station 11. Thank you." The man watched in amusement as the girl's eyes went completely wide, looking nothing so much as a deer caught in the headlights of a car.

_'It's the station after this one! Then I panicked for nothing! I must have looked like a total spaz! I can't act like this once I get there, it'll give them the completely wrong impression!'_ Unfortunately for her, this worrying was just making her fidget even more, and as she had thought, it made her like a little like a spaz.

_'Truly an odd child indeed.'_

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"Azuya 117 is now arriving at Station 11. Azuya 117 is now arriving at Station 11. Thank you." Heaving a sigh of relief the slightly calmer girl got up and walked into the isle, giving a brief bow to the man who had been sitting next to her. He had been very kind and hadn't seemed bothered by her near panic attack.

"Thank you sir, I appreciate your tolerating me for this trip. Have a wonderful day." For the first time since they had gotten on the train the man saw her give a genuine smile, and after another bow, she departed up the isle.

_'My…what a beautiful smile that girl has. I could have sworn the train got brighter for a moment.'_ He watched her walk away, smiling now as well. She had been interesting to meet, even if he hadn't really talked to her.

_'And a duelist as well by the looks of it. Maybe if we meet again, I'll ask her for a duel, just to see if there's any power behind that pretty smile.' _At last the girl exited the train, leaving the man to his own thoughts. Whether they would meet again was a question that couldn't be answered yet. Only time would tell.

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Standing in the doorway that gave entrance to a large testing center were two men, both in blue uniforms. They were just teenagers, but appeared older than the rest of the people hustling through the doors. Plastered on their faces were distinctly superior looks as they watched the younger teenagers walk through the doors.

Occasionally they would flash smiles at passing potentials, but only if they were pretty girls. Usually the girls ignored them, but occasionally they smiled back. "Hey, check out that one coming over."

The first teen gestured with his chin towards a girl heading their direction. His companion took a good look and smiled in appreciation. She was petite, standing barely over five feet in height, and had a slender well-trimmed figure. She wasn't curvaceous or anything, but she was definitely cute.

She was Japanese, just like most of the other potentials and like them, but her wavy hair was a color so black that it nearly appeared blue. After she got a little closer, they realized that was because streaks of dark blue ran through her hair, obviously dyed there. It flowed down to the middle of her back, and that combined with her stunningly green eyes gave her something of an exotic look for a Japanese girl.

Like any other pretty girl, they smiled brightly to her as she walked up. To their surprise she smiled back and gave them both a slight bow. Then, with a second smile, she walked through the door and was gone.

The first boy turned to the second and asked his friend in hushed tones; "Does it scare you that she looks like that and is probably just fifteen?"

"Scare me? I think it's a blessing. We can count ourselves as gifted if even one girl that looks like that gets into the academy this year." Watching her retreating form, the two teens could only pray that she made it through. A year with pretty girls was much better than a year without.

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Roughly half an hour later a group of a few hundred teenagers were sitting in desks in a large auditorium space, papers and pencils in front of them. Many of them were working furiously to answer all the questions as best as they could in the limited amount of time they had. Meanwhile others were doing so leisurely, not bothered by the test.

A few were already done, including a teenage boy who appeared to be doodling on his paper. Those who were already done were now just waiting for the second stage. Soon their papers would be collected, processed, graded, and then the final test would begin. The Duel Test.

It was this test that brought the most excitement for the students who had come to take the test. Those who had a good enough composite score on both the duel test and the written test would be accepted into Kaiba Corporation's prestigious Duelist Academy. Not one of the branch schools either that were generally for students of other countries, but the main school itself, the originally established and famed Duelist Academy.

When Seto Kaiba had originally established the school most people around the world had thought it rather silly to make a school that had so much focus on dueling. Even though Duel Monsters had in fact been recognized as a sport (though it wasn't until 2012 that it was added as part of the Olympics) the general populace had rejected the idea.

It wasn't until the tragic events that were still referred to as The Twilight of Man that people had begun to see the merits of dueling. Some children were sent to the school to learn dueling as a form of protection against those who wielded the supernatural power of the Darkness Games, despite reassurances that those had died out.

After what seemed an eternity (at least to easily distracted teenagers) the professor finally announced that time was up and came to collect all of their papers. There was a general milling about, with people occasionally talking to their neighbors while the papers were processed and graded.

About half an hour later the process was completed, and each of the students was given a small slip of paper with a number on it. According to the professor, when their number was called they would go down to the dueling field to take the duel test. The number was also an indication of how well they had done in respect to the other students on the written test.

At last the first name was called. "Tobias Emerlo, you're the first to take the dueling test. Please head down to the dueling field."

Some of the duelists followed to watch the first duel, while still many more stayed behind out of pure nerves. Down the list it went, until at last the moment the girl had been both dreading and anticipating came. When the professor looked at the name, there was a slight pause. "Number twenty-three, it's your turn."

She nodded and walked down the isles and out into the dueling area. Hastily she stepped out onto the field, ignoring the hoots, hollers, and the occasional cat calls she was receiving. _'You can do this. You've got a gift for it, remember?'_

Her opponent quickly made himself known, walking out so that he was standing directly across from her, a duel coat strapped to his chest. "I hope you're ready to take this test. I'm the head of the Osiris Red dorm and professor at Duelist Academy, Ichigaki Miyamoto."

The girl suppressed a giggle, and look at him quizzically. "Ichigaki…like from that old anime Yu Yu Hakusho?"

The professor sighed, shaking his head. Obviously he had heard this said many times before. "Yes, like in the anime. But please, I simply prefer to be called Professor Miyamoto, or Mr. Miyamoto if you prefer."

"Sure Professor Miyamoto. And I'm Mizuki. Mizuki Mitsuhiro." A hush fell over the room at the sound of her last name, and then whispers started to make their way through the crowd. Even her professor seemed surprised.

"Your father was…yes, I can see it, the resemblance. Well, so I'm dueling the daughter of a legend. I suppose that I won't be taking it easy on you then. Duel!" His duel coat whirred as it activated, and it spat out six cards which he caught. (MLP: 4000)

"I hope you don't hold back, because I'm no weakling. Let's get this party started!" Her old-fashioned DD2 activated, and she drew her five cards. The duel disk was out of date, surpassed by several other models (including variations) of the duel disk. However, this duel disk had belonged to her father, so she didn't plan on letting it go. (MiLP: 4000)

Up in the stands the whispers had started again, both from perspective students and from those who already were students. One of them looked down with something close to contempt. He was tall, and had short cut white hair, in addition to glasses that barely covered his eyes. Briefly adjusting the glasses and his blue uniform, the teen sneered. "This girl…she'll probably coast on the virtue of a name and nothing else."

Another form, leaning back against the wall behind him, was towering massively over him. "Ho-ho…you're hardly one to talk about a name's importance, are you Harrison?"

Harrison frowned, but gave no outer reply to the comment. Instead he turned away and walked out of the room, completely uninterested in the outcome of the duel. _'Regardless of what she does now, she's of no consequence.'_

Miyamoto looked over his hand of cards carefully, figuring out from them exactly what type of deck this test deck was. _'All decks used by instructors in these duel tests are merely pre-prepared decks, not our real ones, and aren't as strong. But perhaps she's strong enough to overcome that…let's see.'_

"I set one monster in defense mode. Then I set two magic or trap cards face down behind it. End turn." The three representations of his cards appeared, generated by the holographic matrix used by all Kaiba Corp. duel disks.

"That's all? Well let's test it, Rune Soldier(1800/1800), take to the field!" A tall man with blonde hair and the robes of a druid now stood in front of her, his breath misting before her very eyes. Held in his right hand was a long blade, with glowing symbols dancing across it.

"You may be expecting that monster to do you good, but it can't help. Reveal trap card, Compulsory Evacuation Device! This trap will send Rune Soldier directly back to your hand!" A platform with a launch apparatus was created beneath the man's feet, but he simply hopped off of it and sliced it in half.

Mizuki smiled in a confident sort of way and gestured to her soldier. "When this monster is targeted by a trap card that card is automatically negated and destroyed. So cowardly trap defense are…almost utterly useless. Attack!"

The sword-wielder dashed straight towards the set monster and slashed the card in half. But a look of shock took over his face and he faded away. Mizuki blanched when the card popped off her duel disk and into her hand. "What the heck?"

"You destroyed Hyper Hammerhead(1500/1200) and any monster that it fails to defeat in battle is sent back to the opponent's hand." Miyamoto chuckled as the look of surprise faded from Mizuki's features, and was replaced by a confident look instead.

"That's fine with me; I don't need monsters to make an impact. I'll just place this one card face down and end my turn." A single card appeared in front of her, guarding the way between her and her life points.

Miyamoto snagged a card and then pointed to his face down card, which immediately flipped up. "I activate Call of the Haunted, returning Hyper Hammerhead to the field in attack mode. Then, I attack!"

The hammerheaded creature rushed forwards, but was instantly bound by a glowing blue hexagram, keeping it in place. Mizuki waggled a finger back and forth, snickering. "Looks like your monster's been caught by my Hexagram Curse, the Spellbinding Circle."

The professor didn't appear at all bothered, and he pointed at his monster, which faded away as particles. "I was merely clearing the path. Now I sacrifice Hyper Hammerhead for Criosphinx(1200/2400) in defense mode!"

A hulking blue skinned sphinx with goat horns and wings appeared, its wings wrapped around itself protectively. Finally he slid a card from his hand onto his duel disk. "I set a card face down and end my turn."

Mizuki flipped a card off her deck, spinning it between her fingers back and forth, looking quite pleased with herself. Miyamoto shook his head, while the watching crowd continued to laugh. "Are you actually going to make a move, or show off your card handling skills?"

The teenager pouted, but her lips quickly twitched up into a smirk, showing that the disappointment wasn't genuine. "If you insist, I guess I will. I summon Rune Soldier(1800/1800) back to the field."

Her monster was summoned, looking identical to how it had in her previous turn. "That big sphinx of yours is just a bit too strong for me to deal with, so I'll just set one card face down. Back to you Doc."

He chuckled even as he drew a card, looking quite pleased with her. "Professor is a purely professional title, I assure you. I'm not actually a doctor, but I do have a teaching degree."

She shrugged and folded her hand of cards together, languidly threading it between her fingers just as she had with that single card. "Whatever you say Doc, but I kind of like the title."

"You've got spunk, that's for sure. But that won't save you from this move. Reverse card open, Bounce! This magic card sends one card on your field back to your hand, and I choose your Rune Soldier!" It faded away, and she placed it back into her hand.

"Now Criosphinx activates its effect since a card returned to your hand. Now you have to discard one card at random from your hand." Mizuki gasped as a spectral hand reached out of her graveyard and snagged a card from her hand and pulling it back to the cemetery.

"From my hand I'll activate a second Bounce!" Her set card faded away just like her soldier had, leaving her field entirely empty. Then the same spectral hand popped out of her grave and snagged another card.

Mizuki looked panicked for a second, seeing her open field. But she calmed herself just seconds later, even as Miyamoto was placing a card from his hand onto the field. "Winged Sage Falcos(1700/1200) in attack mode."

A winged avarian humanoid descended, flapping his wings, moving into position next to the sphinx. Seconds later that same sphinx unfolded its wings, moving into attack mode. "For my final move, both of these monsters attack directly!"

The professors watching were impressed by how well Mizuki took the twin attacks, bracing herself and barely being forced back. She shook herself off and then grinned, still twirling the cards between her fingers. "That all Doc?" (MiLP: 1100)

He nodded, sliding his last card onto his duel disk, and she slipped another card off her deck, joining the others in twirling around her fingers, now separately. Suddenly they just seemed to snap together as a regular fanned out hand of cards. "Let's see what we've got to pick from."

Grinning she slapped one of them down, and immediately the familiar figure of Rune Soldier appeared. "Bet you thought you got rid of him right? Well now he'll take out his frustrations on Criosphinx!"

Miyamoto snapped his fingers together, and his trap lifted. Immediately Criopshinx vanished, replaced by Winged Sage Falcos. "My Shift card sends your attack at Winged Sage Falcos."

His monster shattered under the magical blade of Rune Soldier, which faded as particles shortly after. "Well, even if I couldn't finish you off there, I'll set one card face down for now and end my turn." (MLP: 3900)

Her opponent drew, and then motioned to his sphinx. It dropped into a kneeing crouch, its wings folded around it protectively. "Not only that, but I'll set a monster in defense mode. End."

Mizuki snapped up another card, and tossed a card onto her duel disk. "Here's a nice fellow for you, Rune Lancer(1600/1200)!" The new monster looked similar to Rune Soldier, only he was holding a lance that had magical runes on it.

She looked over the field, and then immediately pointed at the set monster. "Rune Soldier, bring it down!" The sword wielding monster charged in, slashing the monster apart. It appeared briefly as a tropical bird.

"Ashingaray(400/300), when flipped discards one card from your hand and lets me special summon another from my deck in defense mode." A ghostly hand grabbed one of Mizuki's cards, dropping the number down to two.

She didn't seem bothered in the slightest; in fact she looked fairly pleased for some reason. "Rune Lancer, go in and take out that second bird for me!" A single pierce of the lance was enough to dispatch that bird, removing another card from her hand.

Smiling brightly she tapped the remaining card she was holding against her duel disk, indicating that she was finished with her turn. Nodding in acceptance Miyamoto drew, and placed the card onto his duel disk. "Another monster in defense mode. End."

Up in the stands another teenager, this one looking closer to Mizuki's age, wearing a solid blue uniform was watching. A small smile twitched into life on his lips as he watched. _'I've seen this examination deck before. That new monster is likely Wall of Illusion(1100/1850) whose effect combined with the last Ashingaray and Criosphinx will drain that girl's hand. And then the killing blow will come.'_

On the other hand, Miyamoto was somewhat concerned. His defense was good enough to block her attacks, but she seemed awfully confident. However, there was nothing he could do with this deck. It was good, as was every examination deck, just not tournament level. _'Let's see what's got her so confident.'_

Mizuki drew, and smiled slightly. "Ready for my killing blow? It'll be a cool one as well." There was a round of gasps, as well as a number of disbelieving mutters.

She smiled prettily, and the several of the teens in the room sighed. "Guess you don't believe me, so I'll show you. Rune Soldier, attack his final birdy!" It leapt forwards and slashed apart the final bird, causing her to lose one of the two cards in her hand.

"I don't see how finishing off my last bird will finish me. After all, I still have two defense monsters and you have just one monster. And Criosphinx's defense is too strong for you to defeat easily." Mizuki nodded in understand but winked. Then Miyamoto saw it, almost as if for the first time. Her face down card…

"You see it right? Good, that'll make this even more fun. Reveal face down quick-play magic card, Rune Symbol-Raidho! This card lets me sacrifice one card on my field to let my others attack directly this turn!" She slammed her remaining card into her hand and it immediately shattered.

"Rune Lancer, attack directly!" Miyamoto grunted as the holographic spear jammed into his side, but he refused to be forced backwards. Instead he stood his ground, accepting the damage to his life points. (MLP: 2300)

"That was impressive, but it wasn't a finishing blow. I've still got the lead, and that card is one time only." Mizuki didn't reply normally. Instead she glanced at her Rune Soldier, which was glowing brightly, so brightly that its figure couldn't be seen anymore.

When the light faded, it was the same monster, only taller and with hardened lines on its face, the lines of experience. In addition it held two curved swords, each one glowing with runes. "Whenever Rune Soldier destroys a monster I can place a Rune Counter on it, and by sacrificing three of those and itself I can special summon any Rune monster from my hand, deck, or cemetery to the field. So this…is Rune Blader(2300/2300)!"

There was a collective gasp from the audience as they saw what was about to happen. Miyamoto merely smiled, looking appreciative. "You could have summoned something stronger, but instead you chose to go with a monster whose attack is equal to my life points. In other words, you had this planned since the turn you set that Raidho card."

"Glad to know you figured that out. So here's the pay off of a few turns planning, Rune Blader, direct attack for game!" The monster crossed his swords and jumped at the professor, stabbing him in the chest with both blades. There was a trickling sound as his life points dripped away. (MLP: 0)

Some of the other teens in the room cheered, most particularly the boys, but Miyamoto merely looked happy. "Well that was certainly an impressive display. I can't guarantee anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if you got in. Good luck Ms. Mitsuhiro."

She flashed the crowd a victory sign, and then strutted off the stage, looking awfully pleased with herself. _'This could be it…I could have made it into Duelist Academy!'_

The cheers of the crowd kept her in high spirits the rest of the day.

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Author's Note: And there you go, chapter one.

_Mizuki has done it, she did exactly what she wanted to and made it into Duelist Academy. Of course step two requires that she actually make the trip there, and meet her roommates. But what better way to get acquainted with a roomy at a school for dueling than a duel?_

_See it all in, On to Duelist Academy!_


	2. On to Duelist Academy!

Author's Note: Here comes chapter two for you.

**Chapter Two: On to Duelist Academy!**

"Please move along, there's nothing to see at all." The crowd refused to actually listen to the officer's words, all of them gathering around to see the crater in the middle of the street. Nobody knew what had caused it, but they did know it wasn't an explosion. Just a hemisphere about fifteen feet across in the street had vanished over the space of a night.

Mizuki looked over her shoulder at the crowd, wondering what they were looking at. They seemed really interested, so maybe she should investigate. Turning towards them she started walking, trying to push past the crowd to get a closer look. _'This could be exciting. Maybe it's a duel!'_

She stopped after getting to the front of the crowd, staring down at the crater. It was as smooth as glass, as if the street had never been there in the first place. As if the matter had been there one moment, and gone the next. _'Matter cannot be created or destroyed…but it can be moved. Could this have been…'_

"The end has come! The Darkness Games will return, and the world will fall forever into chaos!" The crowd's attention was jerked to the other side of the crater, where a man had already jumped over the barrier and was sliding down into the bottom of the crater.

He had long brown hair, and crazed black eyes, making him look odd in his business suit. But there, attached to his arm, was a royal blue DD5, sleek and small, with auto-holo projectors. "Repent for your sins or be cast into the darkness!"

The police began shoving the crowd backwards, while another officer descended into the crater, a standard Police Issue Duel Disk-Proteus Class attached to his arm. It expanded from a mere brace on his arm to a full-sized disk, with the plate already active. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The other man, his eyes still crazed, whirled to face the officer, and slammed a deck into his now active duel disk. "Repent and be saved from the darkness!" And instantly a black sphere of energy erupted around the two, hiding them from the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Everyone who had been watching almost immediately panicked, turning tail and fleeing. Those that were old enough remembered the Twilight of Man, while those who were younger had seen the looks of terror on their elder's faces when they spoke about it. But they all knew a Darkness Game was a bad thing.

The one person from the crowd who didn't flee besides the police was Mizuki, who found herself staring at the sphere of darkness. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, but she couldn't take her eyes off of it. Slowly she reached her hand up, extending it towards the darkness. _'It's calling out to me…'_

She was jerked out of her near trance by an officer, who snagged her arm and began herding her away. "This is no place for a little girl! Now get out of here while the police handle this!"

Mizuki did as she was told, leaving the area completely at a stately pace. But for some reason she couldn't place, she wanted to go back. She wanted to touch that tell-tale sign of the Darkness Game. Perhaps even see just what it was like to step into one, even if you were transported back to the exact same spot. _'I wonder…just what a Darkness Game is like.'_

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Just the next day, the news had a brief mention of the incident on it. According to police reports a drug addict had initiated a Darkness Game with a police officer, but had been succinctly dispatched. That was essentially all there was to the report, leaving everything else to the imagination. _'Was it a hard duel? Are Darkness Games more difficult than regular duels?'_

Mizuki sighed, realizing she was going off on a tangent. It wasn't a good thing to be thinking about, because everybody knew, or at least said, that Darkenss Games were bad news. But as long as she could remember she'd had a strange fascination with Darkness Games that nobody could understand, and that she never expressed to anyone but her mother. _'People would think I was crazy, but there's just something…special about them.'_

She sighed again, leaning back against the seat of the bus. Once again she found herself using a form of public transport to get where she wanted to go. After witnessing the start of the Darkness Game the other day she had gone to the post office and picked up a package for her, which contained the letter of congratulations, saying she was accepted to Duelist Academy.

Already she had packed up her things, knowing that on off time she was allowed to wear whatever she wished. Of course she had also packed more personal items, as well as her DD2 and her card collection. While the school provided DD5s for personal use by students, she didn't intend to trade her older model in for a new one.

Now here she was, on a bus, heading to the location where a special boat was waiting. Then she would get on the boat, and they would go to Duelist Academy. She had already said her goodbyes, so she didn't feel remorse. All she felt was excitement, knowing that in about five hours she would be at the most prestigious Duel Monsters School in the world. The very first one ever, established dozens of years ago.

She looked around at the other people on the bus, but didn't recognize anyone. None of them were teenagers either, which meant nobody from her area of Tokyo would be going to Duelist Academy. That was okay; she wanted to make some new friends. _'And this time, maybe people won't be scared off by my name and what it implies.'_

The ride seemed longer than it actually was, but eventually she reached her exit, and was almost immediately bustled onto the boat without preamble. She didn't even get to really chat with anyone before being forced on. _'Guess they're in a hurry. My area is probably the last pick-up.'_

It turned out that she was right, because almost immediately the boat started off, heading towards the small island in the Pacific that housed the legendary Duelist Academy. Even it's sister schools, North, South, East, and West didn't hold as legendary a name as the original thing.

Since the boat trip was going to be a long one, it seemed like a good idea to look around. The other people on the boat appeared just as excited as she was, and they were all her age as well, exploring the nooks and crannies of their travel arrangement. And, just as she had expected, there were people talking about the Darkness Game.

Somehow, telling people that she had been right there when it happened didn't seem like a good idea. She didn't want to be hounded by questions, and it would make her look a lot more like her father than she wanted right now. _'Sometime that damn name is too much of a burden, and other times it's a boon.'_

What really excited her was at the bow of the boat there was a miniature dueling arena, and two people had already started up. Both were boys her age, and one had a DD3, while the other had a DD4. She looked over at one of the girls watching, a pretty blonde girl. "How's the duel going?"

She pointed to the boy with the DD3, who had red hair down to his back. "That's Paul Emerson, he says he's probably going to Obelisk Blue right away, but nobody believes him. Right now he's just that one face down card, and a set monster. His life points are looking good though." Mizuki saw what the girl meant. (PLP: 6100)

Next the blonde girl motioned to the other duelist, who had a single towering monster on the field, no cards in hand, and one face-down card. "That's Natori Yusumi, and he's not a bragger so far. He doesn't have the life point lead, but his Fusilier Dragon(2800/2000) looks like it has the advantage." (NLP: 1600)

Mizuki leaned against a rail to watch the duel progressing. It was quite obviously Paul's turn, because he had just snapped a card off his duel disk. He held it up to his eyes, and then added it to the other three cards in his hand. "Reverse card open, Poison of the Old Man! I'll use it to deal you eight hundred damage." (NLP: 800)

Natori didn't look bothered at all, instead he just shrugged. Paul growled in irritation and slammed a card onto his duel disk. "Heaven Glow grants me a thousand life points!" (PLP: 7100)

Natori just chuckled. "Life points won't do a thing, unless you think you're going to whip out Sanctuary of the Sky and Saturn, Angel of Judgment(2400/0) in this turn. Well, are you?"

Paul didn't respond, but it was obvious by the lack of response that Natori was right. "Even if I can't use that combo, I'll show you that my Sanctuary of the Sky Deck is strong enough to send me straight to the top! Activate Cost Down, discard Repayment of Losses!" He drew another card from the effect of his discarded magic card.

Finally he took the card he had drawn previously and slammed it onto his duel disk. "I sacrifice my set Holy Shine Sphere(500/500) for Jupiter, Angel of Life(2400/2400) in attack mode!"

Paul's grin of satisfaction faded when his monster vanished almost immediately, falling into a deep hole. Natori jerked a thumb at his set card, which was revealing itself. "Bottomless Trap Hole gets around your monster's effect, removing it from the game."

The red haired boy look briefly panicked as he looked at his field, but finally made a decision and placed his last card into his duel disk. "I'll just set one card face down and end my turn. See if you can even touch me."

Natori raised his drawn card, looking confident. "I'll do more than touch you; my monsters will burn you to ash. Pot of Greed. Next, Research on the Pot of Greed to draw two more!" The crowd watched, impressed as Natori quickly ended up with three cards in his hand.

He tossed a card onto his field, and another Fusilier Dragon the Dual Mode Beast(1400/1000) appeared on the field. "I can summon him without tribute as you know by cutting his stats in half. But, the magic card Magic Purge returns him to normal."

Paul kept a confident look on his face, but it was obvious he was sweating it. After all, if they connected it'd be a big chunk of life points. "You really think you'll survive? Activate magic card, Trinity Pattern! When I have two monsters of the same name in play I can special summon the final one from my deck to the field!"

The final Fusilier emerged, looking just as deadly as its brethren. Now Paul was really sweating, but he pointed to his face down card anyways, a slight smirk on his face. "Just try and attack, I dare you! My face down card will obliterate you completely!"

Natori shook his head, and then raised one hand, pointing a finger at Paul. "Let me give you a tip American. You're headed straight for Osiris Red, drop-out trash! Triple Smog Blast!"

Paul was tossed backwards over the railing by the combined attack, which quickly reduced his life points to nothing. Mizuki leaned over, looking down at the dizzy and confused boy. She smiled brightly and patted him on the head like a dog. "Sorry guy, but that was just a really bad bluff. But me…I think I'll give this a try!"

She hopped over the railing, her DD2 already activated. He looked her up and down, obviously checking her out, and then his eyes settled on her DD2 and he laughed. "So, we've got a drop-out girl to go along with the drop-out boy. If that pathetic DD2 is all you can afford, you don't even belong here at Duelist Academy." (NLP: 4000)

Mizuki's smile faded instantly, replaced by a serious look. Her green eyes smoldered with an inner fire, and Natori had to force himself not to take a step back. "Don't insult this duel disk, it belonged to my father. And let me give you a piece of advice you rich snob. You're not even in the same class of person as me!" (MLP: 4000)

Natori gulped, not able to take his eyes off those burning green eyes. _'What have I gotten myself into? This girl…she's not normal is she?'_

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Mizuki sighed, walking down the ramp, taking her first steps onto the island that housed Duelist Academy. She was finally here, and yet she was still bothered. She had soundly beaten Natori in that duel, and the rest of the trip people had been clambering to talk to her, or to duel her.

In the five hours that the trip took she defeated seventeen of the forty-two students that had come on the boat. Most of the others didn't challenge her, or just plain didn't know about what had been going on. She was glad for that, because all that dueling in one day was a little bit much. _'Sheesh, beat one guy and everybody is aching to take a stab at you.'_

Although somehow she had gotten the impression a few of the guys who had dueled her had been hoping just to impress her, in order to increase their chances with her. _'If a guy thinks he can impress me by dueling and losing, he's got another thing coming. Unless he can beat me, I doubt I'll be impressed. At least he could put up a good fight; most of those guys weren't even a challenge.'_

Following the rest of the students, who seemed to be following somehow up ahead that she couldn't see, Mizuki made her way to the Grand Hall. It was a big place, which seated at least a thousand people, which was roughly the number of students at the school. It had expanded from shy of a hundred at its inception to having a maximum occupancy of one thousand students to the school.

At the very bottom of the room, surrounded by all the seats and gathered students, was a huge dueling arena. It was obvious that the holographic projectors linked up there would make the holograms even more realistic than normal. _'Okay, so what are we doing here anyways?'_

She and most of the other new students yelped in fright when the holographic projectors lit up, displaying a very detailed holographic image of an older man's face. No matter which side of the Hall you were on, it looked like it was staring at you. And it was so large and realistic that Mizuki could swear she saw a stray hair the man had missed while shaving.

He had his hair cut short, and it was mostly gray, showing him to be around his fifties. His face was still fairly youthful looking though, and he had a sparkle in his gray eyes that portrayed a great deal of exuberance for life. "Ah! Welcome back young duelists to Duelist Academy. And to you new students, I must say congratulations to you all on making it here. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, but you're the cream of the crop, just for making it in. So, welcome all to Duelist Academy!"

Mizuki and some others watched raptly as the older man, who introduced himself as Principal Tantei, spoke about aspects of the school and congratulated them all several more times. Most of the students either didn't pay attention or had already heard it and didn't care.

All of that changed when something a disturbing shade of green seemed to bob around the principal's nose. Since he was speaking into an imager and couldn't actually see them, he was unaware of what appeared to be a giant booger on his nose. The crowd burst out laughing as it hung directly beneath his left nostril, looking exactly like a trail of snot.

Looking closer Mizuki could tell that it was a balloon tied to the stage, aimed perfectly up at the nose. Her close inspection noticed that off to one side, at the bottom of the Hall, were a bunch of teenage boys, all giving high fives to one of their number. _'Well, at least I know some people at this school have a good sense of humor. But I bet that guy gets in serious trouble.'_

The rest of the speech passed quickly, very little attention going to the holographic face after the disturbance of the balloon booger, which was still hanging there. Instead students took to joking amongst themselves, and occasionally hurling paper airplanes.

Finally they were dismissed to go meet a teacher that had been assigned to them on a piece of paper. Or at least so it seemed, because all of the returning students were leaving, while the new students were going to the three teachers who were standing separate from each other. _'Okay, so my little notice says I go to Professor Yamato Gorishi'_.

Following the paper's advice, she located the table that had a sign under it with the name of that professor. She got in line, waiting, and finally reached the table. Professor Yamato turned out to be a stern looking man with a crew cut, muscular, and in a fancy yellow uniform. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro right? Welcome to Ra Yellow, here's your uniform, your room assignment, and a map of the school. Any other special items will be located in your dorm room. Thank you."

She yelped as she was quickly forced to move along, getting only a brief chance to grab the items he pressed at her. With those in arm, she walked away, pulling out the map and the room assignment card. _'I wonder if I'm rooming with someone fun. But hey, I got into Ra Yellow, that's the best start a person can have straight into Duelist Academy. That bodes well for me.'_

It occurred to her that she probably would have been more excited if everything wasn't so rushed. But she figured that they had a lot of students to deal with before the day was over, and they wanted to get it done with. _'After all, they have to eat as well don't they?'_

Giggling to herself she followed the directions of the map, finally coming to a large steel building, with a yellow crest with a phoenix on it stood. According to the map this was the Ra Yellow Girl's Dormitory #2. "It's not coed? Oh well, it probably would have been annoying if it was coed anyways."

She entered the dorm, greeted briefly by a couple of older girls standing at the door, and then bustled along. According to the card she had been given she was in room 213A, which meant the second floor for her. _'Up I go!'_

When she finally reached the room, she opened up the door and was pleasantly surprised. It was sparsely furnished, with desks, beds, and closets, leaving quite a bit of room for personalized decoration. It was also a pretty big room, but then again the number of beds told her she would have two other roommates. _'I hear the Osiris Red guys have triple bunks in small room, so I've got it good by comparison.'_

Since there was nobody else around it felt like a good time to play model, and see just what the Ra Yellow Girl's uniform would be like. _'If it's like my junior high uniform at all I think I'll scream.'_

Slipping out of her regular clothes, she placed them carefully on the bed closest to the window, and then grabbed the provided uniform. Apparently it only consisted of a jacket and a skirt, so she would provide the shirt. Happily she pulled her blue shirt back on, and then buttoned up the top.

Once everything was in place she took a look at herself in the mirror, and her green eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The top itself was white primarily, with a yellow ring that clasped around the neck and buttoned up, and the upturned color was also yellow. Her skirt was yellow as well, but it wasn't the color that made her freak out, it was how it fit.

"What the hell is this! Is this standard uniform? It's too damned tight, and the skirt is too short! I feel like the buttons on this top are going to snap, and I'm gonna have guys ogling me in all my classes! Auuuu…." She started dancing around, running her hands through her black hair, panicking at the thought of guys staring at her in drooling in her super tight white uniform top.

It was Mizuki running around shaking her head frantically that greeted two girls as they walked in the door to the room. The first to walk in was talking to the girl behind her, and she was already wearing her Ra Yellow uniform, looking perfectly comfortable with it. She was dark skinned with pitch black hair that hung to her back, and a DD5 was on her arm.

The girl behind her nearly bumped into her when she stopped. She too was already wearing her Ra Yellow uniform and didn't seem bothered by it. Unlike the first girl she was obviously Asian, like most of the school's students, but she had platinum blonde hair which hung about her shoulders, a bit of it tied up like a garland around her head. "Why'd you…oh."

Together they watched Mizuki run around the dorm room, practically having a mental breakdown. The two girls exchanged a glance at each other, and then burst out laughing. Noticing the girls at last, Mizuki calmed down partially, looking their way. "What!"

The dark skinned took a deep breath to silence her laughter, and then looked up at Mizuki. "What's wrong with you? Why were you running around like that?"

Mizuki looked completely flummoxed. After several second's pause she reached up and grabbed her breasts, glaring at the other girls. "This is what! These uniforms are freaking skin tight! I signed up for Duelist Academy, not for Hooters!"

This sent her roomies into another pearl of laughter, and Mizuki just threw her hands into the air and threw herself down onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. "This is seriously not what I had expected. I just need to get my mind off it somehow…"

Seconds later she had crossed the room to the laughing girls, her duel disk almost magically placed on her arm. "So, since we're roomies, how about we get to know each other in a nice three-way duel?"

The platinum blonde haired girl straightened, and shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry; I was going to visit my brother. He's been attending here since last semester, and I wanted to pop in and say hello. Oh, and I'm Aya, Aya Yukio."

The other girl extended her hand and Mizuki gladly took it, shaking it enthusiastically. Around other girls she could relax, despite the fact that her top made her feel sleazy. "And I'm Mizuki Mitsuhiro, nice to meet you."

Both of them looked at her strangely for a second, so Mizuki sighed and nodded once. "Yes, my father is exactly who you think he is."

Aya looked a bit shocked, but the dark skinned girl just seemed to think carefully about it for a moment before finally extending her own hand in greeting. "I'm Janice Matthias, and this is my second year at Duelist Academy. Nice to meet you Mitsuhiro."

Mizuki smiled back at the older girl, happy to know that her two roommates weren't really bothered knowing who her father was. "Please, call me Mizuki. Calling me Mitsuhiro makes us sound cold and distant, so Mizuki is better."

Janice smiled, her bright white teeth glinting. Their attention returned to Aya, who was offering them a small bow. "I'm sorry, but I really do have to go meet my brother, he's expecting me. It was a pleasure to meet you both, and I'm sure we can all get acquainted better letter on."

With that she was out the door, leaving the other two girls alone. Finally Janice spoke, smiling slightly. "I believe you mentioned something about a duel?"

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They now stood on opposite ends of the Ra Yellow Dueling Arena, which was a raised white platform surrounded by seats for an audience. Currently they were the only people there, and each of them had their duel disks active. Janice was the first to start drawing. "Feel free to take the first turn. I like being generous to first years." (JLP: 4000)

Mizuki smiled and slid six cards off her duel disk. Now her uniform predicament was completely forgotten, because this was her eliminate. A duel was all she needed to relax. "It'll be my pleasure Janice, and I won't go easy on you just because you're a second year student and relaxed in your old age." (MLP: 4000)

Janice rolled her eyes, the joke had barely gotten a laugh out of her. Mizuki narrowed her eyes, realizing that what she had guessed was true. Janice was tougher than her friendly exterior made her seem. _'Good, because I'm a lot tougher than I appear at first glance as well. Wouldn't want this to be a cake walk.'_

She spun the cards around her fingers a few times for good measure, and then snapped them up, giving them a good once over. It only took a little bit of studying before she decided on her move. "I set one monster in defense mode and one card face down. End turn!"

Janice drew, her previous bright smiles gone, replaced by a confident but calm exterior. "I'm not the best duelist in the school, or even in Ra Yellow, but I'm strong enough. Let me teach you a lesson in why conservative tactics don't work. Go, Fusion Gathering!"

Mizuki frowned, familiar with the card. By discarding a 'Polymerization' from her hand, Janice would be able to search her deck for two fusion component monsters and add them to her hand. "I've got the Polymerization, so there it goes, and here come my two chosen monsters."

She slid the named card into her grave, and then two more cards popped out of her duel disk and into her hand. "Next up, I play Fusion Return! This card isn't as effective as, oh say, Fusion Recovery, but it is useful. I can now take one 'Polymerization' from the grave and add it to my hand."

Janice held up the recovered fusion card, and then grabbed the two fusion components she had previously searched for. "Now, I'll show you why the power of the rush can defeat even the strongest of opponent's. Polymerization activates!"

An energy vortex appeared in front of her, and slowly a creature emerged from it. It was huge, extending out past where the arena went, and its twin heads snarled as it stared down at Mizuki, its metallic body ready to strike. "Meet the fusion of my two Cyber Dragons(2100/1600). Cyber Twin Dragon(2800/2100)!"

Mizuki gulped, realizing that this monster meant business. She had heard about the Cyber Dragons, and knew they were dangerous cards to play against, and potentially very powerful. This was the first time she had faced them though. "I'm not afraid."

Janice held up another card from her hand, revealing a swirl of wind with a lightning bolt in the center. "Cyclone is a quick-play magic card any duelist should know, as it destroys one magic or trap card in play. Namely your set card."

Mizuki's primary defense exploded into tiny pieces, leaving only her defense monster between her and the deadly Cyber Twin Dragon. "Cyber Twin Dragon, attack with Twin Hyper Evolution Burst!"

The dark haired girl slid her monster into the cemetery, and was about to ask if that was it when a second stream of flame descended on her, nearly knocking her off her feet. Janice looked smug as it happened. "I told you it was rush power. Cyber Twin Dragon can attack twice in the battle phase." (MLP: 1200)

Finally Janice finished up her turn, sliding one of the last two cards she held onto her duel disk. Not that Cyber Twin Dragon needed much protection with that sort of attack power. "You're good Janice, but with a rush deck it's a mistake not to finish the opponent off all at once. That'll cost you."

Mizuki held up her drawn card, revealing it to be a magic card. On it was a picture of a complex looking symbol, like a letter of some kind. "I play the quick-play magic card Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! This card's activated effect destroys one monster in play, so say goodbye to Cyber Twin Dragon!"

Janice didn't even blink, despite the fact that her deadly fusion monster had just faded away. She had honestly expected something like that, and wasn't bothered. "Now I summon Rune Caster(800/1400) in attack mode and attack you directly!"

The new monster, a small handsome man in robes like Rune Soldier's appeared, and cast his hands out, sending waves of energy at Janice. The older girl grimaced, but since it was only a weak monster, the damage wasn't great. "That weakling will take a while to finish me off if that's all you've got." (JLP: 3200)

Mizuki shrugged as if she wasn't worried at all. Then she grabbed one of her other cards and slid it onto her duel disk, causing it to appear behind Rune Caster. "Okay, that'll be it for me."

Janice drew, and instantly flipped the card over. "I mentioned this card earlier, so I'll play it now. Fusion Recovery returns a Polymerization and a fusion material monster used in fusion to my hand." She held up her fusion card and a Cyber Dragon.

"Since you've got a monster and I don't, I special summon Cyber Dragon(2100/1600) to the field at no cost!" A serpentine machine dragon emerged, looking like the singular head of the previous fusion monster.

Although a powerful monster was in play, Mizuki was obviously unworried. Janice wondered if it had to do with her monster's unknown effect, or her set card. "I'll see what you've got waiting. Hyper Evolution Burst!"

Mizuki pointed to her face down card, and it flipped up, revealing itself as a quick-play magic card. "Rune Symbol-Raidho! This card lets me negate one attack by the opponent and end the battle phase!"

The burst of flame fizzled out, and Cyber Dragon settled back to wait for another chance to attack. "My turn is over Mizuki. But pretty soon your little caster will be lunch for Cyber Dragon."

The younger girl winked as she drew her next card, offhandedly making a comment. "Pity it's a machine, or otherwise that villain threat would do something."

Quickly her flippant manner snapped back to her confident dueling demeanor. "Rune Caster during my standby phase lets me pick up one 'Rune Symbol' from my grave and add it to my hand. So I'll grab and reactive Rune Symbol-Thurisaz!"

Cyber Dragon faded just like its evolved form had, leaving Janice fairly defenseless. "Even though it doesn't accomplish a whole lot, I'll chip away at your life points a little bit more with a direct attack from caster!" The strike dipped Janice down even farther. (JLP: 2400)

Finally Mizuki seemed about settled with her move, just raising one of the cards she was holding up. "Rune Chant lets me do just like Rune Caster does, and pick up a Rune Symbol from the grave. So I pick up and set a card. End turn."

Janice looked over her drawn card, and then slid two of her cards onto her duel disk, causing them to appear next to her first set card. "Now that I've done that I summon Cyber Demon(1000/2000) in attack mode."

A monster that looked like a mechanized version of Summoned Skull appeared, glaring at Rune Caster. "This should get rid of your set card. Attack!"

The face down card flipped up, revealing Rune Symbol-Raidho, halting the attack. "I get it, you just wanted me to use it so I'd have to pick between Raidho and Thurisaz next turn. Good plan."

Janice smiled, despite knowing the praise wasn't important. It was just good to know that her roommate would be appreciate and not bratty about duels. "I end my turn!"

Mizuki drew, and then grabbed a card from her cemetery. "Rune Symbol-Thurisaz blows away Cyber Demon!"

"This time I was ready. Cyber Barrier negates an effect that would destroy one monster with 'Cyber' in its name during this turn." The energy from the Rune faded away, leaving the mechanized demon perfectly intact.

Despite the fact that her next chance at a direct attack had been halted, Mizuki still wasn't worried. She had other ways of working things out. "I play Rune Symbol-Ingwas, which prevents you from attacking me for three turns. Think of it as a Swords of Revealing Light that you can't blow up."

Cyber Demon seemed to freeze in place, indicating that it couldn't attack at all. With that done, it was now Janice's turn, and she drew two cards off her deck. "When I have zero cards in hand during your end phase, Cyber Demon lets me draw an extra card during my standby phase."

Next she pointed to one of her face down cards, which revealed itself to be a distorted looking version of Monster Reborn. "By discarding one of my drawn cards to Monster Reincarnation I'll pick up a monster from the grave."

Cyber Demon faded away, and it was replaced by Cyber Dragon(2100/1600). "Cyber Demon was around just long enough to give me a chance to bring back Cyber Dragon for some more fun."

Janice flipped over the other card she had drawn that turn, showing a picture of a Cyber Dragon roasting a human alive in its flames. "Evolution Burst lets me destroy one monster on the field if I have a Cyber Dragon in play."

A spurt of flame swept over Rune Caster, and it screamed briefly before being completely melted away. Then, since Janice had no more cards in her hand and couldn't attack, her turn was over.

Mizuki drew, and smiled as a plan took shape. Just like in her duel against the professor, she knew just what she had to do. "I set a monster in defense mode and one card face down. End turn."

Now it was Janice's turn to draw, and by the looks of it she was happy by the draw. "Different Dimension Capsule activates. I remove a card from the game and in my second standby phase from now it goes into my hand."

A sarcophagus appeared in front of her, and a card slid into it before it closed. Now in just two turns time Janice would get whatever card she had chosen. "End!"

Mizuki slid a card off her deck and into her hand, and then smiled brightly. "Okay Janice, your turn. Let's speed things along shall we, I heard there was a banquet later tonight."

The older girl frowned; surprised that Mizuki had so casually ended her turn without doing anything else. "I can't do anything either. So I end my turn."

Once again Mizuki drew, and then smiled oddly. "Okay, still not much from this end. I guess it's up to you to bring this duel to its close. Oh well."

Janice grimaced, feeling like she was being disrespected. "If you're so casual about it, let's see how you like this. Now, my capsule breaks, giving me the card I wanted. Then I play Silent Dead!"

A Cyber Dragon materialized, curled up into a ball in defense mode, according to the effect of Silent Dead. "Now, I've gathered them all together. Reveal face down card, Polymerization! I combine the two Cyber Dragons on the field with the one in my hand in order to create….Cyber End Dragon(4000/2800)!"

A giant behemoth of a monster was summoned, its silvery metallic body dominating the field. Three dragon heads stared down at Mizuki, and wide wings spread out from its back. "This monster can deal damage through defense. Ultimate Evolution Burst!"

A massive torrent of flame swallowed up Mizuki's set monster, and nearly blew her completely off the dueling arena. But when the fires faded, instead of being out for the count, Mizuki was still standing. "Sorry, but you destroy Rune Guardian (1000/2000) and I can remove it from play to reduce all damage to me by half. So right after it died I removed it to drop damage calculation by half." (MLP: 400)

Janice stared at the other girl, mouth agape with shock. It hardly seemed possible for her to have had the perfect monster for the situation and yet she had. In fact…she had seemed totally confident. _'She knew I was going to summon Cyber End Dragon all along, and she was ready for it! She's been waiting for it!'_

With nothing worth playing, there was little Janice could do but end her turn and worry. If Mizuki had seen Cyber End Dragon coming, that meant she had a plan. But whatever it wasn't, it didn't bode well for her. "Time for this to end. Draw!"

She barely glanced at her drawn card before pointing to her face down card. "Rune Symbol-Kenaz activates! It now deals you eight hundred life points of damage!" A lick of flame struck Janice in the chest, but it wasn't significant damage. (JLP: 1600)

Janice was going to comment on how it was a meager attempt, but suddenly Mizuki had her eyes closed, and was humming. "What…what are you doing?"

"I'm letting the cards divine the path of your destiny for me. I'll go with a three card Rune Layout for this move." Janice had no idea what was going on, but three holographic cards appeared face down in front of her, and one by one they revealed themselves.

"Thurisaz of the standard fate of death, darkness is on your path. Raidho as it is normal, sacrifice to a greater cause, to protect one's ultimate fate. And lastly, in the final position is Kenaz in Merkstave, or reversed, means pain of the body. And now…my divination is complete, and your fate is set. Effect activates!" The three cards began to glow, and Cyber End Dragon shook violently before blowing apart.

"One monster on the field is now destroyed, and half its attack points are dealt to each of us. But we can negate that damage if we discard one monster from our hand whose attack strength is equal to or greater than the damage we would receive. Can you forestall that destiny?" Janice stared at the oncoming wave of flame, and shook her head. The only card in her hand wasn't even a monster at all.

Mizuki's eyes opened as she flipped around one of the cards she was holding. "Your destiny may be set, but I can defy mine by discarding Rune Paladin(2300/2300)! Now, it's finished!"

The flame swept over Janice, knocking her off her feet, but it swept harmlessly over Mizuki. Janice felt her back jar as she hit the ground, her pride injured at almost the same time as her butt was. _'She's amazing…she beat me just like that!'_ (JLP: 0)

She shook her head, looking up to find Mizuki staring down at her with a hand extended. "Come on Janice, we don't want to miss the food do we?"

Janice shook her head and used the offered aid to come to her feet. As the two walked back to the main hall of the Ra Yellow dorm, she could only think one thing. _'This girl, she's got a gift. And I bet she'll go far.'_

Mizuki on the other hand finally had something else back on her mind. _'I wonder if I can exchange this top for something more loose fitting, even though it seems to be standard issue. Auuuu….'_

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Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed it.

_The first step is done, and now it's time for Mizuki to get used to the fact that this is a school, not a summer camp. School means classes, and it looks like she's about to meet an arrogant prick in one of them. But what's there to do about it….besides duel him?_

_See it all in, The Rivalry Sparking Incident!_

**Review Response**

WolfGeneral: Here's a better taste of just what the Rune Deck is all about.

Time Mage: For Mizuki's nerve, you can probably see now that she's totally different when dueling than any other time.


	3. The Rivalry Sparking Incident

Author's Note: Now, time for the first of classes, and character intro.

**Chapter Three: The Rivalry Sparking Incident**

The sun came up over the Pacific Ocean, filtering down upon Duelist Academy. It flitted through the windows of all the dorms, including room 213, causing the girl nearest to the window to be awakened. Her green eyes threw a fierce glare in the sun's direction, and briefly it retreated until it gathered up its courage and shined down on her again.

Groaning the fifteen year old girl rolled over, trying to block out the sunlight and go back to sleep. Of course the sun saw this and its courage was bolstered, causing it to shine even brighter, somehow even curving around to shine directly into her eyes. "Damned sun…out to get me."

Snatching her pillow up, she placed it over her head in order to completely block out the sunlight. This of course annoyed the sun, which had been having quite bit of fun bothering the girl, and decide to heat up. If it couldn't bug her with just light, it would bug her by making it too warm to be in bed. _'Is the sun freaking alive? Every time I find a way to ignore it, it finds a way to stop me from ignoring it!'_

Finally she threw her pillow aside and sat up, shooting the sun another glare. Mizuki swung her legs over the side of her bed and hopped down, yawning and stretching out her arms over her head. Satisfied that she was finally out of bed the sun cooled down noticeably. Mizuki glanced out the window, narrowing her eyes at the giant fusion reactor in the sky. "I know you can hear me. So freaking quit playing with me already! Every single morning I swear."

Janice watched Mizuki grumbling about the sun out of the corner of her eye, where she sat at her desk, laptop open and on. "Have you even bothered to check your posted schedule yet?"

"We have a posted schedule?" The only response she got was a sigh, and then Janice proceeded to point at the palm organizer that sat on Mizuki's desk, the one provided by the school.

Mizuki yawned again, running a hand through her black and blue hair, and then snatched up her palm organizer and flipped it open. The screen displayed a number of options, and she poked the one that said 'Schedule' with a finger, causing a brand new screen to open. "Ooo, Math and Monsters at 8:00 today. That sounds like a fun class."

Janice arched an eyebrow at the younger girl, looking a bit surprised. "Math and Monsters is a second level course, you're supposed to start with Introduction to Math and Monsters. It must be a mistake."

The younger girl waved a hand as if brushing away the comment, still perusing her schedule at the same time. "Oh no, I requested it specifically. Actually I requested the third level course Advanced Math and Monsters, but they said Math and Monsters was a required course before you could take it. Come on, don't you remember what my dad did?"

The black girl nodded, finally understanding. It stood to reason that if a person's parent was a prodigy at something, then it was likely their kid was as well. "Well, just don't get too bothered if most of the second year students won't really pay much attention to you. In fact, they could be a little condescending. Don't let it bug you."

Mizuki nodded, but barely seemed to notice. She appeared interested in what her schedule said, and finally looked happy as she flipped her palm organizer closed. "Okay, got my schedule listed. Now to get dressed and ready to go. Where's the shower?"

Janice pointed, and Mizuki immediately went for it. Janice then glanced over at the other bed, which was empty. Aya hadn't left for classes yet as far she knew. There was a yelp, and then Mizuki walked out of the bathroom looking embarrassed. "Guess I have to wait out here for now. Aya's showering."

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By the time eight o'clock rolled around, Mizuki had successfully showered and dressed in her uniform, including a bulky yellow sweater that went over it. The other students in the class were looking at her sweater and her strangely, since it was in the upper seventies. _'No guys can ogle me with this on. But I still haven't figured out what to do about the skirt….'_

Spotting a handful of other students in yellow uniforms in the middle section of the lecture hall, she found a seat in that area and sat down. Up above them were a number of blue uniformed students, Obelisk Blues, the highest dorm. But there were only six students in the class in Osiris Red uniforms. _'I guess most students who get to the second year and are bright enough for this class have at least made it to Ra Yellow.'_

After a few minutes a stuffy looking older man in the adult's version of the Obelisk Blue uniform walked in, obviously the teacher. He set down a stack of papers and glanced up at the class, causing instant silence. "I'm Professor Yoji Minamide, your teacher for Math and Monsters. Welcome to my class."

He wrote the name on the board, and then scanned the class deliberately stopping on the Osiris Red students before making his way upwards. Mizuki frowned, having heard how Obelisk Blues looked down on the Osiris Red students. Looks like it was all true. _'That's not exactly nice of him.'_

Smiling a greasy smile he tapped his fingers against his desk as he peered up at them, his graying hair falling across his eyes in random strands. "As I'm sure you're all aware, this class studies Paranormal Mathematics, a very unusual type of math. Since all but two of you have taken Introduction to Math and Monsters, I believe I can skip the introduction. Suffice it to say that this is unlike any other type of math you will deal with."

Without wasting any time he flipped open his book to a seemingly random page and jabbed a finger at the page without looking. Then, he looked at what he had chosen and smirked. "Let's gauge your knowledge. Whoever can answer question ten on page one twenty three first, and correctly, will have no homework today. Good luck."

The students grabbed their books and started flipping through them. They were almost frantic in their efforts to find the right page and start working on the problem. Pieces of paper were frantically ripped out of notebooks and pencils were sharpened in order to do the math.

"It's 13.3, and it applies to sub-human supernatural creatures. It's the approximate wavelength of their energy signatures on an EKG meter. Using any of the standard EKG readers you could locate one of this class of monsters even if disguised in a crowd of humans." The class went utterly silent, and all eyes turned to the person who had just answered.

Mizuki sat at her desk calmly, her book open to page one twenty three, and she was looking directly at the professor. His eyes widened slightly at the answer, shaking his head in surprise. "Name three supernatural creatures that belong to this class of sub-humans."

The fifteen year old girl blinked once, and then rattled off three names as if by rote. "Vampires, Succubi, and Tractorii are three of the four known sub-humans in this wavelength range. Of course none of the four have ever had confirmed sightings, and the math behind their energy signatures is purely hypothetical, based on probability."

Professor Yoji and the rest of the class stared at her strangely, and finally the professor spoke. "How did you have time to do the math so quickly? There isn't even any paper on your desk."

Mizuki shrugged, looking nonchalant. "I didn't do the math on paper, I did it in my head. And I know the specific wavelength classes of all classifications of supernatural creatures by heart, so that part wasn't a problem."

Whispers spread through the rest of the class as they looked her over. Professor Yoji walked up the steps and stood directly next to her, looking done. Mizuki didn't flinch at all, and just looked right back. "This problem requires twenty-five steps for perfect accuracy and nineteen if you skip a few and are cocky. How did you do that in your head in less than a minute?"

Again she shrugged, not really bothered by how close the professor was getting. She had honestly expected this, but it wasn't a big deal. "I just can that's all. I can do it with just about any math problem that I know the basic principles of, and I know Paranormal Mathematics best of all."

There was a snort from the bottom level, and her attention along with the rest of the classes was drawn to an Osiris Red boy, who appeared to be about the same age. He had black hair framing his face, and blue eyes. His uniform also indicated that he was a first year, just like her. "Oh please, there's no way anybody can do Paranormal Mathematics in their head that fast just on the basic principles. You probably looked in the back of the book."

Mizuki's green eyes blazed with fury. She was used to skepticism, but flat out disbelief like this just got her going. "What do you think drop-out boy? Want me to prove I can do it? Pick any freaking problem in the freaking book and I'll do it in my head."

The other teen stood up out of his chair, glaring at him, his eyes burning just as fiercely as hers. The teacher didn't move to stop them; instead he appeared interested, just like the rest of the class. "Well Ms. Sweater, I've got a little problem for you. Page five seventy six, second to last page of the actual math section. Problem two."

This set the professor off, and he glared at the Osiris Red boy. "Now see here! The problems at the end of the book are much more advanced than the one she just did, no student in this class has the knowledge to do it."

Osirs Red boy sneered and pulled out a piece of paper, and started writing on it frantically. Six minutes later, after they all watched him, he advanced on the teacher and thrust the piece of paper into his hand. The final answer was circled on the back of the paper, the rest of it field with numerous equations. "How's that? Is that the answer?"

Professor Yoji slowly nodded, and handed the paper back. "Yes, yes it is. Very well, go ahead and see if you can do it in your head. I'd like to see if it's at all possible."

Mizuki turned her head to look down at the problem in the book that the Osiris Red had shoved at her. She stared at it hard for two and a half minutes, and then lifted her head up and looked her challenger in the eye. "It's the Quasi Latent Potential Theorem, and the answer is a maximum potential of 31.048 on the Sayako Scale. The actual potential is improvable."

There was a second's pause, and then the teacher burst out laughing. "This is absolutely outstanding! I've never seen anyone do anything like it before. How do you even know some of those things? Quasi Latent Potential Theorem and the Sayako Scale aren't covered at all until the last few chapters of the book."

She sighed and reached into a pocket of her sweater, then pulled out a little wallet. She flipped it open, revealing a picture of an older dark haired woman with a younger Mizuki on her shoulders, both of them smiling for the camera. "This is my mother, her name is Sayako. The scale was named after her."

Professor Yoji's draw completely dropped at that, but the reaction from the Osiris Red was totally different. He slammed his hands down on her desk and leaned in close, looking her right in the eyes. "You're Mizuki Mitsuhiro aren't you? Daughter of Nobunaga Mitsuhiro and Sayako Mitsuhiro."

Mizuki nodded, and her challenger pulled back, and extended a hand out to her. "I'm Tobias Emerlo, boy genius and heir to some of the best genetic and intellectual lines in the Western Hemisphere. You, heir to one of the best genetic and intellectual lines in the Easter Hemisphere, are worthy of my attention. How would you like to be friends?"

Mizuki stared at the hand as if it were a poisonous thing, ready to strike at any moment's notice. "The Emerlos? As in the family that invented Fifth Dimensional Physics?"

Tobias smirked proudly, brushing his black hair out of his eyes with his free hand. "That's right. I also had the top score on the entrance exam to this school, a perfect score in fact."

"If you're so good, then why'd you end up in Osiris Red?" A hint of red tinged his cheeks, but he didn't retract his hand, despite the fact that Mizuki had yet to actually shake it.

"Err…welll that is I…." The class was now watching them closely, some of them snickering at the blotches that were appearing in the pale boy's face. He looked almost panicked.

Mizuki smiled and sat back in her seat, shrugging her shoulders and giving him a joking look. "I get it. You're just a terrible duelist aren't you?"

Tobias looked completely flummoxed, and everyone else in the room but the professor burst out laughing. He growled and jerked his hand back, glaring down at her. "After class I'll show you just what kind of duelist I am! I'll stomp you into the ground!"

Finally, as sparks seemed to fly between the two prodigies, the professor stepped in to intervene. "Everyone, please return to your seats. It's time we actually get this underway. And you two…I'll be talking to the principal about your apparent talents."

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Class went normally after that, but as soon as they were dismissed by the professor they all rushed out toe the courtyard, where Tobias and Mizuki stood across from each other. Tobias sneered and triggered his DD5. "I'll show you true dueling intellect in action!" (TLP: 4000)

Mizuki activated her own DD2 and drew five cards, and then a sixth. "I'll show you that it takes more than just intellect to win a duel. Let's get this started!" (MLP: 4000)

She glanced at her drawn card, and then threw it out onto the field. "Rune Ninja(1700/1400) in attack mode!" A ninja in white darted out onto the field, holding a series of throwing stars in its hands, each of which glowed with the energy of runes.

Next she took one of her other cards and slid it onto her duel disk. "Next I set one magic or trap card face down. End turn!"

Tobias sneered and held up one of the six cards he was now holding. "I play Balance the Equation! Now cards on your field will be destroyed until the number of cards on our fields is equal. Since I have nothing, you're about to have the same amount!"

The crowd gasped as Mizuki's two cards blew apart, leaving her defenseless. She grimaced at seeing whatever she had planned go down the drain at no cost to Tobias. "Don't be so upset, you won't hurt for much longer. Math Magician(1500/500) in attack mode!"

A man in robes with numbers on it appeared, a long white beard trailing to the ground. Tobias smirked and picked up the top card of his deck and then slid it into his graveyard. "When Math Magician is summoned I send the top card of my deck to the grave. And now…Battle Curriculum!"

Mizuki was immediately hit by a beam of energy containing math symbols hit her head on, burning away almost half her life points in a single strike. "A single strike doesn't make the whole game Tobias, so don't get cocky." (MLP: 2500)

"Oh but it can. Sebek's Blessings now lets me gain the amount of damage that I just inflicted to your life points." A swirl of light surrounded him, granting him energy equal to the amount that was just like Math Magician's attack strength. (TLP: 5500)

Smirking again the fifteen year old grabbed one of his three remaining cards and placed it face down on his field. "That one card face down, and then it's your turn. Go ahead inferior one."

Mizuki snapped a card off her deck, looking completely serious. "Rune Lancer(1600/1400) in attack mode! Rune Lance Strike!" The lance wielding rune warrior stabbed its weapon into Math Magician's chest, causing it to explode. (TLP: 5400)

Tobias brushed imaginary dust off his uniform, and then pointed to his set card, which flipped up. "Reveal continuous trap card, Addition Subtraction! Whenever I draw a card outside of my draw phase I can destroy one card on your field. And when Math Magician is destroyed in battle I draw one card!"

He picked up the top card of his deck and placed it into his hand, and then a blast of energy shot out of the trap card. It caught the lancer in the chest and shattered it, leaving Mizuki's field barren again. "You see? You're my inferior, and you can't change that."

She frowned; realizing things didn't look too good for her. So she grabbed two of her four cards and slipped them into slots on her duel disk. "Those cards face down, and that's it. Let's see this awesome skill of yours Tobias."

He chuckled and drew, then held up his drawn card. "It'll cost me giving you some life points, but it helps. Upstart Goblin increases your life points by one thousand and lets me draw one card." (MLP: 3500)

One of her set cards glowed, and then crumbled to dust, leaving her with just one card to protect her. Tobias chuckled and tossed another card from his hand down onto the field. "Meet my newest monster, The Thinker(1600/2000)! Once per turn it lets me draw an extra card, so say goodbye to your final card!"

A monster looking exactly like the statue called 'The Thinker' appeared, just as Tobias drew again and his trap card lit up. But this time, Mizuki was ready. "Reverse card open! Rune Symbol-Wunjo bounces The Thinker straight back to your hand!"

The Osiris Red student caught the card, looking irritated that he had given her life points and not gotten off an attack. "Fine, I'll just set two cards face down and end my turn."

Mizuki glanced at her drawn card, and threaded all three of them through her fingers. "You're an annoying person Tobias, did you know that? So I'll set two cards face down to annoy you back, and then end my turn."

Just as she was ending her turn, both of his set cards flipped up. "This little number will stop one of those cards before it does anything. First up is the continuous trap card, Solemn Wishes! Every time I draw a card I gain five hundred life points."

The second one lifted up, revealing a jar similar to the one on Pot of Greed. "Jar of Greed now lets me draw one card from the top of my deck! So thanks to the combination of Solemn Wishes and Addition Subtraction I gain five hundred life points and get to blow away one of your cards!" (TLP: 5900)

One of the two cards that Mizuki had set faded away, leaving her with just one as defense. Then Tobias drew, and energy flowed into him thanks to Solemn Wishes. "Just think about it, with all my drawing soon my life points will sore behind where you could even hope to touch them!" (TLP: 6400)

It seemed that he was right, because he had five cards in hand, and they all knew one was The Thinker, which would give him another new card each turn. "Now, I summon The Thinker(1600/2000) back to the field!"

Mizuki pointed to her face down card, and it flipped up, revealing yet another Rune Symbol. "Rune Symbol-Hagalaz now activates! It's reverse effect destroys all magic and trap cards in play, so your combo is gone!"

Tobias grimaced as his two continuous trap cards blew apart, letting him draw a card without either effect. Of course that didn't matter, since he already had a clear field. "Get ready to lose most of your life points. Direct attack!" (MLP: 1900)

The entire crowd blinked, as did Mizuki. Her life points had dropped, but The Thinker hadn't moved. When they looked to Tobias he just shrugged. "It's a statue, it can't really move, let alone attack traditionally. Now, I set two cards and end my turn."

As Tobias watched carefully Mizuki drew, and then flipped the card around. "Rune Symbol-Fehu lets me draw two cards from my deck!" She slid two more cards into her hand and considered her options.

"Okay, I guess it's just about time to go for broke. I set two cards face down and a monster as well. End turn." Tobias chuckled, and one of his face down cards flipped up, revealing yet another continuous trap.

"During your end phase I activate Unbalanced Equation! As long as this continuous trap card is in play, one card in play at random is destroyed if we have the same number of cards in the field. So during my standby phase one of us will lose a card." He flicked a card off his deck, and the trap glowed.

"Looks like its chosen your left face down card to be blown away to unbalance the equation!" A burst of fire shot out of the card, straight at one of her only defenses.

She shook her head and snapped her fingers together. Immediately the card lifted up, and the fire reflected backwards, smacking Tobias in the chest. "Rune Symbol-Kenaz when reversed lets me deal eight hundred damage to your life points!" (TLP: 5600)

He shrugged, not really looking bothered, since she had zero cards in hand, and just a monster and a set card in play to hold him back. He also had four cards in hand to work with. "Activate trap card, Jar of Greed!"

He drew again, giving him five cards instead of four. He smiled at what he saw, looking quite pleased. "I summon Base Eight Slayer(888/888)! And its only effect is that it can automatically deal you eight hundred and eighty-eight life points of damage each turn, and it can't attack!"

A chubby little fellow in lab clothes and huge coke bottle glasses now was crouched on his field next to The Thinker. It looked up in surprise, and then threw a pen at Mizuki, which bounced off her head harmlessly. "What a weird number." (MLP: 1012)

"Weird or not, it doesn't matter. It on its own could kill you in two turns. Now, The Thinker lets me draw a card." He slid a card off his deck to replace Base Eight Slayer, pumping him back up to five cards.

He smirked, and flipped over the drawn card. "I play the magic card Differential, which lets one of my monsters deal the difference in one of its stats and the same stat on your monster, counting as battle. So I'll use the effect and have The Thinker use its defense against your monster's defense as if they were attacking each other!"

Mizuki bit back a frustrated growl as her set monster exploded. "You destroyed Rune Mystic(1500/1300) so I take seven hundred damage. However, when Rune Mystic is destroyed I can either draw two cards or destroy one card on your field. I choose to destroy The Thinker." (MLP: 312)

Tobias shrugged and slid his monster into the grave. "Obviously you don't know what you're doing; otherwise you would have blown away Base Eight Slayer, since he can kill you next turn. Until that time, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."

This time it was her face down card which flipped up as soon his turn was ending. "Rune Symbol-Ansuz when reversed lets me view the top five cards of your deck and then replace them in any order I want."

The two duelists approached each other and Tobias handed her the five cards. She gave them a quick scan, switched the order, and then handed them back. Tobias then slid the cards back on top of his deck and started walking back to his spot, tossing a comment over his shoulder. "Kind of a pointless move since only one card is needed to slay you next turn."

Mizuki drew, and her eyes closed. The crowd looked at her apprehensively, but Tobias just laughed. "Can't you see it? She's given up hope because she knows there's no way she can win now!"

"Quiet, I'm divining your future. The path that's set before you is a strange one, and it could be bad for you. I suggest you keep still, it helps the flow of mystic energy." All of them, Tobias included, looked at her like she was nuts.

"Divining my future? What a load of crap! You couldn't divine my future even if I sat her for thirty years and did nothing. Just take your damned turn already." To his surprise she just smiled, and her field started glowing, three cards appearing face down in front of her.

"Ansuz in merkstave, you have predicted your own path already, feeling that you know exactly where to walk. Fehu in merkstave, your predictions are flawed, and your plans will fail. Lastly in the pattern is Kenaz in merkstave, you will suffer because of your flawed predictions." Each of the cards she named flipped up, each one upside down and facing Tobias.

"What in the hell is going on? What is this?" A heavy glow fell over his side of the field, and the top five cards slid off his deck, and holographic representations appeared in front of him, face down.

Mizuki's eyes snapped open, and she grinned, pointing across the field at him. "Just like my divination has said, this effect forces you to follow your greed by drawing the five top cards of your deck. Then, without looking, you must guess the type of each one."

He shrugged and casually pointed at them, going from left to right. "Trap, trap, magic, magic, and monster. You probably arranged them to have an attacker as last."

The five individual cards glowed, their colors shifting between the yellow, green, and purple, the colors of the types of cards. They lit up as yellow, green, yellow, purple, and green. "Just as predicted your prediction is a failure. You failed to guess even one of the cards correctly."

Tobias rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "Get this destiny mumbo-jumbo over with. So what if I guessed wrong, it doesn't matter."

Mizuki smirked and slid a finger across her throat. "Don't you remember the rest of the prediction? Your failed prediction costs you, and you take one thousand damage for each wrong prediction, whereas for each correct one I would have taken five hundred damage. So now, that's five thousand damage!"

The Osiris Red boy gasped as each of the five cards blew apart, raining fire down on him and causing him to stumble backwards and away from it. "This is ludicrous! And it's totally pointless, because I'm still in the duel anyways!" (TLP: 600)

Despite his protests, the crowd now seemed a bit more favorable to Mizuki, because she had just easily brought him down to her level with a three card combo, in a way they still didn't quite understand. "Actually, it's over right now. Rune Soldier(1800/1800) in attack mode!"

The white robed swordsman now stood proudly in front of her, his sword held high. "Rune Soldier, go in there and fetch me victory. Rune Blade Attack!"

Tobias snorted and pointed to his set card, and a burst of energy fired from it as it flipped up. "Missing Number destroys one monster on your field if we have the same number, and since we both have one, your monster is destroyed!"

The energy slammed into Rune Soldier…and was casually batted aside by the sword. Tobias stepped backwards, horrified as the monster sliced its blade completely through Base Eight Slayer. "But…how?" (TLP: 0)

Mizuki smirked, even as their duel disks deactivated. "Because any trap that targets Rune Soldier is negated and destroyed, and Missing Number is a trap. It's also because you're not good enough to understand that the opponent would rearrange your cards based on how good they are, not based on type."

The Osiris Red prodigy dropped to his knees, looking absolutely horrified. This was just like his duel with the examiner. He had planned it all out, he had dueled using his strategy perfectly, and then one failed prediction had cost him the duel. It was only his perfect score on the exam that let him be admitted to the school. "You…I…"

She smiled and walked over to pat him on the head like a hurt puppy. "Sorry little boy, guess you just weren't up to the task of stomping me into the ground. That should teach you not to base people on your ideas about intelligence."

Flashing him a wink she walked away, leaving the rest of the class to laugh at the defeated cocky Osiris Red. He had made claims he couldn't back up, and now they would get their kicks pushing him around about it. _'You…you bitch! I won't forget this!'_

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Author's Note: Now we've all met the arrogant prick Tobias Emerlo.

_Mizuki has defeated the arrogant Tobias Emerlo, but doing such may be a mistake she'll live to regret. It turns out Tobias hates to lose, at anything. Now he's got a plan in mind that could completely humiliate Mizuki and drive her from the academy. But who is this he's working with, a co-conspirator? _

_See it all in, Lights, Conspiracy, Action!_

**Review Response**

WolfGeneral: Nope, it wasn't who you were thinking. Good guess though.

Time Mage: Dropped a little more info for you, so that should help. And thanks for the compliments on the Rune Deck.

Adriel Touchstone: Welcome to the reviewer section. And yeah, if you'd like to submit a character, go ahead. However, at this current moment since I have a lot of characters I'd like to limit it to an instructor, since I don't have many of those. Perhaps the head of a dorm?

John: Yeah, the Cyber Deck is a cool one, and pretty powerful too.


	4. Lights, Conspiracy, Action!

Author's Note: Time for another character intro.

**Chapter Four: Lights, Conspiracy, Action!**

Tobias Emerlo, prodigy boy genius, hated Osiris Red. It wasn't that the people there were cruel to him or anything like that; it was simply because he hated being degraded like this. Here he was, a fifteen year old with a 165 I.Q., and he was stuck at the bottom strung of Duelist Academy with a bunch of goof offs and losers.

Worse yet, just three days ago he had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of a pretty Ra Yellow girl who was also a child prodigy, and a genius at all forms of mathematics. She was also apparently a very good duelist, and had beaten him soundly. _'Still, one good thing did come out of that terrible day.'_

Their dual display of math knowledge in Math and Monster had proven them, and Professor Yoji had made a special request to the principal. Now both he and that girl, Mizuki Mitsuhiro, were in Advanced Math and Monsters, a third year course which was more of a challenge for both of them.

She had made him look like a fool though, not only besting him at math, but besting him in Duel Monsters. Losing at Duel Monsters he could somewhat tolerate, but to be beaten in terms of intellect was intolerable. What had taken him six minutes on paper had taken her less than three in her head. _'That insufferable bitch knows she's better at math than I am too, I can tell!'_

What made it worse was that not only was she a girl, but he was also certain that he was smarter than her at everything else. But even so, she was better than him at math, and he couldn't let that or his defeat slide. _'I'll find a way to send her running out of the academy, bawling her eyes out as the whole school looks on!'_

"Oi, you're laughing like a comic book villain. What gives?" Tobias jerked his head up, looking over his shoulder at the top bunk. There, sitting in the shadows and relaxing, was one of his two roommates.

"Some girl made a complete fool out of me, and I want revenge. She's a complete bitch, and deserves to have others laughing at her!" There was a chuckle from the shadowed form, and Tobias could tell the other Osiris Red had just leaned in a little.

"This girl's really that cruel that she's got you plotting revenge like a Saturday morning cartoon eh? Well…I do happen to have certain skills that would work perfectly in getting her to be a laughing stock." Tobias turned around completely, his interest piqued.

"You'd do that? You'd help me get revenge and make her a laughing stock?" His roommate laughed again and leaned back against the wall, going completely into the shadows. Tobias leaned forwards, eager to hear his answer.

"Oh I could, but the problem is that I don't really like you, and while I do love getting a good laugh, the fact is that any prank poses a calculated risk. Balance the equation for me smart boy, I have to get something out of it?" Tobias glanced over at a big locked cabinet that he had shoved into the corner of the room, going from floor to ceiling. His roommate's eyes followed his gaze.

"What about something from my collection? If there's a card you want, I probably own it. So, what do you think?" He didn't need to fully see his roommate's face to know he was smiling.

"Now that you mention it there are a couple of cards I could use, and one in particular I've wanted to get my hands on. Let's just take a look and see if you have them, and then we can talk details." Tobias moved to unlock the cabinet, hiding his glee.

Right about that moment he really felt like laughing like an evil villain. _'Soon that bitch Mizuki will pay for beating me!'_

"Oi, you're doing that laugh again, it's annoying."

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Mizuki sighed, leaned on her palms as she watched the teacher talk about basic strategies. The class she was in was Basic Dueling Technique, and it was really boring. Of course it'd probably get more useful as time went on, but she was pretty sure she was past the basics of the game. _'How could anybody be playing the game and not know what a field card is?'_

Aya was sitting next to her, and she also appeared bored by the discussion on card types. The blonde girl leaned in and whispered to her. "Do you really think that sweater is necessary?"

Mizuki looked down at herself, revealing that she had worn yet another baggy yellow sweater, this one she had found was longer than the skirt, so now she felt better. "Yes, absolutely. I'm not having guys stare at me like I'm some kind of sex toy."

The blonde frowned, and then gestured to Mizuki's face, where thick glasses were perched over her eyes, which she had been wearing for the past few days. "What about the glasses? And putting your hair up? The hair makes you look forty."

Her roommate raised a finger, grinning as she explained. "It's all part of my plan. I wear frumpy clothes, keep my hair up, and wear these ugly glasses and the guys won't take any interest. That leaves me carefree and happy, knowing I'm not being ogled."

"If all of that bothers you, what about the rest of your legs? Even though your sweater covers more than the skirt, you're stilling showing a lot of leg. And guys will ogle those as quickly as anything else." Here she got a despairing sigh as Mizuki hung her head.

"I know, and I asked the principal if I could wear pants instead of the skirt, but he said even the sweater was pushing it. To stay in uniform I have to wear the skirt. But I figure most guys will be too distracted by the rest of my frumpy outfit to actually take a look to see if I have nice legs. It could work." Aya shook her head, knowing it was best not to argue.

_'I wonder why she's so uptight about having guys check her out. I mean, it's sort of a compliment even if it can get annoying. Right now she's like one of those secretaries in old movies, who look frumpy until they let down their hair, and then they're beautiful. Just another oddity about her, guess she's eccentric.'_

It was then that she noticed someone's head turned their way, or rather Mizuki's way. It was a guy in the Osiris Red rows, his jacket hanging loosely across his shoulders. The weirdest part about him was that his hair had been dyed a greenish shade. _'Weird hair, but he's kind of cute though.'_

She nudged Mizuki, to show her that a guy was looking her way. Before she could bring her roommate's attention to the Osiris Red guy, he had already looked away. "What'd you poke me for? I was dreaming I was somewhere else, somewhere not boring."

"Oh never mind, it doesn't matter."

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As the class ended and the students all departed, one Osiris Red lingered a little, watching the Ra Yellow girl with the weird yellow sweater. "So, that's the girl Tobias wanted me to embarrass? No wonder she's a bitch, must get it from looking so frumpy all the time, probably turned down by guys all the time."

His eyes trailed down, and he grinned at what he saw. "Still, she may be frumpy, but the girl's got great legs. Probably a runner or something."

"I though you were going to turn her into a laughing stock, not have lurid thoughts about her." He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Tobias waiting nearby. He too was in the class, but usually sat at the other end of the room.

"Lurid thoughts? About that girl? Nah! And besides, who says 'lurid thoughts' it's like saying 'ogle'. It makes you sound forty." He grabbed his backpack and slung it over one shoulder, hoping completely over the last few rows of seats and landing at the bottom of the lecture hall.

"Come on, I've got it all set up, in just an hour or so you'll see her get exactly what you wanted. She'll be so embarrassed she probably won't come out of her room for weeks." At this Tobias smirked, obviously imagining her crying her eyes out.

On an after thought he looked back over at Tobias and asked something he had been wanting to. "How come you never mentioned just how average she was? I was expecting some babe beating you, and that was why you were pissed. But she's just some nerd girl."

Tobias paused for a moment, not sure exactly how to answer. _'Should I tell him that she isn't actually some dumpy looking girl? No…I've seen how he is, it's best to keep him focused.'_

"I didn't think it was important. Now let's get going, I've got to see the look on her face when whatever your plan is comes into play." Together the two Osiris Reds made their way through the hall. An hour from now was lunch time, and a third of the school would be there, including Mizuki Mitsuhiro.

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In the hour that remained, Tobias was making preparations. After Mizuki's spirit had been crushed he would find her and challenge her to a duel. In her weakened state he could easily win, thereby driving the last peg into her coffin. "My turn, draw!"

His opponent was none other than Natori, the now Ra Yellow student whom he had found out had been defeated by Mizuki when she first got on the boat to Duelist Academy. "Magic card activates, Balance Crash! Since we both have one magic or trap card in play, an equal amount, everything on the field is destroyed!"

Natori shielded his face as his Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive(1400/1000) and his set monster, along with the set trap card were destroyed. Tobias on the other hand only lost that one set card. "Set card effect, Repayment of Losses! I draw one card!"

He grasped his newly drawn card and threw it down onto the duel disk. "Base Ten Slayer(1000/1000)! When this monster is the only monster on the field its attack power is doubled!" A muscular nerd in coke bottle glasses appeared, holding a heavy book in one hand.

"Ten to the Tenth Power Smash!" Natori groaned as the book slammed into his gut, doubling him over completely. Tobias smirked, happy to be driving this Ra Yellow student down. Something about Mizuki had beaten him, and he'd learn what. (NLP: 200)

Natori looked like he was recovery, so Tobias to finish it, without dragging it out any farther. "Sum of All Fears activates! I take half the damage dealt to your life points, and then deal it you as damage!" (NLP: 0)

Tobias stalked over, staring down at his fallen opponent who was clutching his head, having received a painful blow from Base Ten Slayer's book. "You…you're nothing but a weakling. How is it that you're above me in rank, and yet I can beat you, yet Mizuki crushed me easily?" (TLP: 3500)

When he got no response he turned on his heel and stalked away, determined to find the answer. He would defeat Mizuki and prove himself to be the superior duelist, no matter what. He simply had to. "This time, I won't lose!"

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Tobias' roommate sat on a ledge above the school, looking down at the courtyard. He grabbed the top card of his deck and drew swiftly, then drew again, and then again. "Even practicing my draw doesn't bring me any relaxation right now. I guess I'm just itching to put my plan into action."

He frowned, because something about this whole thing didn't feel right. "Maybe I should call the whole thing off, tell Tobias to shove it and give him his cards back. That girl hardly seemed like a bitch to me."

An image of her legs ran through his mind, and he shook his head to clear those thoughts away. "Sheesh, how pathetic am I? Sitting here and thinking about some dumpy girl's legs. Crap, I seriously need to find something to occupy me."

He caught a glance of someone walking below the ledge, an Obelisk Blue student in his solid blue uniform. Grinning confidently he dropped down from the ledge, quietly, and snuck right up behind the boy. "TATERS!"

"Holy Hell!" The Obelisk Blue jumped at least a foot in the air in fright, coming down and taking off at a run. Seeing the older boy high-tailing it, the Osiris Red fell to his back laughing.

"Oh jeez, I was gonna challenge him to a duel, but that was even better!"

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"Rune Blader(2300/2300), attack Cyber Dragon(2100/1600)!" The warrior lifted his two swords and leapt forwards, cutting the mechanized dragon clean in half. Janice grimaced as the two individual pieces blew apart, clearing her field of interference. (JLP: 200)

Mizuki slid one of her remaining three cards onto her duel disk, and then smiled at her roommate. "End turn."

Janice drew, and smiled at what she saw. This card, it would turn the tide of the duel and end it in her favor, she could see it. "Sorry Janice, but it's already over. Reverse card open, Rune Symbol-Kenaz deals you eight hundred damage!"

The black girl sighed as the fireball struck her in the chest, eliminating her remaining life points. This was only their second duel, and yet it seemed like Mizuki was already better. Janice didn't want to think that maybe, just maybe, Mizuki had held back in their first duel. _'There's no way that could it?'_ (JLP: 0, MLP: 1700)

Mizuki threw an arm around her shoulder, grinning broadly. "That was a great duel, I think just dueling you is already making me better. I knew I'd get some fun challenges at Duelist Academy and I have. I bet they get better to."

Aya clapped warmly, approaching her two roommates and smiling. "That was a great duel you two. But since I missed out the first time, why don't we have that three-way duel you suggested Mizuki?"

The other girl sighed, and pointed up at the wall, where a digital clock proclaimed the time. "Sorry, but it looks like we ran out of time. Lunch starts in just a few minutes, and we don't want to be late do we?"

She started walking, looking over her shoulder and waving them on. Aya sighed, realizing she had missed out on another chance to duel. Janice smiled and patted her on the back. "Don't worry girl, you'll get your chance to duel sooner or later. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did."

"Maybe."

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Mizuki suddenly wished she hadn't come to lunch. Normally she liked lunch, because it was a chance to socialize and eat at the same time, a fun combination. This time was different, because this time she saw something that made her lose her appetite.

Strung from the ceiling every few feet were what looked like strips from a newspaper, and there on the newspaper was her, at age 11, in coke bottle glasses…and a Supergirl outfit. Underneath the picture was the big headline: ITS A BIRD, ITS A PLANE, ITS SUPER NERD!

Everyone in the cafeteria had been looking at the pictures and laughing to themselves, and when she came in, in her thick yellow sweater and thick glasses, everyone burst out laughing. Mizuki felt rage bubbling up in the pit of her belly, but there was nobody to unleash it on. _'Who would do this?'_

Trying to be nonchalant, which was hard with everyone laughing at her, she grabbed a tray and some food without looking at what it was and then sat down, refusing to look at anyone else. _'This isn't how my school days were supposed to go!'_

"Mizuki…maybe you should read the article." Mizuki grabbed it out of Aya's hands, still furious in a general way. She held it up and began reading it carefully, and what she saw made her feel even worse.

The article, like she recognized the photos to be, was false. It was an article proclaiming that the picture was taken on her first day of successfully not wetting the bed. It was stupid stuff, the kind of thing that kids made fun of other kids for, and it was just plain not believable. _'But the fact that everyone seems to believe it…that actually makes it hurt.'_

Crumpling up the fake newspaper clipping into a ball she whirled around to the rest of the cafeteria and hurled it with all her might. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!"

As the student body watched in stunned silence she ran around, wildly snatching the clippings down off the ceiling, crushing them in her grip. But it seemed that for every two she grabbed there were four more. They were even taped to tables. "This…this is how it's going to be….you're not duelists! You're all just children, stupid childish little brats! I had hoped for more, believed there would be more, hoped for honor and maturity from a school of duelists, but you're all stuck in Junior High if this is what you do!"

Then, without another word, she stormed out of the cafeteria, not even giving her roommates a chance to follow.

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The Osiris Red boy watched her, following her through the woods, seeing how furious she was, how upset it had made her. _'But it wasn't that she was the target…it was that they didn't live up to her standards of duelists that she was furious. No…I was the one who failed to meet her standards as a duelist.'_

Finally she stopped, dropping to her knees beside a small creek. She stared at her reflection hard, wondering whether it was her and not them. _'This is what people are seeing…a nobody girl, a super nerd. That's what I wanted them to see…wasn't it?'_

The boy who had followed her clenched his fists tight, debating with himself on what to do. _'I knew this whole thing wasn't right. Tobias was wrong, this girl isn't cruel; she's not a mean person. That jerk was just pissed because she beat him in a duel, and he turned me into his method of revenge!'_

He was about to step out of the woods and address her, to apologize, when suddenly she lashed out and punched the water. "They can't handle you! You dress up to keep guys from looking at you like a piece of meat, and then all that happens is that they look at you like some loser freak!"

She grabbed the pin out of her hair, letting it fall down in its normal wavy pattern to her back. Then she tossed her glasses aside, and continued to look at what she saw in the creek. "What is it they want? A smart girl? No, they showed me they don't want that."

Grimacing she grabbed the bottom of the sweater and pulled it off, looking at her reflection of herself in her white and yellow Ra Yellow uniform top. She was still embarrassed by it, but she had to see. "Is this what they want? A pretty girl? A girl who's nothing but eye candy?"

The teen caught himself from gasping, shocked by what he saw. _'She's…she's no dumpy girl at all! Wow….'_

Shaking himself off, he adopted a serious expression and stepped out of the woods. "Maybe what they want is a truly strong person, maybe what they want is…a duelist. Nothing more, nothing less."

Mizuki spun around, and came face to face with one of the Osiris Red boys from one of her classes. He stood several inches taller than her, but he wasn't truly tall. He had chocolate brown eyes that looked kind, but his hair was a weird dyed shade of greed. He wore the black pants and red shoes standard of Osiris Red, but his jacket was nowhere to be seen. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Shiro Akugi, and I want you to hit me as hard as you can." Almost as emphasis he pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to her. When she unrolled it, it was a sample scan that showed the two pictures he had used to doctor the photo.

"You…it was you?" The moment he nodded, she consented to his wishes, and decked him. Lights flashed in his eyes and when his normal vision returned a second later he found himself on the ground, looking up at a furious looking but beautiful girl.

"Why? That's what I want to know." Shiro looked away, not feeling like he deserved to look at her right then. He was normally a guy who enjoyed looking at pretty girls, but he didn't deserve to look at her.

"I'm roommates with a guy named Tobias Emerlo, and he came to me with a story about this bitch girl who totally humiliated him. He wanted revenge, to make her a laughing stock, and so in exchange for cards I pulled this prank. I thought you were a cruel person from what he said…but when I saw you like that at the river, I realized I was wrong. And I know I'm sorry isn't enough…but I'm sorry." She stared down at him like he was scum, and then walked away until she was standing about twenty-five feet away.

"Get up Shiro! Stand on your feet and face me! You said that maybe the people of this school wanted to see me as a duelist and nothing more and nothing less. Well then I want you to show me if that's how you see me! Am I a duelist, am I eye candy, or am I just some loser nerd? That's what I'll judge in this duel!" Her DD2 unfolded, deck already in place. (MLP: 4000)

Shiro shook himself off and pushed himself into a standing position, pressing the activation button on his DD5. "I'll show you that I do see you as a duelist now, even though maybe I didn't before. But don't get me wrong, while I understand just how important this duel is to you, I can't help but say that I hope it'll be a fun duel." (SLP: 4000)

When Mizuki didn't make a move to draw a sixth card, Shiro took the opportunity to draw, starting them off. "Alright, I guess I've got an idea of how this'll go. I set one monster in defense mode and one magic or trap card face down. End turn!"

Mizuki drew, her draw fast and furious, just like she was right now. "I'll do exactly the same, setting a monster and another card face down. That's all."

Shiro didn't know what to expect from her, but he wasn't going to hold back. She wanted to see the sort of person he was, gauging him through the duel just like warriors of old used to gauge the nature of other warriors by fighting them. "Alright Mizuki, I'll start this duel off with a bang. Activate card, Flash Bang!"

There was a burst of light, and suddenly there was a monster standing in a crouched position on Mizuki's field. A simple man in white robes, holding a shield with glowing runes on it. "Flash Bang reveals all set monsters on the opponent's field and negates any flip effects."

"That's fine, Rune Guardian(1000/2000) doesn't have a flip effect at all. He's mostly a wall." Shiro nodded, letting a small smile play about his lips as he grabbed his next card for the combo. This was going to hit her hard.

"Smashing Ground activates! This magic card seeks out and destroys the highest defense monster on your field, so Rune Guardian is dead meat!" The ground around the guardian exploded, and it was dropped deep into a pit, gone for the moment.

Mizuki's hand was already right in front of the activation stud that would put her set card into play. But that wasn't going to be a worry for Shiro. "Mizuki, I'm about to show you my dueling style! Action Warrior-Cyclist(1700/1300) in attack mode!"

Nothing happened for several seconds, but then a man in battle armor on a motorcycle roared out from the woods onto the field, grinning saucily at Mizuki with perfectly white teeth. "Action Warrior-Cyclist, attack her life points directly!"

"Reverse card open, Rune Symbol-Tiwaz!" Mizuki raised her arm out over her set card as she declared the move…but nothing happened. She gasped as the man on the motorcycle drove over to her and swung around on the handle bars, kicking her off her feet. (MLP: 2300)

"What just happened? Why didn't my set card respond?" Shiro smirked and Cyclist, who had ridden back over to him, did exactly the same.

"When Action Warrior-Cyclist attacks the opponent can't chain magic or trap cards. So, it went unabated. And since I managed that, I'll activate this continuous magic card, Mass Driver!" A magic card appeared face-up on his field.

Mizuki frowned, trying to remember the effect of the card. But she didn't get long to think about it because Shiro was already declaring its effect. "Mass Driver acts like a continuous magic card version of Cannon Soldier, letting me sacrifice monsters to deal you four hundred damage. So I sacrifice Action Warrior-Cyclist to activate the effect!"

Cyclist gave Shiro a sloppy salute, which he returned, and then he and his bike exploded, sending flame raining down on Mizuki. She grimaced, feeling the heat from the blast quite realistically. "You sacrifice your monster like it's nothing?" (MLP: 1900)

Shiro grinned and his set card flipped up, showing a baby on one end of an arrow, and at the other was a man in a business suit. "When a man of action has done his job he's ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good, but he'll always come back. That's why I have my continuous trap card Cycle of Life. Whenever a monster goes to my graveyard because of an effect I shuffle it back into my deck and draw one card."

He held up the monster card and shuffled it into his deck at impressive speeds, drawing the top card of his deck. "Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'll set one card face down and end my turn!"

Immediately Mizuki drew, looking over her drawn card carefully. Finally she slapped it down onto her duel disk, and a new monster appeared. Like her previous one it had white clothing, but this one had a fencer's outfit, and a fencing blade that glowed just like the shield had. "Rune Fencer(1700/1200) in attack mode!"

The fencer shifted into a standard fencing stance, and Mizuki snapped a hand up, giving it its target. "Rune Fencer, attack Shiro directly!"

"I'm not going to let you even things up easily. Activate trap card, Waboku! All battle damage to me for this turn is reduced to zero, so I'm safe." The fencing blade jabbed him in the chest, and he noticed as it drew away that the end of the sword wasn't sharp, but rather a little ballpoint.

Mizuki snickered and jerked a thumb at Rune Fencer. "Rune Fencer's special abilities are interesting. The rest I doubt I'll reveal, but I'll admit now that one of its effects is that it can't deal battle damage at all. So you just wasted your trap card against a monster that could hurt you anyways."

Shiro chuckled, realizing she had led him on easily, knowing he would use the trap to protect his life points. "That was definitely a good move, I'll admit that. But it won't stop me from beating you."

Mizuki shrugged, not bothered. "So far I don't see anything proving you can beat me at all. But you are proving that you're a duelist. How about you prove it fully?"

Shiro nodded and drew, and then slapped down the drawn card. "Action Warrior-Martial Artist(1500/1200) who has the power to attack directly for half damage!"

A handsome rakish looking man flipped out onto the field, wearing a white gi. He bowed to Shiro, and then threw a wink at Mizuki. "Why are all your monsters flirting with me?"

The teenager shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Eh, I guess I rubbed off on em or something like that. Anyways, Martial Artist attacks!"

This time when Mizuki tried to play her set card, it worked perfectly. "Rune Symbol-Tiwaz negates your attack and adds your monster's attack points to my life points!" (MLP: 3400)

Shiro made a slashing motion with his right arm, and once more the martial artist gave him a bow. "Martial Artist is sacrificed to Mass Driver, and then I shuffle it back into my deck and draw again!"

The monster shifted shapes, converted into energy, and then shot straight at Mizuki. She crossed her arms in front of herself, stopping the brunt of the energy blast, but it still drove her backwards somewhat. "Interesting strategy." (MLP: 3000)

"You do whatever works for you. Now, I set one card face down and end my turn!" Once again he trusted his fate completely to a single set card that he drawn upon shuffling his deck. Mizuki realized he was both confident and trusting in his deck.

She grabbed her new card and slammed it onto her duel disk, picking up Fencer as she did so. "I sacrifice Rune Fencer for Rune Blader(2300/2300) in attack mode!"

The double sword wielding monster struck a pose, and then readied itself for an attack. "Next up, quick-play magic card activates! Rune Symbol-Hagalaz destroys your face down card!"

Shiro hid a frown as his only defense was blown away. He was still confident that he could make an easy comeback in his next turn. "Rune Blader, attack him directly!" The monster charged in and slashed both blades across Shiro's chest, putting Mizuki in the lead. (SLP: 1700)

She gave him a brief nod, showing that her turn was done, and then he drew. He looked at his drawn card and smiled. "This is going to hurt for you. Activate magic card, Scapegoat!"

Four fuzzy multi-colored goats appeared floating between him and her monster. "Now I sacrifice all four of them to Mass Driver in order to deal you sixteen hundred damage!" Four balls of energy collided with Mizuki, nearly knocking her back into a tree. (MLP: 1400)

She wiped a hand against her forehead, the heat from the attack having made her sweat. This was turning out to be a good duel so far. "You may have dealt damage, but the goats took up your summon for the turn, so now you have no defenses!"

Her green haired opponent grinned and flipped up one of his two remaining cards. "Not exactly. First up, Grave Life lets me send five monsters from my deck to the grave to gain two thousand life points." He held up five cards, and then dropped them into his grave. (SLP: 3700)

Once he had finished that he held up the final card he was holding. "Here's a personal favorite of mine. Jar of Avarice lets me shuffle five monsters from my grave back into my deck, and then draw two cards!"

The five cards ejected from his cemetery and he quickly shuffled them back into his deck. Then he slid the top two cards off of it. "I set one card face down and end my turn!"

Mizuki snared another card from her deck, and then tossed it down. "Rune Spearman(1400/1100) in attack mode! I'll start off my attack with it!"

Shiro extended his hand out over his set card, and it flipped itself up. "Bait and Switch activates! This card lets me sacrifice one card on my field to negate damage to my life points, so I sacrifice it! And when it's sent to the grave by an effect it is shuffled back into my deck and I draw a card!"

The new monster's spear fell short without ever touching Shiro, thanks to the power of his trap card. "Fine, I end my turn."

Shiro drew, glanced at the card, and then threw it down. "Action Warrior-Katana Master(1400/1000) in attack mode! But he won't stick around for long, because I sacrifice him to Mass Driver!"

A handsome man wearing a black trench coat and holding a katana appeared….and then turned into energy which slammed into Mizuki. "Desperate to drain away my life points before my monsters finish you off?" (MLP: 1000)

"Sort of, but mostly I did it so I could return it to my deck and draw a new card. By the way, I'm setting that card and finishing my turn at that. Go ahead Mizuki, your turn." The female duelist gladly drew, and surveyed her options.

"Attack directly!" Shiro snapped his fingers, and his trap card flipped up, revealing itself to be another Bait and Switch. Or maybe the same one drawn again, but either way it negated the damage, returned to his deck, and let him draw a card.

Mizuki frowned, looking over her hand to see what else to do. For the moment however, that seemed to be it. "You stopped me for now, so I'll end my turn."

Her green haired opponent drew, giving him four cards in hand total. He smirked and held up one of the four cards he was holding, while keeping another backwards and facing him. "Rush Release lets me discard one card to perform an extra summon this turn, so here come two monsters!"

He threw the two remaining cards from his hand onto the field, revealing two Katana Masters, one of them quite likely the same one he had used earlier. "Since neither has the power needed, I'll sacrifice them both to Mass Driver for eight hundred damage and two new cards!"

Shiro picked them up and shuffled them into his deck, drawing two new cards even as Mizuki vainly defended herself physically from the double blast from Mass Driver. The combined strike drained away almost all of her remaining life points. "Just about at end game, and you've barely hurt me." (MLP: 200)

Mizuki frowned, realizing just how right he was. She was in the red zone while he was almost at full life points. _'He's Osiris Red…but he's a class above the opponent's I've already faced. He's better than Janice is, I can feel it. First he's a jerk, then he's apologetic, and now he's stronger than I would have ever guessed. He's not just a boy…he's a true duelist isn't he?'_

"I'm curious how a guy like you is in Osiris Red. You hardly seem unskilled, so why aren't you in Ra Yellow?" Shiro responded by blushing slightly and scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, I finished the test up early, and it wasn't very hard. Well, I get bored easily so I was doodling on it and err…writing offensive jokes. I kind of ummm…forgot to erase them when I turned in my test. So…here I am! Osiris Red, but it's not so bad, I've got a sea breeze, and the people in Osiris Red are a lot of fun, so who cares if I'm in a higher dorm? Nobody needs to be classified like that anyways." Mizuki smiled truly for the first time since he had walked up and introduced himself.

"You're right Shiro, we shouldn't classify people like that. You're not any worse than me because you're in Osiris Red, and I'm not any better because I'm in Ra Yellow. That's good advice, but you're forgetting something. It's still your turn." He nodded, getting his game face back on.

"Activate magic card, Mass Bomb! I discard one card from my hand to destroy all monsters on the field, and then each player draws one card for each of their opponent's monsters destroyed. As they saw in Twix commercials, two for me, none for you!" Both of Mizuki's monsters blew apart, and then Shiro started to draw.

Even as he was grabbing the two cards, he paused as he heard something surprising. Mizuki was holding up a hand in front of her mouth to stifle giggles. _'She thinks I'm funny? She liked the Twix comment, that's great!'_

He always loved to get a laugh, it made him feel good. Mizuki calmed herself and smiled at Shiro, and he grinned back, feeling a bit goofy. "Thanks Shiro, I needed to laugh. Even though the reason I needed a laugh was because of your stupid prank, I still feel better."

"Errr…no problem? Ummm….one card face down, end turn." He scratched his nose, trying to come to terms with the fact that she was now happy about something he had done, even though she had been angrier earlier. _'Girls are just plain weird, but it wouldn't be fun otherwise.'_

Mizuki slipped a card off her deck, and then her face became completely serious. "Now that I've seen what you're capable of and that you're a duelist and see me as a duelist, I can really use my full strength!"

Shiro's eyes widened in surprise. _'She was holding back against me all this time? No wonder this had seemed too easy!'_

"Activate Rune Symbol-Kenaz! This increases my life points by twelve hundred, pulling me out of the red zone!" A blue glow surrounded her, giving her breathing room to make her move. (MLP: 1400)

Then, just as the glow faded, her eyes drifted shut, and three cards appeared face down in front of her. "I'm going to divine your future now Shiro. The first card reveals itself, Tiwaz in standard position, a mark that says destruction is coming for you, a powerful force of destruction at that."

Shiro felt a chill run down his spine. He didn't know what was going on, but he did know that it was giving him an ill feeling. She was building up to something powerful, he could feel it. "In the second position is Hagalaz and it too speaks of coming destruction. Truly this is a deadly force that approaches you."

He gulped, now knowing it wasn't going to come out well for him. So far the two magic cards had revealed themselves, in right up position, and blue links of energy connected them. Now the final card flipped up, and it was upside down. "Kenaz in merkstave means that the destruction will also bring you great pain. You will be swallowed by the dark force and suffer because of it, that is my prediction."

Her eyes opened just as the links of energy completed and a huge sphere of crimson energy shot straight out of the cards and collided with him, sending him flying backwards into a tree. "Together this prediction deals you two thousand life points of damage!" (SLP: 1700)

Shiro groaned, barely able to stand after that powerful strike. He looked up in time to see Mizuki sliding one card into her duel disk and one card into her graveyard. "This effect costs one card from my hand. So I'll pay that and then set one card face down to end my turn."

Shiro drew, and grinned at what he saw. "I play Final Assault! This card can only activate when I have no monsters in play, and it costs eight hundred life points to activate! This will be the final move of this duel!" (SLP: 900)

Five cards flew out of his deck and onto his duel disk, causing five monsters to appear on his field. Two of them were Action Warrior-Cyclist, two were Action Warrior-Katana Master, and the final one was Action Warrior-Martial Artist. "These five monsters are my killing force, and if I can't make it far, I can still use Mass Driver to end it. You see, for each of my monsters that fails to attack this turn I take five hundred damage, but that's no problem because of Cyclist's effect."

Mizuki pointed to her set card, and immediately it flipped up. "I was prepared for Cyclist with this card, Rune Symbol-Ingwas! Its effect is like Swords of Revealing Light, and prevents you from attacking for three turns!"

Shiro's five monsters froze in position, preventing them from moving a muscle. That meant he would take two thousand damage at the end of the turn as they were destroyed, finishing him off. "That's clever, but it doesn't stop this next move. Mass Driver sacrifices them all to protect me from the damage and finish you off!"

The energy from the five monsters merged into a single sphere of energy and shot at Mizuki, slamming into her and hurling her backwards, just like her combo strike had blown him back. She fell to her knees, smoking rising off her clothing. "I'm…not finished." (MLP: 400)

"What? But how is that possible? That should have been two thousand damage, enough to finish you off!" Mizuki smirked and a card popped out of her cemetery, which she held up to show him.

"On your second turn you destroyed Rune Guardian(1000/2000), putting him in the grave. Well I can remove him from the game to reduce all life point damage to me for one turn by half, which saved me." Shiro sighed, realizing that his finishing move had failed to do as he had predicted.

"Still, Cycle of Life now lets me shuffle my five monsters back into my deck, and then I draw one card for each. So that's a brand new hand of five!" Once he finished shuffling up and getting a new hand, he felt set.

"I'll place two cards face down and summon Action Warrior-Slow Mo.(1600/1400) in attack mode. That ends my turn." His newest monster was dressed in regular body armor, and looked just as handsome as the others. But to Mizuki's surprise it seemed to be trying to smile at her, but was taking forever to do it.

"Guess it's as slow as its name suggests. Oh well, since you failed in your killing move, it's time for mine. Draw!" She grabbed the card and held it up, and a card popped out of her cemetery.

"Rune Chant lets me pick up a Rune Symbol from my grave and add it to my hand. Next up, I activate the continuous magic card Merkstave! As long as this card is in play I can treat any of my played Rune Symbols as reversed if I want!" Shiro blinked, looking completely blank. That didn't make any sense to him.

She sighed, seeing the problem. "Most of my Rune Symbols have two effects, one for when played like normally like any other magic card, and another for when they are activated after having been set. Others just have one effect. So Merkstave lets me play the cards using the second effects, even without setting them."

"Oh, I get it. Sorta. Either way, you can keep up with your move." She nodded, grabbing the card she had retrieved from the cemetery and sliding it into her duel disk.

"I play Rune Symbol-Hagalaz with its merkstave effect, to destroy all magic and trap cards on the field!" Shiro grimaced as his two face down cards along with his two continuous cards were blown away, leaving him with just his monster.

Mizuki grabbed one of the two remaining cards in her hand and threw it down. The monster that appeared was a ninja in white cloth, holding glowing throwing stars. "Rune Ninja(1700/1400) attack Slow Mo!"

Shiro grimaced as the ninja hurled throwing stars at his monster, stabbing them into its chest. After an exaggerated fall, Slow Mo detonated, leaving his field empty. "You got lucky with that one; Slow Mo can't be destroyed in battle by monsters with nineteen hundred or more attack power." (SLP: 800)

He began to reach for his deck to draw, when suddenly a throwing star whirled past his head and sunk into the tree right behind him, near his head. It faded away seconds later, and when he looked back, Rune Ninja was standing in front of him. "What the heck?"

It flicked him in the forehead, and he took a step back in surprise. "What was that? Why did you monster just flick me?"

Mizuki grinned, and seconds later the Rune Ninja faded away completely, as did her face-up magic card. "Because, Rune Ninja can attack twice during the battle phase. So that was in fact the finishing move that you were hoping to pull off." (SLP: 0)

He looked down at his duel disk in surprise. Defeat had come so swiftly and quietly that he hadn't even noticed. He put a hand to the back of his head and couldn't help but laugh. "That duel was great fun! You're as good a duelist as you are pretty. Because to be honest, you can be all three of those things you were talking about."

She looked at him quizzically, so he decided to explain. "See, you were wondering if people wanted you to be just a pretty girl that people could look at, or a smart girl that sometimes bugged people, while I said you could be just a duelist. But if you want to be, you can be all three. You can be a pretty duelist who is smart, funny, and talented all at once. No need to pick and choose when you can be a jack of all trades, right?"

Slowly a bright smile spread across Mizuki's face, making it appear even prettier to Shiro. "Thank you Shiro, that really helps me. I guess I've been worried too much about how other people will see me and not thinking enough about who I actually am. I am all three of those things, and I should be proud of it."

She walked him and held out her hand, which he gladly took. The two duelists shook hands, and exchanged smiles. "You know, next time we meet, I hope it's under better circumstances. You seem like a really nice guy."

Smiling she turned and walked back into the forest, heading for the school. But before she was gone she tossed one final comment over her shoulder. "Oh, I love the hair by the way." Then she was out of sight.

Shiro grinned goofily, running a hand through his hair. Suddenly he flashed the victory sign to nobody in particular. "Oh yeah, she digs me."

Some people are just born delusional, others are just stupid. Sometimes even Shiro wasn't sure which ground he fit into.

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Author's Note: And that, ladies and gents, was Shiro Akugi.

_Mizuki has faced tough opponent after tough opponent, from her very own roommate to two duelist's out to make her look bad. She's proved herself so far, and now she finds herself facing the chest of three hundred pounds of muscle, the school's strongest duelist! _

_See it all in, Enter the Strongman of Duelist Academy!_

**Review Response**

WolfGeneral: You were pretty much correct. The Action Warrior Deck is basically a movie deck.

Time Mage: She's his rival, not the other way around. As you can see, it was Shiro, not an Obelisk Blue.


	5. Enter the Strongman of Duelist Academy

Author's Note: It's time to introduce our first Obelisk Blue character.

**Chapter Five: Enter the Strongman of Duelist Academy**

Janice and Aya both noticed a distinct change in Mizuki's attitude after the events at the cafeteria. They had expected her to return to their shared room in a state of distress, but instead she was smiling, chipper, and not wearing that weird get-up.

Not only that, but the next few days there was no mention by anyone about the incident, and all the clippings had mysteriously vanished. Neither of the two girls knew what had happened, but it had apparently worked out for the better. Mizuki had only commented by saying that she 'understood guys a bit better now'.

After that point, she hadn't worn anything to cover up her uniform, and didn't seem bothered by it at all. What had once been an outfit that she said: "made me look like a freaking hooker" was now something she didn't even comment on or seem to notice.

At first they attributed the change just as another of her eccentricities, but the past week she had been completely normal, except for those changes. She was as on top of things as ever and continuously did things that only she was weird enough for, like whistling happily while doing her math homework.

To see just how on top of things she was, Aya had challenged the other girl to a duel. Mizuki had just smiled and brushed it off, saying there was an equation she wanted to work on. She had then spent the rest of the night at her desk, scribbling notes and doing math.

The next morning when she left for class, they had taken a look at the huge number of papers she had been working on. It all seemed like gibberish to them, and there were random written notes attached to sections of calculations like 'cannot be quantified, investigate spatial variable'.

After that they had decided it would be best to completely ignore her strange obsession with math, even though she had spent the past four days after class sitting at her desk, seemingly working on the exact same equation. When they had asked what it was, she had grunted and said: "Forty-two, or something like that. Just gotta get it right…"

Since they didn't understand what she was talking about or what she was doing, they left her to it. Outside of that strange behavior it seemed like the week was going to go by without incident. But as a man once said: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

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It was a Tuesday morning, during the second week of school, when they saw the broadcast. Aya had flipped on the TV to catch a little bit of global news before class, and a reporter came on with a blue bordered background with a red line running around it behind him. The letters in the border caught their attention, so they also listened. It said: IBSPMS

"Turn it up Aya, I want to hear what those guys have to say now." Complying with Mizuki's wishes the blonde hit the volume button, raising it to a point where they could all hear it easily.

"The International Board on the Study of Paranormal Math and Science today released information to the Global Science Community declaring that they have discovered a strain of DNA that seems to point to the potential inter-breeding of humans and the sub-human class known collectively as 'demons'." Mizuki plopped down right in front of the TV, drawn right in.

"The spokesman of the IBSPMS, Sven Korin, had this to say." The screen shifted to show a blonde bearded man in a lab coat, looking to be in his mid-fifties. He looked directly at whoever was holding the camera, and began to speak.

"While working on making a gene map that could explain the basic variations seen in the sub-human group called 'demons' we found a pattern that looked suspiciously like that of the human genome. There are of course a few key differences, but studies of this genetic code and the bodies of different types of demons we have studied show an 87 probability that most sub-species of demons could interbreed with humans." There was a collective gasp from the three girls, because of what they had heard in the past.

The camera panned out to show a dark haired reporter standing right by Sven. "Dr. Korin, how exactly would something like that work? Demons generally look like they were bred with animals and their real bodies tend to be massive and evil looking versions of said animal. How could a monster like that interbreed with a human?"

Sven smiled slightly, understanding the reporter's curiosity. "The human shapes that demons can take are just as much their natural forms as their animal shapes. In their human shapes they are physically capable of mating with human beings. If they did and there was a child, standard genetics would make it possible for the child to be fully demon, or fully human. However, most of our research suggests that the most likely result is something of a mix, a half-breed if you will."

"Dr. Korin, what exactly would a half-breed child be like? Would it be as naturally violent as the demon parent, or possess the more passive nature of the human parent? And just how dangerous would a half-breed child be?" Sven tucked his hands into his pockets, frowning slightly.

"I'm afraid so far we have no general conclusion on this. To actually discover the truth we would have to breed demons with humans, on a large scale. Some of the results we've shown that the Latent Potential of half-breeds on the Sayako Scale is lower than that of demons, but higher than that of most humans. However, certain mutations have occurred in DNA we've tested, causing a Latent Potential even greater than that of most demons. It seems completely random." At this Mizuki just snorted, pulling back from the TV.

"Random? That's just stupid, they may think things like that in science, but it doesn't work that way in math. I'm sure there's a perfectly good equation that could be made to define the probability of a half-breed to have a high Latent Potential. Stupid IBSPMS never has any decent results anymore." She got up and left, not waiting to listen to the rest of the report.

Janice and Aya exchanged glances, and then looked at the door she had just left out of. Finally Aya looked back at the older girl and asked what she had been wanting to. "Do…do you think it's because of…you know…"

"I really couldn't say. She's an eccentric girl, and I haven't figured out what will set her off on any random day. Heck, she still rants at the sun on occasion."

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Mizuki did something she had only done on occasion in order to vent her frustrations. She punched stuff. More specifically she went to the school's work out room and began to vent her frustrations by beating the living hell out of a punching bag.

She was a dainty girl, and not prone to violence outside of her failed attempts at cursing. One of her favorite words to use, whether frustrated or not, was 'freaking' and it was about as far as she would go on most occasions. Right now she felt like saying the word she was substituting it for.

"Stupid freaking crap! I shouldn't feel like this just seeing them mentioned and one of them on TV, but I can't help it! It's not fair!" She was half hoping she could punch the bag in half, but despite her enthusiasm she was still a five foot two slim fifteen year old girl, and that wasn't something she was capable of.

"Damn those bastards! It's…it's just sickening for them to even suggest such a disgrace!" This time the words weren't from her mouth, and she yelped, spinning about to face whoever had come barging into the gym.

Wearing a pair of gray sweat pants and a blue t-shirt and blue jacket hung over his shoulders like a cape was an older student, obviously Obelisk Blue by the looks of it. The most startling thing about him, besides his sudden appearance, was his hair. It was almost pure white. "Sheesh, you scared me barging in like that."

The older teen paused, taking in the sight he had walked in on. Wearing similar sweat pants, the kind issued by the school for this purpose, and a yellow t-shirt was an attractive younger girl. He frowned and turned away. "I apologize I was angry. I…I'll leave."

"What made you so angry?" She caught hint of panic in the older teen's eyes, hidden though they were by his thin framed glasses. He looked like he desperately wanted to flee the scene.

"The IBSPMPS…just the suggestion of a demon breeding with a human is…disgusting. I hate the studies they do on demons. They shouldn't be studying their genes for science; they should be trying to create weapons to destroy those evil creatures." Mizuki nodded slightly, understanding what he was saying. Most people didn't think about demons much at all, but most that did thought they were a danger to mankind.

The global human community was aware that demons had their own society that was kept separate from the human world. Most people were willing to accept that provided demons kept to themselves, all would be fine. Others didn't think so, and wanted the potential threat eliminated. "It's understandable. I was venting frustrations about the IBSPMS, just them being mentioned bugs me."

"I see. I'll…go now." And without another word he turned and headed back out the door at what seemed to be top speed one could maintain while not running. Mizuki ran a hand through a hair, blinking in confusion.

"I wonder who that guy was. Huh…I'm not pissed anymore, that's kind of weird." Still, she had come here to vent frustrations, so she might as well keep punching the bag. Checking the straps wrapped around her little fists, she returned to trying to bruise the sand filled bag.

She continued beating on it for several minutes, until she heard something from behind her. A very deep bass voice chuckling. "Ho-ho, little one, that's quite a punch you have."

"Who's little?" She turned around, expecting to get a chance to give some guy a tongue thrashing, but the words died in her mouth. She wasn't looking at a guy at all. Instead she was looking at a very large stretched out blue t-shirt, much like the one that Obelisk Blue guy had been wearing. The only thing was…it covered her entire space of vision.

She craned her neck upwards, taking in the imposing figure standing right in front of her. Based on the fact that she was almost literally looking up, he was probably just at least seven foot if he was an inch. Not only that, but he was huge all around, a solid wall of muscle. "Oh my god…bigfoot."

Another deep chuckle rose from that massive barrel chest. Mizuki idly wondered what color this pale man's hair was, because she honestly couldn't see it from done where she was. "Ummm…hi?"

He leaned down about a foot or so, making him face to face with her. She saw that his eyes were black, as was his hair, and it was cut very short. At this range she noticed that even his head was much bigger than hers. She felt very tiny. "So little one, you're Mizuki Mitsuhiro are you?"

She gulped and nodded slowly, afraid to see what was going to happen. To her surprise he wrapped her up in his tremendous arms and hugged her, surprisingly lightly for a man his size. Then he released her and stepped back, laughing warmly. "Ah! Excellent, I was hoping to meet you. I am Vladimir Karashnikov, and they call me the Strongman of Duelist Academy."

He thumbed a football sized hand against his chest as emphasis, smiling at her the whole time. She nodded dumbly, still not sure what to make out of this giant of a man. "I can see why they call you that."

Vladimir laughed again, and Mizuki was pretty sure she felt the floor shake a little. "No no little one that is not the only reason I am called the Strongman of Duelist Academy. You see, at Duelist Academy, the duelist with the highest rank in the school, is me."

She stared at him, almost in awe, surprised that she was meeting the school's top duelist so soon. _'So he's the best duelist in the school? This guy must be really good then.'_

"Ummm, Vladimir, why did you want to meet me? Just for, you know, reference purposes." The goliath raised his left arm, patting the compacted DD5 that was strapped to it. The duel disk looked very small on his arm.

"Please, call me Vlad. I saw how you handled those people in the cafeteria, and I thought to myself: 'Vlad, anyone who holds themselves high with such courage in the face of those odds must be truly a brave person!' Well now, I had to meet such a person as you and duel you, to experience the heated passion of your strength for myself." She blinked, slightly confused. He sounded a bit poetical for a guy who could turn her into stringed cheese with his left pinky.

"You want to duel me? But you're the top duelist of the school, and I'm just a tenth grade Ra Yellow student. I'm hardly at the top of the ladder." Almost as if ignoring her comment Vlad walked to the other end of the gym, near the door, and his duel disk unfolded. (VLP: 4000)

"Nonsense, to me a person's dorm is unimportant. What matters is the passion and heart, the strength they have when they duel. A strength of spirit that I can practically feel, because only against an opponent of true spirit can I feel the rush from battle. Only such opponent's are worthy of making me use my full power, a power that echoes my honor for my father and Mother Russia!" He snapped five cards off his deck with practiced ease, with them looking terribly small in his hands.

Mizuki could see it in his eyes, that he truly wanted to duel her, and that he meant it. A man like this, who was so heartfelt in his desire to duel an opponent of strength…well she couldn't deny him that. "I accept!"

Rushing over to her backpack she grabbed her duel disk out of it, placing it on her arm and shuffling her deck up. Finally she slammed it home and pressed the activation button. "Let's duel!" (MLP: 4000)

She slid another card off her deck, and then made her move. "Rune Fighter(1650/1200) in attack mode!" Her monster was a blonde man in close fitting white robes, and who wore glowing gauntlets on his hands.

"I set one card face down and end my turn!" The card appeared behind the fighter, leaving her with that as the first move. Vlad smiled and drew, already able to tell that she was a spirited girl.

"Ah, your monster shares your fighting spirit. I would be delighted to meet it in battle, but I have no monsters in my hand." He flipped his six card hand around briefly, just long enough to show that none of the cards were monsters.

"Well that's unlucky. But why tell me? Just being sporting or something?" Vlad chuckled, and then his deck spat a card out, which he caught and held out to the side.

"No, because there are no monsters in my hand or on my field I can add this one monster from my deck to my hand. The monster created in honor of my father, the greatest wrestler and strongman Mother Russia has ever known! The monster garnered me the name Strongman of Duelist Academy….Strongman(1900/1200)!" He thrust his hand out, showing the monster card to her.

Mizuki blinked, staring at the stars at the top. "Okay…you've got a monster with nineteen hundred attack who's a level seven. What's the point of that? You can't even summon him."

Vlad smirked, the first almost unpleasant thing she had seen from him. "Take a closer look at the card, and then you'll understand why you should worry."

She looked closer, and saw what he meant. The text on the card was in Russian, so she couldn't read it, but the text was clearly very tiny. It had to be at least a dozen lines of text! "It's…it's got so many effects!"

"Yes, Strongman special ability number two! When I have no monsters on my field or in my hand besides it I can normal summon it without tribute! Strongman, I summon you!" A massive dark haired man, even bigger than Vlad, took the field, his muscles appearing to have muscles as he flexed in his blue spandex outfit.

"His biceps are flexing….I can see why he's called Strongman in name, but what makes him so powerful?" Vlad's smirk continued and he made a punching gesture, the blow to the air so strong that it dispersed the air around his beefy arm.

"Strongman, show her your power! Attack Rune Fighter!" He rushed forwards, his fists at the ready, while Rune Fighter raised his gauntlets to defend. But the size difference made it look like Rune Fighter would be squashed.

"Just because your monster is stronger doesn't mean it'll stay that way! Reverse card open, Rune Symbol-Uruz! This decreases the attack of one monster on the opponent's field by half for the turn!" Even as he charged the bulky man got weaker, his attack failing to a less than impressive nine hundred and fifty points.

Vlad didn't seem bothered at all; instead he slammed a card into his duel disk from his hand. "Quick-play magic card activates in chain! Strongman Uppercut increases Strongman's attack by eight hundred for one turn!"

Mizuki gasped as the other monster's power shot up once again, rising to just a hundred points above Rune Fighter's attack. _'He shrugged off my card like it was nothing!'_

"Strongman Uppercut now!" Rune Fighter's gauntleted fist slammed into Strongman's stomach with no effect, and the beefy wrestler proceeded to uppercut the much smaller warrior. Rune Fighter flew backwards into the far wall and then shattered into pixels.

"Rune Fighter special ability activates! When it's destroyed in battle all damage to my life points for the rest of the turn is reduced to zero!" A pale blue glow fell across her field, preventing her from taking damage from the loss of her monster.

"Very well, then allow me to introduce you to Strongman's third special ability. After each successful battle he grows stronger and more confident, just like any true strongman or wrestler should. So, when he defeats a monster in battle he gains one hundred attack points for every level of the fallen foe!" Strongman flexed his muscles, his biceps rippling as he gained four hundred attack points.

Mizuki grimaced, realizing that as soon as the turn ended she would be up against a monster with twenty-three hundred attack which would only grow stronger with each victory it scored. _'Great, soon this thing's attack could skyrocket.'_

Vlad smiled warmly and took one of remaining five cards in his hand and slipped it onto his duel disk. "I set one card face down. Go ahead little one, it's your turn."

Mizuki drew once, and then held up the card to see what it was. Once she knew, she placed the card amongst her others and grabbed a different one. "Time to call in the reinforcements. Rune Symbol- Nauthiz activates!"

Her deck started glowing, and a card slipped out of it. She grabbed the card and slid it amongst the others, looking satisfied. "Rune Symbol-Nauthiz lets me add one monster from my deck to my hand, I chose Rune Fencer."

Grabbing another card from her hand she slipped it into her duel disk. The card appeared on her field face-up as a magic card, which immediately started glowing. "Rune Symbol-Wunjo is my next card. I'll use it to special summon one level four or lower monster from my hand, and I choose Rune Fencer(1700/1500)!"

The same white dressed fencer that she had used against Shiro emerged from her card, dropping into a fencing stance. Vlad chuckled, and so did Strongman. "Your little monster is very confident even though faced with the might of my Strongman, just as you are confident. I like that."

"If you like me making you look bad, then you'll love my move! Since that was a special summon I can now normal summon Rune Spearholder(1900/1200) to join him!" The exact same blonde man in white robes that was the image of her other Rune monsters now stood in front of her, holding a glowing long spear.

"Two monsters for the price of one. Ah, Strongman loves a challenge! Come, bring the fight to him, he will meet it head on as befits a true man!" He grinned broadly; obviously happy with how the duel was going so far.

"You're so confident that I can't help but strip you of that confidence and bring down Strongman at the same time! Rune Fencer, attack Strongman with Fencing Technique!" The fencer darted forwards, his little fencing blade stabbing at Strongman's belly.

Vlad merely chuckled and pointed at the oncoming monster. "Strongman, counterattack and crush that little fellow! Strongman Punch!" His monster swung a massive fist at the oncoming monster, ready to knock its head off.

"Sorry Vlad, but when Rune Fencer attacks a monster all battle damage to it and from it is reduced to zero!" Rune Fencer snapped its head to the side and the punch sailed over. The fencing blade poked into Strongman's stomach, but didn't do anything.

"If your monster cannot take battle damage or deal it, then what does it do that makes it worth that? What purpose can a monster unable to inflict damage serve?" His question was answered almost immediately as the counter for his monster's stats started falling.

"It's simple really. Any monster that Rune Fencer battles with loses five hundred attack points. So from twenty-three hundred attack, Strongman falls to a much less impressive eighteen hundred!" It was barely noticeable that he was weakened, since he was still packed with muscle.

"I see, what a well planned play. Tell me, do you intend to defeat Strongman now?" Mizuki smirked, motioning with her left arm to her Rune Spearholder which stood beside the fencer.

"That's right! Rune Spearholder has just enough to bring your once mighty monster down, so he'll go on the attack!" The spear wielding monster reached back its arm and then threw the spear with all its might. It stabbed into Strongman and the holographic image shattered.

"You defeated Strongman, that's impressive indeed. I give you my applause." He clapped warmly, causing Mizuki to frown. Something about this didn't seem right, he was just still so confident. (VLP: 3900)

Suddenly, without warning, Vlad's face down card flipped up, revealing a knight gripping a rope suspended above a chasm. "Reveal trap card, Rope of Life! When a monster is destroyed by discarding my hand I can bring it back with eight hundred more attack points!"

He folded up the four cards he was holding and slid them into the graveyard. Then, hanging from a rope, Strongman was pulled up and back onto the field, his attack power shooting up to twenty-seven hundred. "No…you knew I'd destroy him didn't you?"

Vlad merely smiled, and then gestured briefly to Strongman who was flexing, having released the rope. "Strongman special ability number four. When Strongman is special summoned from the cemetery he gains back half the attack points he had gathered when he was last in play."

Once again the monster's attack strength rose, this time to twenty-nine hundred. It was now just shy of being able to go toe to toe with the legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon. "Your monster may be strong, but you blew your whole hand doing that. So I can still handle it."

"I'll determine if that's the case. But please, feel free to continue your turn." He folded his huge arms over his chest, standing impassively as she went to complete her turn.

"I set one card. Back to you Vlad." The giant duelist nodded, raising his right arm and placing his fingers over the top card of his deck.

"Now, it's my turn. Draw!" He drew the card forcefully; a determined and confident look in his eyes. Mizuki shivered at the sight, somehow feeling like she was staring into the headlights of oncoming train, an unstoppable force.

Immediately he thrust a hand out towards Mizuki, and Strongman posed. "Strongman, bring down Rune Spearholder with a body slam!" The muscle bound man jumped straight across the field, heading on a course to connect with the spearholder.

"Not so fast! Reverse card open, Spellbinding Circle! This card will trap Strongman and take seven hundred attack points away from him!" A hexagram snapped into place around Strongman's mid-section, halting him in place.

Without losing stride Vlad held up the card he had drawn, still looking happy and confident. "Quick-play magic card, Unstoppable Might! When a warrior sub-type is targeted directly by a trap card I can negate and destroy that trap!"

Mizuki's pupils shrank to mere pinpoints as the magical seal that had been keeping Strongman in place shattered. Strongman flexed his increasingly massive muscles, grinning confidently. _'Even with no other cards to work with he drew the one card that would work perfectly for this situation!'_

"With Strongman free I can continue my assault. So, Strongman attacks Rune Spearholder just as before!" Before the rune monster could fight back the muscle-bound fighter grabbed him by the stomach and slammed him into the ground, destroying him. (MLP: 3000)

Seeing as Vlad had no other cards in his hand, Mizuki was certain it was her turn, so she reached to draw a card. But Vlad merely chuckled in that booming way of his and held up five fingers. "Special ability number five. By paying one thousand life points Strongman can absorb the effect of a monster he bested in battle, but can only keep on at a time." (VLP: 2900)

Mizuki grimaced, realizing that not only had Strongman just risen to an attack score of thirty-three hundred, but he had also gained Rune Spearholder's effect. "Oh no…Strongman now has a trample effect."

"I assumed it was something worthwhile. Certainly better to take than Fencer's for a mighty warrior such as my Strongman. Now, I end my turn!" He smiled, looking quite satisfied with his turn. But Mizuki looked almost devastated.

She looked down at her deck, her mind instantly flitting through the exact number of cards in her deck and doing the formulas needed to know exactly what percent chance she had of drawing the right card to help her. _'I've got one card here I could use, but the combo I have in mind will only work if I draw one of two monsters in my deck.'_

Since it was so early in the duel, the chances were slim that she would draw it, and she was becoming worried. Mathematically the chances were low enough as to approach hopelessness, a zero. "I hope you're not holding back against me. I want your fullest strength, so don't cower behind any fear of my position. Give me a duel worthy of making my heart warm with pleasure!"

_'Vlad's a weird guy, and the things he says are strange…but they do make sense. Maybe other duelists don't predict their own moves through mathematical equations, but that's how I play and I should know that no matter how low the chance is, as long as a probability exists then there is hope!'_ Determination flaring in her eyes she placed two fingers on the top card of her deck.

"You're right Vlad, I do need to show you everything I've got, and believe me when I say I'm not holding back. It's something I've learned while dueling, it's that a duelist's heart can affect the outcome of probability. So when my focus reaches its peak, the probability of drawing the right card approaches certainty! So now, I'll draw!" She snapped the card off and flipped it up so she could see what it was.

"Vlad, the percent chance of me drawing the card for the combo I wanted was slim, but thanks to my focus I've gotten what I need. Now here's a move that has a one hundred percent chance of taking out Strongman. Step one, I summon Rune Berserker(2000/1200)!" A blonde man with bulging muscles and runes painted on his face appeared, glaring across the field at Strongman.

"Such a strong monster it is, but not strong enough. There must be more." Even as Vlad smiled, happy that she had drawn a powerful card, Mizuki still held a fierce look of determination. Her math wouldn't fail her now.

"Step number two, I activate Rune Chant! As my other opponent's have seen, this lets me pick up one Rune Symbol from the grave and add it to my hand!" A card slid out of her cemetery and she held it up immediately.

"Rune Symbol-Uruz! Now, since I'm not setting it I'll be using its first effect. To increase one monster on the field by one thousand attack points, and I'm targeting Rune Berserker!" Blue lines of energy ran down the warrior's body, until he was suffused by a blue aura.

Vlad clapped as Rune Berserker's attack rose up to three thousand total. "I see your plan, well thought out, just as before. Please, continue and strike down Strongman. But know that even defeating Strongman temporarily does not guarantee success."

"So I've seen, but this time the advantage is completely mine! Rune Fencer, attack Strongman!" The fencer lunged forwards, his sword stabbing up against Strongman's chest with no visible effect, jus as before. But also as before its attack fell, dropping to twenty-eight hundred.

"Now, Rune Berserker will attack Strongman!" The berserker rushed in and hit Strongman with his shoulder, knocking the beefy warrior past Vlad and into the wall, where he vanished upon impact. (VLP: 2700)

Since she had emptied her hand, it was Vlad's turn. Mizuki watched him, as he reached for his deck. _'I've got complete advantage now. Two monsters in play, even if one can't deal damage in attack, and he's got no field or hand.'_

"Monster Reborn!" Mizuki stared at the massive Obelisk Blue student in awe as he held up the magic card depicting an ankh. Instantly the form of Strongman returned to the field, looking as deadly as ever.

"Strongman has absorbed a grand total of eight hundred attack points from destroying monsters, so he returns to the field with twenty-three hundred attack!" Mizuki grimaced, knowing full well what was about to happen.

"Strongman, destroy Rune Berserker!" The two monsters immediately grappled, but this time the superior strength and skill of Strongman was able to send Berserker flying into a wall, just like Strongman had. (MLP: 2700)

Even as she watched Strongman's attack rose up to twenty-seven hundred, making it even more difficult to deal with. "Since that was my draw for the turn, I shall end."

She drew, and immediately stopped herself from frowning. _'Rune Soldier(1800/1800)? His immunity and other effect make him great in battle, but he's not strong enough to beat Strongman. If I set him out there Vlad can kill him and gain attack points, and even gain Rune Soldier's immunity effect. So I'll have to play it safe and buy for time. Once it's the eleventh turn, I'll go on the offensive again.'_

"Rune Fencer, attack Strongman!" Fencer's blade poked Strongman in the side, dropping his attack back to twenty-two hundred. Now, as she nodded her head to indicate that she was done, she knew she just had to last for three more turns at least.

Vlad drew, his fingers still dwarfing the card he had drawn. "Ho-ho, this is useful. Although a Strongman knows not to be greedy, greed on occasion is useful. So I play Pot of Greed."

Once more he drew, this time picking up two cards off his deck according to the magic card's effect. "I see, playing defensively are we? It's not a strategy I will ever adopt, but if you must then you must, though I prefer to fight opponents head on. Strongman, attack!"

A single punch from Vlad's super powered monster crushed the Fencer. However, her life points refused to drop. "I can't take life point damage from Rune Fencer being in battle at all, even when it's the opponent attacking it instead of it attacking. The only difference is that when he attacks all battle damage drops to zero."

"I understand, however Strongman now gains four hundred attack points, nearly restoring the drain that Fencer put on him in the first place. Of course, I end my turn now, since taking Fencer's effect would be pointless." He left the two cards he had drawn where they were, merely smiling and waving for Mizuki to begin.

Again Mizuki drew, ticking the turn off. It was the eighth turn now, so she had to wait it out a little more. _'Another monster? But this one will prove more useful, even though it might give Strongman an added effect and attack power.'_

"I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn." The monster appeared in card form in front of her, just waiting to be attacked. Immediately she was calculating what card was most likely to be drawn next.

Vlad sighed, shaking his head as if disappointed. "Mizuki, it's a pity you thought you could plan your way out of this. To win against me, you have to rely on your heart more than you obviously do. Because only a duelist of great heart can defeat my heart! For playing without a balance of mind and heart, I'll defeat you in this turn!"

The force of his voice and the conviction behind it caused her to step back, almost afraid. The confidence she had in her set card was slightly diminished, even though she knew it would work. _'Just keep the plan focused. The mind is more critical than the heart in a duel, even if heart is important; it's the mind that brings about the winner. I'll prove him wrong!'_

The giant duelist sighed, and slammed one massive fist into the other massive palm. "I can see it in your eyes, feel it in your heart that you don't believe my words! So allow me to show you why only those strongest of heart can win! Activate equip card, Invulnerable Physique! This makes Strongman impossible to destroy in battle or through targeted effects!"

Mizuki gulped, realizing then what had just happened. _'Oh no…Rune Mystic(1500/1300) can let me destroy one card on the field or draw two cards when it's destroyed. But because of his equip his Strongman is now immune to the destruction effect!'_

"Yes, realize the strength of my heart! I could have bested you last turn, but instead I desired to see if you were one who used a balance of mind and heart. Until you strengthen your heart, there's no way you can match me. Allow me to demonstrate, activate Strongarm Strike!" Immediately Strongman jumped into the air, and came crashing down on her set monster with his fist, crushing it.

"Strongarm Strike destroys one monster on the field if Strongman is in play. Then you take three hundred damage for each level of the destroyed monster!" Before Mizuki could even react the giant warrior slammed its open palm into her chest, sending her tumbling backwards onto her butt. (MLP: 1400)

"Strongman, prove my declaration! Direct attack for game!" Mizuki yelped as Strongman's closed fist slammed into the ground just an inch away from her, the floor only intact because the hologram wasn't completely realistic.

"I…I lost because of a weakness of heart?" Her life points trickled down, the holograms fading away. The duel had ended, and she felt truly shocked that her plan hadn't even had a chance to come into play. (MLP: 0)

"Yes, that is the real reason you lost. Had you played that monster in your hand the turn before your last one, you would have still had a defense, and potentially been able to make a come back. But you didn't go by gut instinct, and instead plotted it out." She looked down at her hand, where Rune Soldier was.

He was right of course, had she set Rune Soldier despite the potential risk of Strongman gaining more power she wouldn't have taken a direct attack in that turn, and still could have continued. "How do I become stronger in the heart?"

Vlad chuckled, helping her up with one of his big hands that smothered hers. "That's a matter for every duelist and person to discover on their own. Little one, although you have that weakness, I must admit that I enjoy our little duel. Perhaps next time we face each other, your strengthened heart will make me push harder, stretching us to our limits. To be in a duel where both duelist's hearts were fighting almost as much as their cards, that would be a true duel."

_'A true duel where the people's hearts are what fight? All that I see when he says that is one image flashing through my mind, the one image I can't seem to push away.'_ In her mind's eye she saw a globe of black and purple, where inside two people competed with each other physically and mentally, going to their furthest extremes to win.

_'I wonder…would a Darkness Game be the thing to stretch a duelist and make them fight with heart and mind at their best?'_

Even as the two of them departed the gym and went their separate ways for class, she couldn't get the thought out of her mind. By Vlad's own definition, didn't that make a Darkness Game the epitome of dueling. _'A true duel…that's what a Darkness Game is…right?'_

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Author's Note: That was Vladimir Karishnikov. Also, a comment about Mizuki's 'tenth grade Ra Yellow student' comment. Please keep in mind that Duelist Academy is a Japanese based school, and in Japan they start High School in what we in America would call 10th grade. So when Mizuki mentioned not wanting a uniform like her Junior High one, she's talking about the uniform she wore just the previous school year.

_Mizuki's been talking to Shiro, and apparently he's got one roommate who has two siblings in Duelist Academy, one in Ra Yellow and the other in Obelisk Blue. Weird right? But it gets weirder, since they're fraternal triplets. Shiro's roommate better be careful, he's just made the wrong Obelisk Blue angry! _

_See it all in, Kane and Abel…Or Something Like That._

**Review Response**

Erestor Telemnar: Sorry about the first few, they can be complicated. But had you started at the beginning with the story on my thegymrat account? Also, a prodigy is just someone who is excellent at something, you don't have to be a genius to be a prodigy and you don't have to be a prodigy to be a genius. Hope you continue to enjoy this story.

WolfGeneral: Yep, I'm enjoying it as well. Good to know you like it.

Time Mage: Actually, as you can see it was a week.

G.O.T. Nick: Yep, you were right. Vlad kicked her ass.

John: True, in fact some decks focus solely on methods other than attacking, or even monsters at all.

Adriel Touchstone: Err, actually the guy who Mizuki dueled in the examination was the Head of the Osiris Red dorm. He said so himself.

Vyser Adept of Dragons: Well thank you, I hope you continue to enjoy the story.


	6. Kane and AbelOr Something Like That

Author's Note: This time, I'm uping the ante and introducing two characters fully in one chapter.

**Chapter Six: Kane and Abel…Or Something Like That**

There were a lot of things that surprised Shiro Akugi in life. His youngest sister getting a role on the big screen had been one of the most surprising as it was sudden, back when she was seven.

Now, he would be the first to admit he was a shameless flirt. Or more like he would be the second to admit it, because all the girls he had ever hit on had said it first. It had gotten so that no reaction to his flirting, whether positive or negative, shocked him.

That was basically in the group of things that didn't surprise him, things related to girls. A lot of the rest of life seemed shocking by comparison to the mysteries of how girls reacted when they were flirted with.

So when Shiro was greeted by Professor Miyamoto when he walked into the Osiris Red dorm who was wearing a big grin, he was wary. "What's got you so happy Prof?"

Ichigaki Miyamoto bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing and slapped the fifteen year old on the back. "Oh just things. You've got a visitor by the way, I just sent them on in to your room."

"A visitor? I didn't know we were allowed visitors. It's not one of my parents is it? I'm not in trouble, right?" Miyamoto snickered, pushing Shiro along towards his room.

"No no, nothing like that. Oh and don't worry about the whole thing, I won't mention it to anyone, or send your roommates in. But just about the rest of the dorm saw so…well go on in!" The professor gave him one final push, leaving him right outside the room he shared with his two roommates.

Casting a suspicious glance over his shoulder at the still grinning professor he reached his hand out for the door. _'Whatever is behind this door must be hellish if he's grinning like that. I should prepare myself for a sight of terrible rampant destruction on a hideous level.'_

Girding himself, he turned the knob. What he saw was in fact the first time he had been surprised about a certain category in a very long time. _'Holy hell…'_

There, sitting on his very own bed in the top bunk, reading one of his manga, was a girl. One leg was crossed over the other, but her face was hidden by the manga she was reading. All he was really able to comprehend right now was that there was a girl on his bed, reading one of his manga, and she had great legs. _'Wait a second…I've checked out those legs before haven't I?'_

"Well, at least now I get why people say I look like the older her." Shiro's eyes bugged out even further than they already had, as he sat there staring. He definitely recognized that voice as well. He also realized faintly which of his manga she was reading.

_'Oh crap! Of all my manga she had to pick up and read, it had to be the one with the most fan service in it, didn't it? Now I look like a total pervert or something!'_ While his body twitched because of the internal distress, the other students watched him despair, because he had left his door open.

Hearing a snicker from behind him, he got the sense to step fully into the room and close the door behind him. As soon as it clicked shut he heard the sound of a book being closed, and when he looked up he was greeted by those legs, and the face that went with them. "Err…hi Mizuki. What's up?"

"Hey Shiro." The simple fact that she was so nonchalant after he had walked in to find her reading his manga on his bed was an added shock to him. It seemed like she had really forgiven him for what was mostly Tobias' fault in the first place.

"Not to sound rude or anything, just shocked actually, but err…how come you're in my room? Also, how come you're in my bed? And lastly, how come you're reading my manga?" Mizuki smiled, holding back a laugh at the incredulous look on Shiro's face.

"I'll start from the last. I was reading your manga, although I half thought it was doujinshi at first, because I was bored and you were taking a long time to get back." Shiro chuckled weakly, feeling slightly smaller just because of her comment about the nature of the manga.

"The second one I think would be obvious. The bed's more comfortable to sit on while waiting than a chair is." Shiro nodded, understand that perfectly. He also wasn't going to complain, because he had a very nice view from where he was standing.

"And that last part?" Here Mizuki seemed to be the one just about to laugh. Shiro frowned, almost afraid for his life. Something about the way she was acting just screamed 'He's going to suffer' or something like that.

"Apparently your math professor says you've been doing poorly and not paying attention in class, so since I'm in advanced math classes I was assigned to tutor you. Get it?" He blinked, and rubbed his chin, thinking the situation through.

_'Alright, review time. Fact one. Mizuki is a babe…check. Fact two. Tutoring implies at least a few hours in a few meetings a week between me and said girl. Fact three. Said tutoring sessions would be private. Fact four. Mizuki is a babe. Complete review: Tutoring session equals awesome.'_ Amazingly enough his mental analysis only took a few seconds.

"Okay, I don't have a problem with that. I just don't want Tobias around while I go for tutoring sessions, because he's an ass. Plus I doubt you want him around either." She shuddered, obviously thinking much the same thing. It had been three weeks since their first encounter, but they still didn't get along well.

"Right then, so let's see your schedule so we can figure out which times are the best for us to meet." She hopped off the top bunk, landing gracefully on the ground. Shiro suddenly felt like pouting, because he no longer had the same view as before.

She held out her hand expectantly, causing him to stare at the open palm blankly for several seconds. Finally, it clicked. "Oh, right, the thing. The schedule thing. I was getting that for you."

He jumped into action, searching through his drawers, hurling random items out onto the floor in his quest for the hidden piece of paper with his schedule on it. "Ummm…Shiro, you do realize that the schedule is on your personal organizer right?"

Shiro froze, feeling as if his entire body had just turned to stone. Finally he unfroze and rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling in embarrassment. "Right right, that thing. See, the truth is that while I was trying to organize my desk I sorta…lost it."

"You lost a personal organizer? Isn't the point of it to help you be organized? And your desk looked like a nuclear war, how is that organization in the first place?" Shiro glanced at the remains of his deck, which after his frantic search did in fact look more organized than it had when he started.

"See, it's all part of Chaos Theory, right? Chaos is actually organized, so the more chaotic my desk is the easier it is to find stuff? It's a fool proof theory!" He continued to rub the back of his neck, laughing weakly as Mizuki stared at him blankly.

"Okay, if that's the case, then where's your personal organizer?" There was no immediate rebuttal from Shiro, because at that moment he could have sworn a sword stabbed into his back from above, dropping him to the ground.

To Mizuki's surprise he jumped back to his feet just seconds later, and hurled himself at the bed. He slid right back her, under it, and a cry of triumph echoed from under it. Moments later he emerged from underneath the triple bunk bed holding a dusty personal organizer. "See, organized chaos!"

"That wasn't even in your desk! It was just randomly under the bed! Organized chaos implies an intelligent pattern, but that was just plain stupid!" They stared at each other for several seconds, Mizuki looking consternated and Shiro looking blank.

At last Shiro responded with a shrug. "I found the organizer didn't I?"

Unable to contend this point, Mizuki merely sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Somehow I get the feeling that tutoring you will be as education for me as it will be for you."

"There are some things I could probably teach you. After all, I'm a master in the ways of love." He grinned, sliding up next to her. Unfortunately his attempt at flirting went unnoticed, because just as he reached to put an arm around her shoulders she reached down to pick up an item off the floor.

Since she moved, he missed his target and fell face first off the bed, landing with a thump. Meanwhile Mizuki, who had failed to notice the whole thing, was looking at the deck box with interest, even sliding the deck out to look through it. "This is your deck, there are no Action Warriors, and this doesn't seem the sort of thing Tobias would use either. Whose deck is this?"

Recovering from his painful fall, Shiro peeled himself off the floor and sat back on the bed, ready to answer the question. "As a matter of fact that deck belongs to my second roommate, a guy by the name of Kane."

"Cain? As in, Cain and Abel right?" Shiro frowned, thinking it through. There was something about the way she said it, but neither of those words seemed Japanese to him. They might as well have been Greek or something.

"Ummm…yeah, or something like that. He's a pretty nice guy, if a bit dependent. But check this out, he's got two siblings here, one in Ra Yellow, and one in Obelisk Blue. But the best part is that they're all fraternal siblings." Mizuki raised an eyebrow, surprised by this news. A trio of dueling family members all in different dorms?

"Oh come on, you've got to be kidding me. How could they be fraternal triplets, be first years, and yet one of them is in Obelisk Blue? That doesn't make any sense." In response Shiro pointed to the personal organizer, and then back at his desk.

Throwing her arms into the air she decided it was best jut to give up. She had gotten the impression he had brains, but chose not to use them in favor of some other less adequate brain-like object. _'I swear, I can't tell if he's just doing it to bug me or if he's just too lazy to think things through!'_

"Want proof? Here, come on and I'll take you to meet Kane. His last class for the day should have ended by now and he's probably on his way back!" In a burst of enthusiasm Shiro grabbed her by the hand and practically yanked her out the door, both of them rushing through the dorm.

As they passed by the other students in the dorm, all of them being male, hooted and hollered, laughing about Shiro's girl. Mizuki tried to turn and yell at them, but she was pulled out the door so fast the first syllable wasn't even out of her mouth by the time they were gone.

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Shiro and Mizuki had made great time to the outside of one of the island's school buildings, where Shiro said Kane had his last class of the day. All in all their excursion had shown two things to Mizuki. _'Shiro's so freaking fast…I guess he spends a lot of time running away from people for stupid reasons.'_

_'It also proved that I need to exercise a little more. Sure I've got a great metabolism, but unless I work out I'll lose my figure, and even if I don't like guys staring at me, I don't want to be fat either! Auuuu….'_

Shiro glanced at Mizuki out of the corner of his eyes, wondering why she was spazzing out. _'She's weird, but I really can't complain. I'm pretty weird myself.'_

"Shiro! Ahoy Shiro Akugi! Hey! Stop checking out her rack and pay attention damn it!" This jerked Shiro to attention, and brought an instant reaction from Mizuki, who hadn't even been paying the slightest attention to that point.

Seconds later Shiro looked up at the newcomer from his spot on the ground, rubbing the red handprint on his cheek. "What the hell was that Kane? I wasn't checking out her rack, so you just got me slapped for no reason!"

Mizuki relaxed slightly, realizing that the newcomer was Shiro's roommate. He was tall, at least by her standards, being maybe just an inch shy of six feet, and had white hair arranged without any sort of order, hanging at wild angles around his head. She'd never have guessed he was in Osiris Red though, because he wore a black jumper and a white t-shirt. "You're out of uniform."

Kane looked her up and down, and then grinned. "You're just about out of uniform yourself."

Shiro sighed, watching as Mizuki stalked away in a huff. Sitting next to him on the ground was Kane who was sporting a big red hand print on his left cheek. "You had that one coming."

The other teen shot him a meaningful look, and then threw his arms in the air. "It's your fault! You're a bad influence!"

"No, what he is just happens to be phenomenally pathetic. Of course saying that about an Osiris Red drop-out is like saying water is wet. Now, are you two going to keep blocking the way or what?" Both teens looked up, finding an Obelisk Blue standing above them, wearing the white and blue that indicated someone who wasn't a first year.

Shiro rolled his eyes, looking over the Obelisk Blue. Every inch of him screamed 'pompous ass in dire need of twelve kinds of ass kicking'. From the haughty look in his blue glasses framed eyes, to the simple small blue cape that hung over his shoulders. "Piss off jerk, it's a free road."

The Obelisk Blue's eyes narrowed, then he reached up with one hand and haughtily adjusted his glasses. "Drop-out boy, you don't understand do you? Just get out of the way, or face the consequences."

Kane stood up, brushing off his pants, and snorted. "Or what? You'll call your mommy and sick her on us? Sheesh, we don't have to listen to a pompous momma's boy like you. Obelisk Blue or not."

His words were met immediately by a flare of blind fury in the eyes of the Obelisk Blue. He raised his left arm and tapped a button on his watch, which immediately began to expand, unfolding into a fancy royal blue duel disk. "Insolent drop-out scum! For daring to speak as if you know anything about me or my family, I, Harrison Wilhelm the Third, challenge you to a duel!" (HLP: 4000)

Kane grinned and pressed the button to activate the brace on his arm, which unfolded into the DD5. "Sure, I'd love to beat the snot out of some pompous Obelisk Blue in a duel. I'm Kane Yukio, and I'll be kicking your ass in about five minutes!" (KLP: 4000)

Shiro gulped and started waving his hands to get his friend's attention. The other Osiris Red noticed him, and shot him a questioning look. "What's the big panic about Shiro? Don't worry; I'll beat his ass into the ground easy."

"Kane you idiot! Harrison's the third highest ranked duelist in the entire freaking school! You're in way over your head!" Kane froze, then slowly he tilted his head to look at Harrison. The Obelisk Blue had a cold smile on his face that chilled Kane to the bone, and he wondered if it was possible to back out now.

Harrison waved one hand over a sensor on his fancy duel disk, which Shiro recognized as a personalized DD6, the very latest model released. Immediately the duel disk whirred and five cards slid off the top and into Harrison's hand. "Go ahead and take the first turn drop-out boy, because this won't take long. And the loser will be punished."

"Yeah? Well just because you're a rich snob and the third highest ranked duelist here, that doesn't mean I can't win. So let's get this thing started already!" Yanking the first six cards off his deck, Kane began thinking out his unbelievably complex strategy.

_'Okay, I'll summon a monster, bluff my ass off, and then go on the offensive next turn. He'll never see it coming!'_ Holding back an almost girlish giggle, Kane plucked one of the cards he was holding out from the rest of them and placed it onto a monster zone.

"Yo Harrison, Templar Swordsman(1600/100) wants to have a word with you!" Bursting forth from the holographic card was a knight in black armor, with a helm of gold resting upon his head and a red sword in his hand.

There was silence. Crickets chirped loudly, completely ignoring that it was mid-day and they shouldn't be out yet. Finally Harrison took a crack at understanding the complicated move. "You…that's it? A monster in attack and then, nothing?"

"That's right!" Once more crickets came out to play, dancing about in delight as they watch both Harrison and Shiro sweat-drop.

"Very well imbecile, I'll crush you sooner rather than later. And I'll start by summoning a more impressive warrior, Getsu Fuhma(1700/1200)!" Forming in a flash of light was a samurai in red, who appeared just as haughty as its summoner.

Kane tried to keep his cool, because he had to for his bluff to work. Harrison just sighed and took two of the cards in his hand and placed them in open magic zones. "Two cards down. Take your turn drop-out boy."

Releasing the breath he had barely been aware he was holding, Kane grabbed another card off his deck, putting him back up at six cards. "Since you fell for my bluff, it's time I attack! Templar Archer(1300/300) in attack mode!"

Another knight in black armor rode out, this one in thinner armor and with a longbow in hand. "Once per turn Templar Archer's effect activates and drops one monster on your field by 300 attack! Normally this is random, but you've just got one target waiting there!"

The archer pulled back on an arrow, knocking it in the bow. Then without any further warning it let the arrow fly, straight at Getsu Fuhma. Harrison didn't even blink, because one of his two face down cards was flipping up. "Plight of the Damned negates the effects of all undead or demon sub-types in play as long as its active, and drains them of one hundred attack per level."

Kane scratched his head, looking thoroughly confused. "Yeah but, isn't it obvious? Both of my monsters are warriors, not demons. That was a stupid move for you to make."

"Idiot, haven't you ever heard of a combo? Reveal continuous trap card, Helix Spell! As long as this trap is in effect I can choose the sub-type that any monsters on my opponent's field are, and I choose demon!" As Kane and Shiro watched the two templars grew red horns and bat-like wings.

"But that means my two monsters lose attack points!" The attack scores of his two monsters fell right before his eyes. Templar Swordsman dropped to twelve hundred, while Templar Archer fell to nine hundred.

"It also means that according to chain rules your archer's effect fails, since my cards resolve first. Now, do you have anything you'd like to do with the rest of your worthless turn?" Harrison sneered at his opponent, who began frantically looking at his hand in hopes of finding a way out.

"Okay, I've got it! I play Never-ending Mirage, which lets me search my deck for a continuous magic or trap card and place it in my hand!" With his DD5 on auto-search, the deck reader did a scan, and seconds later a card popped out of his deck and into his hand.

"Then I'll play the card I just grabbed along with one other on the field. After that I pass the turn back to you." One by one the two set cards appeared, his only chance at saving his otherwise defenseless self.

As soon as Harrison's DD6 added a card to his hand, Kane was in action. "Reverse cards open! Astral Barrier and Spirit Barrier! This combo will prevent you from damaging me with your monsters at all!"

Shiro slapped a hand against his forehead, immediately seeing the mistake. "Kane! Stop being so reckless and think it through! Wait for his actual move before revealing your card combo!"

Harrison's icy smile once again made Kane shiver. "Your pathetic friend is right. Although I must admit, those two cards would have been useless anyways. Activate magic card, Exile of the Wicked!"

The two demonic templars screamed and were roasted alive by pure light that shown from the card, incinerating them in seconds. "Exile of the Wicked is one of the oldest cards in the game, and it destroys all demon sub-type monsters in play. Thanks to Helix Spell, that's both of your monsters."

_'Oh no! Without any monsters on my field Spirit Barrier is useless, and without that Astral Barrier is also useless. Oh I'm seriously boned here!'_ There was no way he could bluff his way out of this one either.

"Hunter of the Shadows(1800/1500) in attack mode." A cloaked man appeared next to Harrison's samurai, his appearance concealed by the brown hood of his cloak. The only obvious thing about him was the edge of a crossbow peaking out from under his cloak.

"Just to prove how useless your combo is even without Exile of the Wicked, I activate Chain of Tornados. I name one word, and all magic and trap cards on the field with that word in their name are destroyed. I name 'barrier'." Two tornados rushed out of his card and slammed into the continuous traps, ripping them apart.

_'He's ripping me apart with no effort at all! How am I supposed to fight back against this?'_ As he was contemplating his imminent demise, Harrison was planning it. He snapped his fingers and instantly his two monsters prepared themselves. Fuhma unsheathed her weapon, and Hunter of the Shadows revealed his crossbow.

"I attack you directly with both of my monsters. Feel the pain caused by your inferiority!" A holographic crossbow bolt jammed into his stomach, while a katana slashed down onto his shoulder, dropping him to one knee, with his arms holding his stomach. (KLP: 500)

"You…you may have hurt me, nearly finished me off, but your two traps don't protect me from kicking your ass. All I need is a monster strong enough and I'll be on the comeback road." He got back on his feet, looking cocky in his realization.

"If that comment weren't stupid enough on its own, I have a rebuttal that makes it look worse. Magic card activates, Twilight Renewal! When this is the only card in my hand I can then draw until I hold five." His duel disk did the work, giving him five new cards to work with.

"Now, this face down card should deal with any potential threat you could have. Go ahead drop-out boy; take your last feeble turn before I crush you." Kane gulped, seeing the absolutely serious look in Harrison's eyes. He knew that he was going to win.

Shiro looked back and forth between the two duelists, realizing just how desperate the situation was, especially since Kane didn't seem to think he could win. "Come on Kane, I know you can do it! Get your butt in gear and fight back!"

Kane nodded, appreciating the support, even if it seemed kind of forced. This Harrison guy was good, so he'd just have to play smart. "Templar Pikeman(1800/1400) falls short of touching your monsters because of the four hundred point drain, but I'm not worried."

The black armored pikeman, no horse involved, stood his ground, despite his weaker stats. "Now, I play Power of Prayer! This increases the attack power of one templar in play by four hundred times its level for one turn. That's sixteen hundred bonus points!"

Pikeman's attack score rose, until it reached a peak of three thousand, much greater than the attack of either of Harrison's monsters. "Templar Pikeman, attack Getsu Fuhma!"

As the pikeman raised is pike and charged, Shiro felt like jumping forwards and smacking his roommate. "Kane, do you even know any card effects?"

Harrison threw back his head and laughed, even as the pike of the approaching demonified monster stabbed into the belly of his samurai. "You're really an idiot aren't you? Your friend is right; my Getsu Fuhma has a special effect. Any demon or undead that battles her dies after damage calculation!"

Before Kane or the pikeman could protest the female samurai drove her katana into the attacking monster's chest. Both monsters, fatally injured, collapsed into a pile and then faded away. "Had you attack Hunter of Shadows at least you'd still have a monster in play, but your stupidity has ruined you." (HLP: 2700)

"I…I'm not finished yet! I'll throw out a trap card and end my turn! Beat that rich boy!" He grinned confidently, puffing up his chest as if he were ready to face any foe that the world threw at him.

Shiro felt like slapping him again, and Harrison just rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation. "How did you get into this school anyways? Blind luck?"

"It was skill...though admittedly my scores on the duel test and the written test were only mediocre. But still, that means I'm good enough to be at the school!" He slapped a hand against his chest in emphasis, proud of his accomplishment.

"Good enough for the professors to let into the weakling's dorm perhaps, but not good enough to be worthy enough to represent this school in any way. You're a disgrace even to the Osiris Red dorm, so I'll punish you accordingly!" His DD6 beeped, indicating that his turn had started, and slid a card out for him to take.

He looked at it out of the corner of his eye, and then looked back up at Kane. "Weakling, I'll crush you completely right now. Then you'll understand what it means to talk about things you know nothing about, particularly my family!"

Shiro could have sworn he saw the card that Kane had just drawn pulse with energy, but shook it off as his imagination. "Harrison's about to show just how strong he really is."

The Osiris Red teen yelped and jumped a foot in the air. He landed facing the speaker, who turned out to be none other than Mizuki. "When did you get here, and how did you just appear like that?"

She looked at him like he was stupid, which he was starting to get used to. "I walked. You know, with my legs, which are generally used for walking. How else would I have gotten here?"

"But…but…you….oh screw it! I'll just stand here and watch the rest of the duel."

Harrison looked absolutely merciless as he slapped his drawn card onto his duel disk. "This monster, he'll crush you! Legendary Demon Slayer Dante(1500/1200), come to me!"

Dropping down from the sky was a white haired man in a trench coat, guns holstered at his hips. He raised his head and smirked at Kane. "When Dante is summoned I may take one equip card from my deck and attach it to him!"

A card ejected from his deck, and he immediately slipped it into the magic/trap zone behind Dante. "His appropriate weapons, Twin Pistols: Ebony and Ivory!"

Dante reached down to the holsters at his hip and whipped out the two pistols, one black and one white. He leveled them at Kane, who gulped and took a step back. "Ebony and Ivory increase Dante's attack power by three hundred."

The demon slayer's attack score rose to eighteen hundred, but Kane still looked to his set card for support. "I'll be sending your life points deep into the negatives in about ten seconds. Hunter of Shadows, direct attack!"

"Activate trap, Waboku!" The trap card began to lift itself up, but was halted as Harrison's own set card lifted, and purple smoke shot out of it. The Waboku trap was consumed by the smoke and broke apart.

"Trap Jammer negates it! Hunter of Shadows, complete your attack!" Kane groaned as a crossbow bolt hit him in the shoulder, forcing him to step backwards on his left leg. (KLP: 0)

Shiro frowned, not quite sure he understood what was going on. "If he had it that easy, then why go to the trouble of summoning Dante in the first place?"

Mizuki gasped, realizing what was about to happen. "He's…he's not finished!"

Harrison's icy smile turned feral as he pointed one finger at the beaten Kane. "I told you I'd punish you. Dante, attack him directly!" Kane cried out as a barrage of bullets slammed into his weakened body, knocking him off his feet. (KLP: 0)

"Ebony and Ivory gives Dante the ability to attack twice in the battle phase! Dante, attack him again!" Dante stepped up right in front of Kane, both of his pistols leveled at point blank range at Kane's face. Even for a hologram that only faked pain through stimulators, a point blank double gun blast would be hell.

Before Mizuki or Shiro could make a protest, Dante pulled both triggers, and the sound of gunfire echoed through their part of the island. The demon slayer spun his guns in his hands and then holstered them, just before fading away. "That will teach you a lesson. Never talk about my family, ever, or the punishment will be great." (KLP: 0)

Shiro and Mizuki rushed over to the fallen and unconscious Kane, who was face down in the dirt. As they knelt over his body, trying to get him up and see how he was, a wash of rage came over Mizuki. "Harrison! What you just did, that was going too far! I'll teach you a lesson here and now!"

Her duel disk unfolded, and she slammed her deck home. Harrison, who had already started to walk away, glanced over his shoulder at her and sneered. "Ra Yellow or not, no girl is worthy my time. No go away and play with your little friends, I wouldn't want to have to soil my hands on another low class duelist again today."

Without another word he continued to walk away, leaving the three fifteen year olds in the middle of the path. Mizuki's fist clenched tight, her knuckles white as she watched the older duelist walk away so casually. _'Harrison…nothing gives you the right to do that, no matter what Kane said! Sooner or later, I will teach you a lesson!'_

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Author's Note: No, I don't own Devil May Cry 1, 2, or 3. Quite literally, as in fact I don't even own a Playstation. The games do however rock, and if you've played them, you may recognize some of Harrison's cards.

_Mizuki has met some interesting people at Duelist Academy so far, and a surprising number of them have been given titles. But who's this new guy she's just met, and why do all the girls swoon over him? Wait…what's his title again?_

_See it all in, Hero of the Day!_

**Review Response**

Adriel Touchstone: By 'relationship' do you mean 'blinding hatred'? Don't worry, I can still use the Prof. just not as a dorm head.

Time Mage: Vlad is one of my personal favorites for this story, simply because he's a giant and has been for ages, could crush people with his bare hands, and yet is a truly kind soul. Anyways, that guy you say _was_ Harrison.

WolfGeneral: Heh, you'll continue to see that in this world the supernatural and/or paranormal is accepted by the general populace, which includes demons. But just based on calling them 'sub-humans' it should be noted that most humans don't like them.

John: Douglas Adams is the man, rest his soul.

G.O.T. Nick: Yes, the Pot of Greed comment did come from that. And Vlad won't need badass comments unless he's facing someone on his own level, which Mizuki isn't yet.


	7. Hero of the Day

Author's Note: Now, let's take a closer look at Aya as well as meet a new character.

**Chapter Seven: Hero of the Day**

Rumors were a funny thing. A lot of rumors were flying around Duelist Academy about the first year student, a veritable celebrity, Mizuki Mitsuhiro. They abounded from her rumors about her phenomenal math abilities, to her deadly dueling skills.

Of course the rumor that Mizuki's two roommates, Janice and Aya, found funniest were the rumors surrounding Mizuki's tutoring sessions with Shiro Akugi. Mizuki, after just a month at Duelist Academy, was already fast rising in the ranks, so fast that she was starting to be called the 'Rising Star of Duelist Academy.'

At the same time Shiro Akugi, who had ended up in Osiris Red on virtue of screwing around on the written test, had already nearly reached the top rank in Osiris Red, and was therefore called the 'Rising Star of Osiris Red'. Of course it was meant as a joke about Mizuki.

Ever since the two had started tutoring sessions, the rumors had been flying. Considering that every few days Mizuki was seen going into the Osiris Red boy's dorm and into Shiro Akugi's room.

"We're not going out! He's just stupid and I'm helping him with math!" All the way across campus one Shiro Akugi fell out of his chair from the force of a sudden sneeze.

Janice grinned broadly, nudging the younger girl in the ribs. "Oh come on Mizuki, Shiro's cute. And we both know you only started wearing your uniform without covering after you met him. Showing off for him, right?"

Mizuki blushed furiously and pushed the elbow away. "He just said some stuff that made sense, that's all. Besides, I'm interested in smart guys, and I have to tutor him for pity's sake!"

Aya sidled up and smiled brightly, though something about the smile seemed a bit…evil to Mizuki. "So smart guys are your type? I hear Tobias and Harrison have some of the best grades in the whole school."

An image flashed through her head of her snuggling up with either of those two, and she screamed in terror and ran out of the room. Janice and Aya looked at each other, and shrugged. "Sometimes she's just a bit too eccentric."

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"So you're going out with that Mizuki girl right?" Across the island, in the process of finding a place to dunk her head in water, Mizuki stopped and sneezed violently.

Shiro sighed, leaned back against the bed, looking away from the teen sitting across from him, Kane. "Really I wish that were the case, but despite my best efforts she remains immune to my considerable charms. Plus it's hard to focus when I'm sitting across from her and she's wearing that uniform skirt."

From the second bunk above them came a snort. "I still can't believe you associate with that girl. She pisses me off."

Kane and Shiro both sighed, having heard similar comments before, including rants about her showing him up in math. Shiro reached up and punched the bunk above them. "Oh shut up Tobias, I still haven't forgiven you for making me pull that prank. If I hadn't she probably wouldn't keep rebuffing me."

"Did it ever occur to you that your 'considerable charms' are in fact just illusions of an extremely delusional mind? Namely yours?" Shiro paused in the process of going to punch the bed again, and considered this.

"Yeah well…whatever. Hey Kane, I've got an important question for you. Got any sevens?" Across from him Kane snickered, and Shiro immediately realized his mistake.

"Go fish."

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Mizuki dropped to the ground, hands on her knees as she panted for breath. So far the idea for outrunning thoughts of her with Tobias had failed. All it had done was make her completely exhausted. _'I still can't get the image out of my brain. It hurts…'_

At some point the reasoning behind her plan had vanished without a trace, leaving her only guessing why she thought it was a good idea. _'Maybe caving in my skull with a club would work…'_

Shaking herself off, she managed to get back to her feet and look around. At it took was a few sweeps of the area before she confirmed something for herself. "Well I'm officially lost. Why do they even a burnt out dorm in this place?"

There, standing right in front of her, was a massive dormitory that looked like it had been charred. Doors hung off their hinges and windows were broken in. "Plus it looks like its twenty or so years old at least. Nobody mentioned this place to me before."

Curiosity getting the best of her, she walked right on in.

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Tobias stepped out right in front of the teen he was confronting, trying to look fierce even though he was the shorter of the two. "Come on, please assist me!"

Harrison sneered at the younger student and pushed past. "The Dark Prince of Duelist Academy doesn't stoop to helping out weakling Osiris Red brats."

The younger student grimaced, and decided to throw out his trump card. "She's the one who has the secret of the Xanadu Equation. It's encoded into her father's will."

Harrison stopped dead in his tracks. Part of him wanted to keep walking, but the other part won out, forcing him to turn and speak to Tobias. "The Xanadu Equation is a myth, even amongst scientific circles. No single person besides that girl has ever even seen the original copy of Nobunaga Mitsuhiro's will."

"But wouldn't you want the chance to have it? To learn the truth, and potentially get exactly what you want? Perhaps the only person capable of decoding that will in the entire world is Mizuki Mitsuhiro." He smirked, seeing fires light in Harrison's eyes. He had made his pitch, and it had worked.

"If that's the case, then how would you suggest I even get her to let me see the will, let alone decode it for me? She has never allowed any scientist a chance to see her will, so what would be incentive for her to give me the information?" Harrison folded his arms and began tapping his foot, waiting for an answer impatiently.

Tobias rubbed his hands together, looking in Harrison's eyes a lot like a stereotypical villain. "You, alone in this school, have the knowledge and talent to force Mizuki to do whatever it is you want. The power that no person can ignore."

Harrison frowned slightly, thinking it over. "You're suggesting I use the power of a Punishment Game to make her give me the information on the Xanadu Equation?"

"Exactly!" Again the older duelist frowned, apprehensive considering the younger duelist's enthusiasm.

"What would you get out of this that you're so eager to have me duel her?" Tobias snickered and slid a finger across his throat, grinning enthusiastically.

"A single addendum made by me to the Punishment. That's all I ask, and that's all I require for this knowledge. Strip her of her mathematical genius as soon as she's finished with the Equation, and then I'll be satisfied." Tobias continued to rub his hands together, looking gleeful and hopeful at the same time.

After several seconds pause Harrison finally responded. "I'll consider your proposition. For the moment I need time to think. Until then, stay out of my way drop-out boy."

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Mizuki sneezed loudly, sending up another cloud of dust. She rubbed her nose, feeling like it was turning raw. "This place is so dusty I've been sneezing like crazy since I got in here. But there's got to be something interesting in here somewhere."

"Oh there is little girl. I see something interesting indeed." Mizuki gulped and spun around, looking for the source of the cold sinister voice. All she saw was a dirty wall, with a center piece mirror right in front of her.

"I must be going crazy. There's nobody here at all." She grimaced at the sight of herself in the mirror. So far she had collected a lot of dust, and she even had a few cobwebs in her hair. As soon as she had them cleared away, she turned back around.

She was greeted by the sight of a pale man in a fading Obelisk Blue uniform, his black hair slicked back. He smirked slightly, proudly displaying a very sharp looking tooth. "I always loved that trick."

Her scream echoed throughout the entire dorm, and she began to back away, trying to come up with a way out. _'Non-confirmed? This guy really is a vampire! Here's your confirmation you dumbasses, if I live through it!'_

Immediately he advanced on her, looking quite pleased with himself. He was also staring at her neck with almost too much interest. "Such a lovely girl who has found her way into this place. You'll become my first human meal since that poor boy who lost his way last semester."

The vampire chuckled, fingering the Obelisk Blue uniform he was wearing. "I wonder if you taste as sweet as you look. Girl, you'll be the finest meal I've had in a long time."

"Please…stay back. I…I'll duel you…or something?" Her vampire stalker paused in advancing on her, and looked pensive for a moment as he contemplated it.

"A Darkness Game then? Oh this I'll accept, and when I win I'll use the power of the darkness to make you like me. I could use a companion, as immortal life can become so dull." A duel disk of bone appeared on his arm, already in place.

Mizuki fumbled for her duel disk, and then stopped as she realized that it was back in her room, along with her deck. "I…I don't have my deck or duel disk."

The vampire shrugged and then resumed advancing on her. "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to sire you the old fashioned way. I hope you like the taste of blood pretty one, because you'll be drinking it for some time to come."

"Hold it right there!" Both vampire and victim jerked their heads around. What they saw was a shadowed figure at the end of the hall, standing in the doorway.

"Who the hell are you human? And how dare you interfere with my feeding!" The vampire snarled, his fangs clearly showing as he turned away from Mizuki and to the newcomer.

"You won't harm the girl vampire, I'll see to that. This entire dorm is nothing but a dust ball now, and in just a few seconds you'll be adding to that dust." The vampire smirked, obviously not impressed.

"How do you expect to do that human? You have little room to maneuver, and I'm stronger, faster, and much harder to kill than you. Can you possibly think you'll beat me so swiftly, or at all?" Mizuki's eyes made out the other man nod slightly, and then lift up what looked like a rotted piece of furniture.

"Actually vampire, the truth is that you're much easier to kill than I am. All it takes is one mistake on your part, like not knowing that there's a window next to you blocked by dust, and then poof! You're toast." The vampire's eyes widened and he jerked his head to the side, looking for the window that could let the sun in.

His eyes narrowed in confusion as he saw a blank wall. "What the hell are you talking about? It's just a stupid wall, no window at all!"

"Maybe so, but it sure gave me the opening I needed!" The vampire jerked back, trying to move away, but his actions were too slow, and the newcomer had already come too far. The rotted piece of wood plunged into the vampire's chest, and it exploded into dust.

Mizuki stared at the shadowed figure in awe, still not able to get a good look at him because of the darkness. "You…you killed that vampire like he was nothing! And you saved my life…thank you."

She could have sworn the man winked at her as he gave her a thumbs up, but the darkness made it a little hard to tell. "It was my pleasure and my duty. I admit rescuing damsels in distress isn't something I always get an opportunity to do, but it pays to be in the right place at the right time. Now come, let's get you out of here, it's not safe."

Whoever he was, he whisked her out of the dorm and into the light of day in no time flat. Once they were out she wiped some dust off her face and let out a deep breath. "I don't think I can say thank you enough for saving…me."

She blinked, trying to take in exactly what she saw. The guy who had saved her was at least six feet tall, wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform that consisted of a the uniform top styled as a trench coat. His silvery hair shone like silk in the sun, and several stray strands fell across his face to cover his right eye, making the other bright blue eye stand out even more.

He smiled, displaying perfectly white teeth (one of which seemed to glint in the sun), and brushed back the strands of hair that fell across his eye, though they immediately fell back into place. "Glad to be of help."

Mizuki felt heat starting to rise in her face, a blush coming on. Somehow she had been saved by the most incredibly handsome man she had ever met, and he was only a little bit older by the looks of it. "H..i. I'm Mizuki Mitsuhiro…n..nice to meet you."

She bowed swiftly, trying to hide the blush on her face. It was intensified as her savior took her hand in his and bent down to kiss the back of it, smiling smoothly as he tilted his head up to look her in the eye. "I'm Sanzo Uzumaki, and the pleasure is all mine."

Mizuki almost melted into a puddle right then and there. She started to open her mouth to say something, what she wasn't sure, when she heard shouting coming from nearby. When she saw who was shouting and heard what they were saying, she could feel a sweat drop coming on.

A pack of teenage girls, ranging from Osiris Red to Obelisk Blue were all rushing towards them, stars in their eyes. The things they were saying were even more interesting. Mizuki could have sworn she heard one of them say "Uzumaki-sama please bear my children!"

Her savior shot her a wink and a parting wave before leaping into a nearby tree. "Catch you later Mitsuhiro-chan. Stay out of trouble!"

The fan girls whined as he jumped from tree limb to tree limb, quickly making his exit. Mizuki just watched him go, blush still adorning her cheeks.

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Aya sighed, running a fine toothed comb through her long platinum blonde hair. So far, during the entire month she had been at Duelist Academy, she had only had two duels. The first was against an Osiris Red during a class, and hadn't been played to conclusion because class time ran out.

The other was against Janice played without duel disks in the middle of their room. She had lost, albeit barely, and Janice had congratulated her nevertheless. "Mizuki has all the interesting duels. It's sort of unfair."

Almost as if summoned by the mention of her name the dark haired girl entered the room, looking shaky, her cheeks a faint red color. Aya and Janice looked her over, trying to see if she was okay. "What's wrong? You don't have a fever do you."

"No, I was just saved from a vampire of all things, but it was by the most incredibly handsome guy I've ever seen. And he was nice too…" She stared off into space for a moment, looking dreamy, until Janice grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes very seriously.

"You're not talking 'Mr. I'm A Gorgeous Hunk' Sanzo Uzumaki are you? The second highest ranked duelist in the school and renowned as the savior of stray kittens, girls lost in the woods, and beater upper of cocky jerks? Self-proclaimed Hero Saint of Duelist Academy?" Aya and Mizuki stared at her oddly, trying in vain to process everything she had said in that rush of words.

Mizuki put a hand on her cheek, still blushing. "Well, I didn't know about the rest of that stuff, but that first thing I got. He said his name was Sanzo Uzumaki, and he was a hunk. So…he's the 'Hero Saint of Duelist Academy'? Does everyone have a title at this school?"

Janice sighed, looking wistful, thinking back to her first year at the school. "When I came here he was a first year as well, but still the same hunk. He was in Ra Yellow, but even then he made a name for himself. Every time anything bad happened to anyone he was always there to fix the problem, and clean up the mess."

The black girl thought about it for a second, and then came to a conclusion. "You know, I bet he was the one who made all that crazy stuff that Shiro was responsible for go away, and that's why nobody mentioned it. Sanzo's the kind of guy who can handle any situation. Heck, he's even got a fan club."

"Yeah, I saw. They seemed pretty crazed, and he left immediately after they arrived. I feel so lucky that he was there to rescue me from that vampire. If he hadn't been at the abandoned dorm I might not be alive." Both she and Janice jumped when Aya punched the floor, looking outraged.

"Oh come on! Nobody can possibly be that good! He's always around when something bad has happened and he cleans up the mess? Mizuki, you were at a dorm _nobody_ goes to, and yet he just happened to be there to save you? Doesn't that strike you as odd?" Mizuki tapped a finger against her chin, looking deep in thought.

"No, not really. Oh come, it's not like it's his fault. Nobody would sick a vampire on me, or do anything like that. It isn't like he tried to get a reward out of it, all he did was save my life. So don't go talking about him like that!" Aya flinched, surprised that both of her roommates looked so upset that she was badmouthing this guy.

Growling in irritation she snatched up her deck and duel disk and stomped the door. She threw one last comment over her shoulder before leaving, slamming the door behind her. "Fine, I'll leave you two to fawn over this guy, but I'm not dealing with it!"

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"Sanzo Uzumaki, I challenge you to a duel!" Aya's DD5 slid into position, her deck locked into place as well. The life point counter lit up, and she drew her five cards, glaring at the handsome Obelisk Blue standing just a dozen feet away. (ALP: 4000)

Sanzo turned towards her, smiling in that show-offy way he had, and flicked the strands of hair away from his eye. "You don't look too happy, what happened to make you so upset with me?"

"I don't believe all this 'I'm just a lucky hero guy' crap! It all just seems way too easy for you, and I for one don't believe a word of it. So if I win, I want to know the truth about every time you've been in the right place at the right time. I'll uncover exactly what kind of person you are, so start up your duel disk and draw!" Despite her fury, Sanzo still appeared calm, almost amused.

Pressing the button on the brace on his arm, Sanzo's duel disk expanded and he slipped his deck into the holder. "Sure, I'm always interested in dueling anyone who wants to. But before this duel is done I can guarantee you'll see that I'm really not such a bad guy. They call me the Hero Saint of Duelist Academy for a reason, and in your anger you've made a mistake." (SLP: 4000)

Aya growled and drew. "Oh yeah? What's that hero boy?"

Sanzo smiled in an almost patronizing way, drawing five cards. "By challenging me in anger, by challenging the hero, you've become the villain. And just a little warning but, the villain never wins. I'll emerge as the hero of the day once again."

She didn't dignify his comment with a response, and instead chose to throw out one of the cards she was holding. "Starbolt Teutonic(1600/1300) in attack mode! And when he's summoned I can special summon the other two from my deck!"

Three identical knighted monsters rode out from her cards, taking positions on the field. Their dress was standard for knights, steel armor and swords, but each one had a banner mounted over their shoulder that depicted a falling star. "I activate The Allied Forces!"

Her continuous magic card appeared behind the three knights, and their attack strength began to go up. "While this continuous card is in play each of my warriors gets a two hundred point bonus for every warrior and spellcaster I have in play. Now each of them gains six hundred points to reach twenty-two hundred attack!"

Sanzo continued to smile, not looking worried at all. "Pretty impressive move. Is there anything else?"

"Of course, I'll just play one card behind them and leave it at that." One more card was generated on her field, this one face down next to Allied Forces.

The Obelisk Blue continued to look amused as he drew. He held up the drawn card, revealing Pot of Greed. "Even the best hero gets a little greedy. So Pot of Greed gives me what I need."

He picked up two more cards, and then held up three of them. One was facing her while the other two were facing him. "Magic Shard Excavation lets me pick back up Pot of Greed by discarding these other two. So I get it back and play it."

Just like that he was back up to six cards, having blown several to seemingly do nothing. Aya frowned, not quite sure what was going on here. "What was the point of that? Just need better cards?"

"Nah, I just wanted a little something in the grave. One certain monster I just sent to my grave lets me once in the duel use its effect to summon a monster from my hand specially. So thanks to that, meet Elemental Hero Edgeman(2600/1600)!" A muscular golden armored warrior burst out of his card, a cape flaring behind it and razors on its arms.

Aya arched an eyebrow at the monster; despite its power it seemed odd. "You actually run Elemental Heroes? I heard they were pretty worthless cards."

"Maybe for a normal duelist, but a person with a hero's heart can turn them into ultimate weapons of justice! Speaking of which, I play Right Justice, which works when I have an E-Hero in play and blasts a magic or trap in play!" Aya flinched as her set card was blown apart by a bolt of energy.

"I'm not done either! Activate Hero Heart! This cuts the attack of one E-Hero in half to allow it to attack twice in the turn!" Now Aya was really confused, as his monster dropped to a mere thirteen hundred attack points.

"You weakened your monster? But now it can't even hurt any of my monsters." Sanzo looked satisfied though, and he pressed a button on his duel disk. Immediately the field card hatch opened up, allowing him to place a card into it.

"Maybe not here, but in the appropriate setting the weak can defeat the strong! Field magic card, Skyscraper! In this landscape any monsters with 'hero' in its title gains a thousand attack while battling a stronger monster!" The forest scenery faded away, replaced by a cityscape with towering monoliths everywhere.

Aya glanced at each of her Teutonics, suddenly realizing the combo. "You can see it now, so I'll go on the attack. Edgeman, attack the first one!" Edgeman jumped straight at the first Starbolt Teutonic, its power jumping up to 2300, and cut it in half. (ALP: 3900)

Without the presence of an additional monster, the other two Teutonics fell to two thousand attack points. "Now, Edgeman attacks again!" Once more the golden superhero used his arm blades to cut down his weakened foe, dropping the number to just one. (ALP: 3600)

Since it was now the only monster she had in play, Starbolt Teutonic dropped to eighteen hundred, not even close to a match for Edgeman. "Now, I set one card face down and end my turn."

Aya drew immediately. "It's time to bring out the big guns! I play Called to Crusade, which lets me special summon one of three types of monsters. I'll bring out Celestial Teutonic(2500/2500)!"

Another simple armored knight emerged, this one's banner bearing a background of a field of stars. Immediately its attack rose to twenty-nine hundred, while Starbolt's attack went up to two thousand again. Sanzo didn't even blink. "That's good, but do you really think it's enough?"

"It'll be enough, because I play Junk Dealer! This magic card lets me revive two warrior or machine monsters from the grave with half their attack points. I return both Starbolt Teutonics(800/1300 X2) to play!" Both monsters returned, giving her an army.

"Next, thanks to the power of Allied Forces, each of these weakened monsters gains eight hundred attack points, returning to their original strength! Meanwhile the other Starbolt reaches twenty-four hundred, and Celestial reaches thirty-three hundred!" Sanzo whistled, impressed at the sight of her powerful army.

"I can certainly say that's one of the better rushes I've ever seen. Of course a Teutonic Deck's primary strategy is that of rush, and it's no surprise to see a player using such a deck with lots of monsters really fast. But it's quality that wins, not quantity." He flashed her a smile and winked, much to her irritation.

"It makes me feel much better knowing you'll be happy about me kicking your butt! Celestial Teutonic, attack Edgeman!" The knight charged forwards, only for a wall of energy to block his path.

Sanzo smirked, pointing to his now face-up trap card. "Hero Barrier works when I have an E-Hero in play, and it negates one attack. Since the rest of your monsters aren't up for the challenge of facing Edgeman, I'm guessing you're done?"

Aya nodded, slipping the last card in her hand onto her duel disk. Sanzo drew, still smiling in that amused way he had. "I hate to tell you this, but that attack wouldn't have gone well. I saved you from making a big mistake, because Skyscraper still gives its bonus even when it's the opponent attacking."

The blonde gasped, realizing what he meant. _'Had my attack completed with Celestial Teutonic his Edgeman would have had its attack raised to thirty-six hundred and I'd be out a monster and three hundred life points. So why'd he do that?'_

Sanzo held up his drawn card, and Edgeman was drawn into a strange warp, and what emerged was a monster that looked half like Edgeman, and half like some feral warrior, with a sword slung over his back. "Polymerization lets me combine Edgeman with Elemental Hero Wildman(1500/1600) to create Elemental Hero Wild Jaggyman(2600/1400)!"

"You used up your remaining cards to create a monster with the same attack power as the first one? What's the effect?" Sanzo cracked his knuckles, looking quite satisfied with his move.

"Wild Jaggyman can attack every monster on your field, so here goes. Wild Jaggyman, Wild Edge Attack!" Jaggyman unsheathed his sword and then swung it in a wide arc, sending a massive wind attack hurtling towards all of Aya's monsters.

Aya threw up one arm to shield herself as all at once her four monsters were blown apart, leaving her with just a continuous magic card and a face down card. _'There goes my field advantage.'_ (ALP: 1100)

"Reveal trap card, Warrior's Revenge Blow! When a warrior on my field is destroyed this turn I can destroy an equal number of cards on your field. Since you've got two, I'll destroy Skyscraper and Jaggyman!" The two cards exploded, returning them back to the forest backdrop, each with what amounted to empty fields.

The blonde Ra Yellow drew, and then grinned as she tossed down the drawn card. "Moonlight Teutonic(1900 +200/900) in attack mode!" Just like the others, it was a plain knight, with a flag bearing an image of the moon.

"This monster lets me sacrifice it during my main phase to special summon two Teutonics from my deck with fifteen hundred or less attack points. So I tribute it and special summon two Fire Storm Teutonics(1400 + 400/1300 X2)!" These two knights had flags with firing raining down as the image.

Sanzo's eyes went widened as he did the math. "Well now, that's something I'd really call impressive. Two monsters, each one with a boosted eighteen hundred attack and my field is empty. Nice draw."

"Don't give me the nice guy act, because shortly I'll be forcing you to reveal the truth! Double direct attack!" Each knight rode out and bore down on Sanzo, slamming their blades in him. He braced himself, standing tall despite the massive damage to his life points. (SLP: 400)

With nothing left in her hand, that was all for Aya. Sanzo put his fingers on the top card of his deck, and then smirked. "I told you before that since you became the villain in this duel your loss was certain. Now let me show you why, with the strength of a hero!"

He drew and threw the card down almost immediately. What emerged was a blue armored hero with some kind of gun attached to his arm. The blue hero struck a pose, and Sanzo gave it a thumbs up. "Thanks man. Elemental Hero Bubbleman(800/1200) can be special summon from my hand when its my only card, and when I have no cards on the field when its summoned I draw twice!"

Sanzo grabbed two more cards, flipping over one of them. "Special Return lets me pick up a monster on the field, add it to my hand, draw one card, and then special summon a monster of equal level from my hand."

Bubbleman vanished, and Sanzo drew again. Then he threw a card back down, and Bubbleman reappeared. "Since Bubbleman is his own level, I figured I'd bring him back for two more cards!"

Aya gulped, fearing a building of power. He now had four cards in his hand and one monster in play, which didn't bode well for her. "Aya, it's all over for you. The true power of the Elemental Heroes, it activates once again. Polymerization!"

He held up the card along with two more, and a warp appeared in the middle of the field. What flew out from the energy nexus was a large muscular man in green, with a right arm that appeared to be a dragon. "Elemental Hero Burst Lady(1200/800) and Elemental Hero Featherman(1000/1000) fuse together to create Elemental Hero Flame Wingman(2100/1800)!"

The blonde heaved a sigh of relief, realizing that she would still survive for the turn. "What are you looking relieved for? This is the final attack of the duel! Flame Shooter!"

Flame Wingman helped up his dragon arm and fire erupted from the mouth, sweeping over to her field and consuming a Fire Storm Teutonic. "Your monster may have been stronger, but I still survived the attack!" (ALP: 800)

Sanzo looked truly amused this time, as Flame Wingman flew directly in front of her, its dragon arm aimed at her. "Like I said, that was the last attack. Flame Wingman has the ability to take the attack power of any monster he kills and deal it as damage to your life points!"

A jet of flame swirled around her, hurling her backwards. She didn't even have a chance to see the holograms fade, because all she saw was stars bursting in front of her eyes from the impact. _'He's stronger than I ever would have guessed.'_ (ALP: 0)

Suddenly Sanzo was right there, helping her to her feet. He offered her an amused smile, letting her brush herself off. "You know, I think it's not that you don't believe in me as a hero, but rather that you don't believe in heroes at all. It's my duty to let people see a hero, so even if you don't believe in me I won't mind, so long as you believe that heroes can exist."

Giving her another wink, he walked off, not bothered in the least that he had so suddenly had to duel her to defend his honor. Aya stared at his back, her first clenched tightly. "Whether you admit or not Sanzo Uzumaki, I'll prove that you're no hero. Heroes exist, but you're not one of them."

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Author's Note: Oooo, plot building and a new character revealed.

_Sanzo Uzumaki…he's a strong duelist, but is he really the hero that he says he is? Aya felt differently for some reason, and now another duelist steps up to find out the truth. The question on everyone's mind is: Is Sanzo the hero, or is he just a villain?_

_See it all in, Villain of the Day!_

**Review Response**

WolfGeneral: Ice cream overload eh? Happens to the best of us. Ben and Jerry…how dare you betray us?

Time Mage: I can understand that. Actually, Harrison isn't German. German descent yes, but not actually German. Close though.

John: Myself and WolfGeneral (who designed Harrison) like to call it an Anti-Demon Deck.


	8. Villain of the Day

Author's Note: Time to watch two Obelisk Blues face off!

**Chapter Eight: Villain of the Day**

"He beat me so easily that I felt like a weakling. It was like he was so completely beyond me in level that it wasn't even a challenge. Do…do you have any advice?" Kane looked at the boy in front of him expectantly, desperate for some sort of answer.

Seconds later Aya was brushing back her hair and looking at the teen with a similar manner. "He's nothing but a faker, and he's duping everybody on the island! If anybody can teach him a lesson it's you!"

The teen they were speaking to sighed, his platinum blonde hair shaking with his head. In a very casual manner he brushed some dust off the front of his Obelisk Blue uniform, a deep solid blue color, one that indicated that he was a first year. "I've been here a semester longer than you two. I'm not a top duelist at this school."

Kane shrugged, not looking bothered by this. "So what? You're still one of the best duelists in the school and you know it! Heck, I bet with a little bit of help from you I could show that jerk Harrison what real dueling is all about!"

Aya nodded her head enthusiastically. "And if you faced off with Sanzo you'd make quick work of him and prove to the whole Academy that you're the kind of person that should be a hero, not that faker!"

"I'll see about Sanzo in due time, however I can't help you Kane. Dealing with another duelist is one thing, but if you want to get stronger and beat him you'll just have to apply yourself. The teachers can help you there, I can't." He sighed again, somewhat bothered by the whole sequence of events.

Kane let out a sigh that was even deeper than his, and then gave them both a brief bow before exiting the room. Once he was gone Aya turned to the Obelisk Blue boy and asked one more time. "So what do you say Enzeru?"

Enzeru stood, a look of calm determination in his eyes. "I'll do it. I'll show Sanzo Uzumaki what it's like to truly look out for the weak, and not be a hero for the attention of others. I will defeat him!"

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Janice and Mizuki eyed Aya curiously that whole day. Just the previous day she been looking mighty irritated, but now she was happy as could be. There was no telling what had put her in a good mood, all they knew was that they preferred a giddy Aya to a morose one. "Oh I can't wait till later today!"

Letting curiosity get the better of her, Mizuki asked the question that Aya obviously wanted to hear. "What happens later today that's so exciting?"

"Later today my brother Enzeru is going to teach that poser Sanzo Uzumaki a lesson!" She pumped a fist into the air, looking absolutely thrilled at the simple concept.

Mizuki and Janice exchanged frowns, and then each of them stepped to a side of Aya. Mizuki placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder and sighed. "Look, Sanzo isn't a bad guy. Your mistrust is unfounded."

Janice nodded, clapping her hand down on the other shoulder. "That's right. He's really a good guy if you think about it. After all, look at all the people he helps out. I mean, he even saved Mizuki's life."

Aya shrugged the hands off and stomped forwards, then spun around on her heel to face them, fury in her eyes. "That's my whole point! It's just too easy, there's no way he should have even been there! And you two just defend him because he's a hunk!"

Mizuki and Janice both folded their arms, glaring at their roommate with an equal amount of ferocity. At the exact same time they spoke. "It's not like that at all! You just don't see him as the good guy that he really is!"

The blonde girl threw her arms in the air and growled in frustration. "Gah! That's it, I'm out of here! But come the end of classes today and you'll all see Sanzo Uzumaki stomped beneath my brother's feet! Just you wait!"

Without another word Aya stomped away, leaving Janice and Mizuki behind. Then, realizing that they were going to be late for class, they headed off. Figuring out Aya's problem could wait, now was the time for work.

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Sanzo flicked the consistently stray locks out of the way of his eye, as was a regular habit for him. It fell back into place immediately after his fingers were gone, but it wasn't' important. "I wonder who sent me a message."

He clicked on the mail symbol on his pocket organizer, opening it. A video began to play, clearly displaying a younger teen with similarly silver white hair in a solid blue uniform. "Sanzo, I am Enzeru Yukio. I sincerely doubt you know me yet, however I am leaving this message to request a duel. If you accept, be in the Obelisk Blue Arena at four."

The message ended, and Sanzo played it one more time just to make sure he had the guy's name right. "Four o'clock? Well then, it looks like the E-Heroes will get a battle today. Enzeru Yukio, let's see what kind of strength you possess."

Up on the wall in his room the clock proudly displayed the time as 2:30 P.M.

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Mizuki and Janice looked around the Obelisk Blue Arena, impressed at how fast it had filled up. Apparently word had gotten around that the number two duelist in the whole school would be dueling one of the fastest rising duelists in the school.

What was also interesting was how large a percentage of the gathered students were female. Only a select smaller percent was male, most likely because the girls had all shown up early and taken the seats. Clever of them, but creepy.

Enzeru stood at one end of the arena, his duel disk already in place on his arm, deck in it. He was waiting patiently with his hands at his sides. Although this duel was on the behest of his sister, he wanted to face this duel as a duelist, not as a brother. _'Just stay focused, he's not a top duelist at this academy for nothing.'_

In the front row Aya was sitting next to Kane, and the two were leaning forwards to watch their brother. Each of them was eager to see him in action, knowing exactly what he was capable of. "So far that coward hasn't even shown."

The nearby girls gasped in indignation at Aya's comment, many of them sporting rather interesting looking buttons. These buttons just had a picture of Sanzo striking a dramatic pose while standing on a logo of Duelist Academy, with the word 'Hero' written above him and 'Saint' written below.

The crowd began to grow silent as the sound of footfalls against metal became louder. With anticipation they watched the side entrance across from Enzeru, where slowly but surely Sanzo Uzumaki walked out from, a semi-amused look on his handsome face.

Without a word he stepped up onto the arena and raised his left arm, allowing his DD5 to click into place. Enzeru raised his own arm in a similar fashion, his duel disk also moving into position. Their eyes locked, one filled with calm assurance, the other with casual amusment. Together they spoke the one word the crowd had been waiting for. "Duel!" (SLP: 4000, ELP: 4000)

Enzeru and Sanzo drew five cards, then Enzeru drew a sixth card for his turn. He eyed his hand, and then gazed up at Sanzo. "Sanzo, I know of you only as a powerful duelist and a person that is practically worshipped by the female population of this academy. Viewed as a hero by many but…I'll determine the truth of that title in this battle."

Sanzo simply flashed Ezneru one of his amused smiles, flicking the locks of hair out of the way. There was a general contended sigh from the female audience members. "Enzeru, according to what I've heard you're a fast rising duelist. Well really, I'd like to see your strength for myself. So go ahead and give me your all, and I'll fight to the end just like any hero!"

The Hero Saint of Duelist Academy gave his opponent a thumbs up, causing Enzeru to smile politely. "Your words sound like the sort of thing that a hero would use, but that proves nothing. You want my strength, isn't that right?"

"That's right, so show me whatever you've got and I'll come right back at you with my power. That's the way duelists ought to face each other. Head on with honor!" He pumped a fist into the air, and the girls in the crowd sent up a wild cheer.

Again Enzeru smiled. "I'll give you a head on battle, with power like you've never witnessed. I start out by summoning this monster, Paladin Spierel(1800/1300)!"

A heavily armored knight with a blue outline around his body raced out from his card, taking the field. Enzeru slid his eyes shut for a second, then opened them and snapped up one of his other hand cards. "Bonds of Brothers! At a cost of one thousand life points I special summon the other two of this same monster from my deck to the field!" (ELP: 3000)

Two more identical knights appeared, one to each side of the first. Oddly enough, their blue glows were extending to touch each other, becoming one larger aura. "Paladin Spierel powers up every Paladin in play by 300 attack points. So together that's a nine hundred point boost!"

Sanzo whistled, impressed as the three monsters had their attack points shoot up to twenty-seven hundred. From behind him Sanzo heard Aya's voice cry out. "That's the way brother! Show him the power of the paladins."

"Dueling for the sake of your sibling are you? So…then that other guy, he's your brother. Guess that means you three are the triplets I've heard about. Fraternal triplet duelists, each of which use one of the different holy knight caliber decks. Pretty cool." Sanzo smiled again, seeing that his own words were true.

Enzeru slid one of his four remaining cards into his duel disk, and then nodded his head to Sanzo. The hero duelist snapped a card off his deck, looking determined and amused as he drew. "Okay, let's get this party started right!"

With a cocky grin he flipped around his drawn card, and bolt of lightning erupted from it and shattered the face down card. "Cyclone clears away the threat of your face down, opening the way for me to come out fighting."

Despite the loss of his face down card, Enzeru didn't appear afraid. And nobody could say he didn't have good reason for that. All of his monsters were the strength of level seven or eight monsters. "One card doesn't determine anything."

"You know, you're right. So I play Rising Light! This magic card lets me search my deck for a light type Elemental Hero and add it to my hand!" A card popped out of his deck, and he held it up, showing that it was indeed a light type.

Seconds later he had slapped it down, and Sanzo's first monster appeared. It wore a blue body suit, with some golden armor, and looked quite impressive. "Meet my light hero, Elemental Hero Sparkman(1600/1400)!"

Still Enzeru was unmoved. "You still look like you're ready to take on an army of Sparkmen so I guess I'm going to have to back up Sparkman. Give him a little boost, with his specialized equip card, Spark Gun!"

A machine pistol appeared in Sparkman's right hand, which he leveled at the Paladins. Enzeru waited, but nothing happened. "Your Spark Gun appears to have done nothing. Your monsters attack points haven't increased and the attack points of my monsters haven't fallen either."

"Maybe so, but that's not Spark Gun's use. See, your monsters have a lot of attack points, but all of that is useless when you compare their defense score to Sparkman's attack score!" Enzeru glanced down at the cards on his duel disk, all of which still had their base defense of thirteen hundred.

"What does that have to do with it? My monsters are in attack mode, not defense mode." Sanzo smirked, wagging a finger back and forth.

"That's not right at all. Up to three times Spark Gun lets Spark Man change the position of the opponent's monsters. So I'll use them all up to shift each of your monsters to defense mode!" Three blasts of electricity hit the Paladins, dropping them into defense mode.

Enzeru frowned, but recognized that Spark Man was still limited by being a normal monster. It might be able to slay one of his monsters, but the defense switch wasn't permanent. "Impressive, but it only lets you defeat one of my monsters."

"No way, I'm going for all three right now! That's where this next magic card comes in, Spark Slash! During this turn Elemental Hero Sparkman can attack all monsters on the opponent's field that are in the same mode. So go Sparkman! Triple Spark Slash!" Enzeru threw up an arm in defense as Sparkman shot three blasts of lightning from his hand, blasting apart his three monsters.

The crowd went absolutely crazy, all of Sanzo's fans cheering their hearts out at the brilliant move he had made. Up farther in the stands Janice and Mizuki also watched the impressive display. Mizuki sighed, a little red in the face just watching him. "He's like poetry in motion."

"He's stealing all my ladies, that's what he's doing." Janice jerked around in her chair, surprised to discover that Shiro was sitting in the row directly behind them. Mizuki remained blissfully unaware as she watched the duel.

Janice narrowed in on one distinct feature that she didn't remember about Shiro. His hair was a brilliant red color. "Wasn't your hair green?"

Shiro shrugged offhandedly, looking annoyed as he watched the field. "Eh, probably at some point it was. Like I can remember my hair color from week to week. What I do know though is that this guy has it way too good!"

The second year Ra Yellow girl was about to say more, but she saw out of the corner of her eye that Sanzo was continuing with his move now that the crowd had quieted down. "Explain later, duel going on now."

"One card face down, then that'll end my turn. Let's see some more of that vaunted strength of yours Enzeru. I want to face you at your best, otherwise my true hero's self can't come out!" The younger Obelisk Blue frowned at these words, even as he drew.

"True hero's self? Is it really the case that you see yourself as some kind of super hero, or is it an act you put on for the sake of your fans? Which is it? Are you really a hero, or just a fake?" Sanzo smirked shaking his head in that amused manner he always had.

"Sorry buddy, but there's only one way you'll get a definitive answer out of me. And that's if you can defeat me in this duel, so put up or shut up! Let's get this thing going!" Enzeru nodded, finally looking down to see what he had drawn.

"Monster Reborn! Rise up from the grave, Paladin Spierel(1800/1300)!" The knight from before now took to the field again, this time with a weakened attack of twenty-one hundred. Still quite impressive for a level four.

He took a second card from his hand and threw it down. Immediately a new knight appeared this one in lighter armor, but holding a massive iron shield in front of it. A light colored greed aura surrounded the monster, linking with Spierel's light blue. "Paladin Drevos(0/2500) in defense mode. This monster doubles all bonuses Paladins receive!"

Immediately Spierel's attack points rose to twenty-four hundred while Drevos' reached a still weak six hundred. He lifted another card from his hand and held it up. "Called to Crusade activates! This magic card lets me special summon a Teutonic, Templar, or Paladin from my hand!"

He held up the final card in his hand, then placed it onto the duel disk. The next monster to ride out onto the field was much more impressive than the previous ones. Its armor had blue gilded lines at the joints, and a lion's head printed on the breastplate. It also had a deep blue aura. "Ether Paladin Lumos(2600/2200) is summoned!"

Sanzo's fan girls shrieked at the sight of the monster, seeing its attack power while compared to Sparkman's minimal strength. "Lumos increases the attack of all Paladins in play by one hundred times their level. However, because of Drevos that becomes two hundred per level."

The attack counters on each monster began to rise dramatically, sending them soaring. The crowd watched with baited breath, but Sanzo just kept smiling. "Wow, that's a sight. Lumos at forty-six hundred attack, Drevos at fourteen hundred, and Spierel at thirty-two hundred. You are good."

"I'm glad you recognize that, it's pleasing when coming from a duelist of your caliber. But now, I'll have to go on the assault. Spierel(3200/1300), attack Spark Man!" The knight swung its blade and an arc of blue light shot from it, slamming into Spark Man's chest.

But to the crowd and Enzeru's surprise the Elemental Hero didn't die, instead he just stumbled backwards. Sanzo cracked a grin and pointed to his face down card, which flipped over. "Invincible Hero makes one Elemental Hero I have in play indestructible this turn. Course battle damage is still calculated." (SLP: 2400)

Those better with math in the crowd had the total damage for the turn calculated out, and they saw what was about to happen. "Ether Paladin Lumos, Lunar Holy Strike!" A heavy bolt of blue energy nearly knocked Spark Man off his feet, but the hardy hero stayed standing. (SLP: 400)

Sanzo cracked his knuckles, still looking amused. "Since that was your last card, it's my turn. Draw!"

His stride didn't seem to be slowing at all as he slid one of the drawn cards into his duel disk, causing it to appear face down. "With my hand emptied out a bit I'll summon Elemental Hero Aquaman(900/1100) in defense mode!"

A monster that looked like a hero in green scaled armor burst from the ground in a jet of water, striking a dramatic pose. "When this monster is summoned and I have no cards in my hand I draw three cards, then discard one!"

He drew three times, then tossed one of the three into his cemetery. Instantly another card shot off the top of his deck and into his hand. "Repayment of Losses is what I discarded, and when it goes to the grave I draw one card!"

Barely had he looked at the new card before he flipped it around. "Polymerization activates! Fuse Elemental Hero Sparkman with Elemental Hero Clayman(800/2000) from my hand to create…Elemental Hero Thunder Giant(2400/1500)!"

Enzeru frowned as Sparkman and Clayman jumped into the vortex and emerged as a tall figure with a muscular upper body covered in heavy yellow armor, with a blue stone in the center. It was in a crouched position. "And this fusion does what exactly?"

"When summoned it destroys one monster you've got in play with equal or lesser base attack points. So I'll use its effect to nuke Spierel!" A massive bolt of lightning shot from the sphere in the center of Thunder Giant's chest, striking Spierel and shattering the Paladin.

Sanzo brushed away those pesky stray strands of hair, once more bringing a longing sigh from the females in the audience sans Aya, and then placed his remaining card into his duel disk. "Mirage of Nightmare. Then that's it from me."

Enzeru drew, ignoring the boos of the females. "Warrior Returning Alive brings back a monster from my cemetery. I now summon Paladin Spierel(1800 +1400/1300) back to the field."

Its return signaled a six hundred point climb back up the ladder for the other two monsters. Sanzo began drawing immediately. "In case you didn't know its effect, Mirage of Nightmare lets me draw until I'm holding four cards during your standby phase."

"Yes, and then during your standby phase you must discard an amount of cards from your hand equal to the amount that you lost, which will be four. If your face down card is Emergency Provisions to save you, then you've lost. If not, you'll lose your hand." To this Sanzo had only one reply. He smiled, his pearly white teeth glinting.

Up in the stands Shiro scoffed, kicking the seat in front of him. "Oh come on! Nobody's teeth do that! It's unnatural I tell you! Unnatural!"

Janice, whose seat had been on the receiving end of the kick, leaned over the end of her chair to glare at Shiro. "Look, you can't complain just because he's good looking, or that women like him with no effort on his part."

Shiro sighed, and motioned for her to come closer. She leaned in, allowing him to get in next to her to whisper. "Look at Mizuki, I've spent weeks flirting shamelessly with that girl and she hasn't noticed it even once. That guy grins bright enough to blind someone and she swoons. How is that fair?"

"It's fair because he's a hunk. It just sort of works out that way." Shiro scowled, folding his arms across his chest and pouting like a little kid. Janice chuckled and turned back to watch the duel.

"I'll destroy you Sanzo Uzumaki, hero or not! Drevos to attack mode! Now, Drevos will attack Aquaman!" The shield bearing knight hefted its massive iron shield and hurled it like a boomerang, blowing away the green armored hero.

"Now, Spierel will attack and destroy Thunder Giant!" A bolt of light blue energy hit the fusion hero in the chest, blasting him into pixels. Now all that was left on Sanzo's field was his face down card and Mirage of Nightmares.

"Well, is that all? Or are you going to bring your final attack on me?" Enzeru narrowed his eyes, considering the face down card that Sanzo had set. There was no telling what it was, but in this instance, he had to make a call.

"Ether Paladin Lumos, direct attack!" Just as the heavy bolt of light was coming close to hitting Sanzo a spectral form of Thunder Giant rose out of the ground and took the strike, getting blown away once again.

Sanzo chuckled holding up the card that had previously been face down. "Hero Spirits activates during the turn an Elemental Hero is destroyed. For the rest of that turn all damage I take from monsters is reduced to zero. So that attack was a failure."

"Perhaps it was. But now let's see what you can do with one card in hand, thanks to your very own Mirage of Nightmares. I end my turn." He placed his hands at his sides, eagerly awaiting Sanzo's next move. While he was in control of the duel, Sanzo had proved capable of doing plenty for come backs.

On the edge of their seats Aya and Kane watched eagerly, certain that their brother was going to get a victory that would make him one of the school's top duelists. As one they shouted out their cheer. "Let's go Enzeru woo-woo! Let's go Enzeru woo-woo!"

Even Enzeru couldn't help but laugh at his sibling's enthusiasm. "You heard my brother and sister. I can't lose this duel while they are supporting me. So let's bring this duel to its final turn."

The well-known Hero Saint of Duelist Academy placed two fingers on the top of his deck while looking Enzeru right in the eye. The girls in the crowd began to cheer for their hero. "Do you hear that Enzeru? That's the sound of the support of those who believe I am a hero. And whether I am or not, I respect their choice to view me like that, and I'll honor it by winning like a hero always does! Now, final turn, draw!"

Immediately the drawn card was flipped around. "Tribute for Fusion! This quick-play lets me sacrifice one card on my field to place two fusion component monsters from my deck to my hand or one fusion component and a Polymerization. I choose the two components!"

Mirage of Nightmares shattered, and two cards popped out of his deck, which he caught in one swift motion. "I won't let these people down by losing, that's not a hero's way at all. Elemental Hero Bubbleman(800/1200) in attack mode, to draw twice!"

Two more cards slid off his deck, giving him seven. "Next up, Polymerization! Fuse Bubbleman on the field with Elemental Hero Burst Lady in hand for…Elemental Hero Steam Healer(1800/1500)!"

A clunky wide footed purple and red almost mechanical looking monster now stood on Sanzo's field. It looked completely ridiculous. "What's that odd hero going to do? It's weaker than each of my monsters."

"Maybe so, but it's not sticking around at all, it's just fuel for the fire! De-fusion splits it back into its base components, and since Bubbleman hits my field with zero cards on it, I draw twice!" Burst Lady and Bubbleman reappeared, letting him draw two new cards.

One of the drawn cards flipped around. "Quest for the Hero! I can sacrifice one Elemental Hero on my field to add an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand!"

Burst Lady faded away, and he held up the card he had chosen from his deck. "Elemental Hero Featherman(1000/1000) is my choice. And he'll be coming out to face you in just one moment. But first I had need of the right cards to beat you!"

Enzeru steeled himself for whatever his opponent was planning. It didn't seem like it would be end well for him, no matter what it was. "Go ahead, make your big play."

"Oh I will. Let's bring out the final monster of this duel. Polymerization one last time! Featherman and Bubbleman…I combine you together!" The two monsters joined together, and then a new figure jumped on it.

Sanzo's new monster had pale blue skin and was barely wearing anything other than a speedo and some light armor over the top of his chest, its long black hair spilling down its back. "Elemental Hero Sailorman(1400/1200) is my weapon of choice!"

Almost the entire crowd face fell, shocked that what he declared as the final monster of the duel was in fact just barely stronger than its fusion components. "What's the effect of this monster?"

"I'm glad you asked. When there are magic and or trap cards on my field…" He paused briefly to set a card from his hand face down. "Sailorman gains the ability to attack the opponent directly."

Shiro chuckled, throwing his feet up on the seat in front of him, looking cocky. "That lucky jerk is about to make an ass of himself. There's no way he'll get that monster to survive long enough to win the duel for him."

Janice, once again annoyed that his feet were messing with her chair, shot a glare at him. "Weren't you paying attention? He said this was going to be the final turn. So watch him win the duel right now!"

"We'll see." Both of them looked back down to the field, where Sanzo had already held up another card from his hand and was declaring its activation.

"The final magic card of the duel, Hero's Bonds! Though they have fallen my Elemental Heroes' efforts were not in vain. For this turn Hero's Bonds increasing my Sailorman's attack by four hundred for each Elemental Hero in the grave. Come on out and lend me your power!" Several cards slid out of his grave and he held them up.

"Elemental Hero Sparkman, Elemental Hero Clayment, Elemental Hero Aquaman, Elemental Hero Thunder Giant, Elemental Hero Burst Lady, Elemental Hero Bubbleman, Elemental Hero Featherman, and Elemental Hero Steam Healer. Eight all together, for a grand total of thirty-two hundred attack points as a bonus!" Enzeru gritted his teeth, readying himself for attack as Sailorman's muscles bulged, attack raising to forty-six hundred.

"I see, you're much stronger than I thought. I guess I'm going to have to let that question of mine go unanswered until I gain the strength I need to defeat you. And I'll withhold judgment for now as well. Go ahead Sanzo, you've earned this move, give this duel the send off that the people who view you as a hero want." The older Obelisk Blue smiled brightly and gave Enzeru a thumbs up, which was returned.

"Okay now, it's time to end it! Elemental Hero Sailorman(4600/1200), direct attack with Anchor Grapple for game!" The fusion hero raised on gauntleted arm, and a chained hook shot out of it, shooting right between the Paladins.

Aya and Kane grimaced, unable to look away as the hook slammed into their brother's stomach, tossing him backwards off the arena. He rolled over once, and then began to push himself back to his feet even as the holograms faded away. "An excellent duel Sanzo Uzumaki." (ELP: 0)

Sanzo flicked the hair out of his eyes, smiling just like usual. "It was certainly fun, I'll give you that. You've got a bright future Enzeru, and a lot of potential. Now, let's get out of here before this turns into a mob scene, right?"

The other duelist nodded, and together they departed.

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Mizuki was positively giddy as they exited the arena, walking just slightly ahead of Janice, Aya, Kane, and a still grumbling Shiro. Of course Shiro's grumbling wasn't as bad as the depressed looks that Aya and Kane sported, both of whom had seen their brother as invincible. But all together they were not as annoying as Mizuki's thrilled attitude.

"And then bam! Sailorman sent Enzeru flying! It was awesome!" The other four sighed, not bothering to remind her that they had been there and that the duel had only ended fifteen minutes earlier. She was too happy to stop now.

"I'm glad you thought I was cool out there Mitsuhiro-chan." Mizuki flushed and spun around, trying to reign herself in at the sight of none other than Sanzo sitting up in the branch of a nearby tree. With a grin he dropped down right in front of her.

"Oh yes, it was really impressive. You're a great duelist Sanzo-san!" The group sighed, while Shiro's eyes became nothing but flat lines. Janice could have sworn she saw him mutter 'Sanzo-san? How come I don't get a 'san'?'

Sanzo flashed Mizuki his brilliant smile, his teeth glinting. "Thanks for saying, I love dueling as well. In fact, I'd love to duel you sometime as well. But really, I stopped by to ask you something else. Are you busy tomorrow night at eight?"

Shiro started to step up to explain. "Actually, she's got a tutoring session with m" He was halted when Mizuki began speaking enthusiastically, almost as if she hadn't noticed him speaking at all.

"Not at all! Why do you ask?" Again Sanzo smiled, and Mizuki blushed a little again. Janice sighed, because even though she thought Sanzo was a gorgeous guy, the whole blushing thing was getting annoying.

"I'd like to take you on a walk, show you around the island. It'll be fun, and maybe we can go down to beach. It's a great place just to walk, or even to duel. So, what do you say?" Mizuki's eyes lit up, and she was just one inch away from jumping up and down in excitement.

"Absolutely, I'd love to. So, eight right?" Sanzo nodded and hopped up, grabbing the tree limb and pulling himself back up into it.

"That's right. Catch you later Mitsuhiro-chain, it's a date!" And with that he sprinted off, jumping from tree branch to tree branch until he was out of sight.

Kane glanced at the others, completely ignored by the dreamy looking Mizuki. "Was it me, or did he just completely ignore the rest of us?"

Shiro dropped his head dejectedly. "It was worse than that. He got a date with Mizuki without even trying! Life just isn't fair!"

Janice shook her head and walked away, following the casually drifting Mizuki. A frustrated Aya and Kane followed shortly after, leaving Shiro standing alone outside the arena. "Sanzo Uzumaki…a rival for Mizuki eh? Well, I know somebody he's going to be on the receiving end of a nasty prank. Let's see how a hero can handle a trickster!"

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Author's Note: Those of you who were expecting an honest answer about Sanzo…shame on you! Did you really think I'd give away an important piece of character information so soon?

_Over a month has passed for Mizuki in her first year at Duelist Academy. But something is looming on the horizon, a day where duelists must fight their hardest to prove themselves. Victory could mean advancement, while defeat will keep you in place. Does Mizuki have what it takes to win under those circumstances, especially when her opponent is…wait, what's Tobias doing? Who's her opponent?_

_See it all in, Day of the Duel Review Part One!_

**Review Response**

Time Mage: Harrison is currently the only character with experience in Darkness Games.

G.O.T. Nick: Oh how right you were! Jealousy jealousy!

WolfGeneral: You'll see that Sanzo's an interesting character.

John: Sanzo got a fan club of girls because according to them he's the best looking guy on campus, and he's a top duelist who saves people. What more could a group of girls need to hero worship a guy about?

Vyser Adept of Dragons: Yeah, E-Heroes are sweet, so I had to bring them in.

Dark Predator: Sanzo's actually more powerful than he showed here; he was just being casual with Aya. And yes, there is more to him than meets the eye, which is generally the case for my characters. As for character submissions, feel free, however the primary character slots are full, so any character submitted would be secondary or one time in appearance.

Original Cards By Wolf General: (These cards listed based on his choice, because they are truly important to him.)

Sanzo: _Rising Light, Elemental Hero Aquaman, Hero's Bonds_


	9. Day of the Duel Review Part One

Author's Note: Here we go…round the mulberry bush.

**Chapter Nine: Day of the Duel Review, Pt. 1**

"Good morning Mr. Sun! What a wonderful day it is today!" Mizuki smiled brightly, waving to the sun which was shining into her window. Surprised to see her enthusiastic about its appearance the sun started to shine all the brighter because of it.

The other two girls groaned and rolled over in their beds, surprisingly not awake before Mizuki this one time. "Mr. Sun, how could this be a better day than it already is? The duel review is today, my chance to really shine, and at eight tonight I'll be going on my first date ever…with the hottest guy in school!"

She threw back the covers and hopped out of bed, a wide grin set on her face. Quickly she raced to the shower, hoping to actually get the first one today instead of the last one like she usually did. "Early mornings and hot water for me today!"

Twenty minutes later she came out of the bathroom whistling, a towel wrapped around her body. Aya and Janice glared at her from their position on the floor where they were blearily going through their decks. Aya sighed and dropped her cards. "You're in a good mood about going on a date with that jerk right? Well keep it down; we're trying to prep for the duel review today."

Mizuki just hopped over their card piles and went over to the closet where she pulled out a fresh uniform. "Do you two think I should do anything with my hair for today, or just let it down like normal?"

Janice shrugged, looking back down at her cards. After a bit of careful concentration she swapped out a Cyber Demon(1000/2000) for a Cyber Giraffe(300/400). "Aren't you going to work on your deck? Also your hair is fine like it normally is."

"Why should I work on my deck for the duel review? If my deck isn't up to standard on a regular basis then there's no point of even taking the review. I'll fight it with my style and my cards just like usual, there's no point in changing it up." Without another word she went behind the little screen they had set up and changed, emerging a few minutes later in full uniform.

She stopped as she was walking towards the bathroom to dry her hair off. "You sure I shouldn't do something with my hair? Curl it maybe? Glitter or something?"

"Just leave it!"

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In the Osiris Red dorm there was also a flurry of activity as duelists were busy prepping their decks, swapping cards in and out of their side decks and spares. For Osiris Red students this day was even more important than it was for Ra Yellows, since it could mean promotion from the bottom run to a place of respect.

Tobias was furiously preparing his deck, completely focused, and had been all night. Kane was nervously picking and choosing his cards, hoping that he could make a decent showing of himself and maybe at least raise his ranking a little.

Completely contrary to logic, Shiro Akugi was doing absolutely nothing but snoring. He made a good show of it though by snoring very loudly and obnoxiously. He was sprawled out on the top bunk, sheets of paper strewn around him. They were plans for some prank he wanted to pull.

Kane sighed, shuffling all of his cards together into a full deck. "I guess that'll do it for me. I'm going to head to the testing area a bit early to watch the set-up. Bye."

All he got was a grunt in response from Tobias and a snore from Shiro. However, the instant he was gone Tobias snuck over to Shiro's desk and opened the drawer, pulling the deck free. "This'll be the last deck I have to review for Osiris Red. I admit Shiro, your deck is the only one in this whole dorm that I've had trouble coming up with a counter strategy for, but I think I know what to do."

Thumbing through his roommate's deck, he came across a specific trap card, and he smirked. Shuffling the deck back together he returned it to the drawer and went to his card stash, rifling through it until he found what he was looking for. Holding the trap card up he began to laugh. "This is absolutely perfect! With this, my counter strategy is complete!"

Shiro rolled over, woken up by the sound, and yawned. "Hey Toby, how about being quiet? That crappy cartoon villain laugh of yours is loud enough to wake the dead."

Tobias sneered, but dropped his laughter down a decibel, just to be safe. His roommate could be quite dangerous when grouchy, and he was usually grouchy when he had just woken up. _'Yes, no matter who I face in the duel review I'll have a guaranteed victory! I'll be in Ra Yellow by this time tomorrow!'_

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"Cyber Phoenix(1200/1400), attack with Cyber Flame!" Janice's monster, a machine monster with two pairs of wings, opened its mouth wide and sent a jet of fire to hit her opponent head on. The other duelist struggled against the flame, their life points dropping. (LP: 1500)

Her opponent smirked and pointed to his face down card, which flipped over. "Attack Crash System activates when I receive a direct attack, it destroys the monster that attacked me and deals an equal amount of damage to you!"

The trap shuddered, and then exploded. Janice grinned, satisified with the move. "Sorry, did I forget to mention that Cyber Phoenix makes my Cyber monsters immune to targeted magic and trap cards? Whoops."

Since her turn was over, her opponent drew, looking delighted at what he saw. "Looks like your plans are about to come crashing down around you! Attack Commander(1000/1000) is summoned!"

A human in a green military uniform appeared, a pistol in one hand, his chest covered in medals. "When this monster is summoned I can bring back Attack Sub-Commander(900/900) from the grave, who summons Attack Colonel(800/800), who summons Attack Lieutenant(700/700), who lastly summons Attack Major(600/600), filling up my field!"

Military monster after military monster appeared, bringing together a full assault force. Her opponent flipped over one of his remaining cards, revealing a magic card that depicted a large force of military men. "Attack Assault Group! Together for this one turn all Attack monsters I have in play strike together! All out assault!"

Janice grimaced as together they plowed into her Cyber Phoenix, a blow that sent her life points staggering. "That was a good hit but I'm not finished yet." (JLP: 200)

She drew, well aware that the judges were watching, the judges being professors. She was also aware that her classmates and friends were also watching her, so there was no way she was going to back down now. "It's time to end this! Renewal of Triplets!"

Her opponent gasped as one by one the three Cyber Dragons he had previously destroyed went to the graveyard. "Still, my monsters prevent you from attacking them right now since it's the turn after they were summoned."

"Monsters? What monsters? I never said I'd be attacking you at all; in fact, I'm going to play Triple Evolution Burst! This magic card works when I have all three Cyber Dragons in play, and it deals you two thousand damage!" Each monster fired a wave of energy which collided with her opponent's chest, throwing him backwards. (LP: 0)

Heaving a sigh of relief she headed back up to the stands in order to catch a little break, finally done with the duel review test. She could only hope she had performed well enough for them, since she had won the duel. _'Here's to hoping.'_

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Aya grimaced as her monster was blasted to pieces by the opponent's Sword Hunter. "I guess that's it for me then." (ALP: 0)

Despite her deck changes and great effort she had lost, and to a higher ranked Ra Yellow than her, meaning her position probably wouldn't change, and neither would her ranking. "Great, that turned out wonderfully."

Ignoring the judges, or at least trying to, she marched through the door and then back up into the stands. Finally she spotted Mizuki, Kane, Janice, and Shiro sitting together and watching the next duel that was about to start up. "Sorry I didn't win guys."

Kane grinned and gestured to the seat next to her, and she gratefully plopped down in it. "Hey, don't worry a lick about it. I didn't win my duel either did I? Besides, you'll still be in Ra Yellow, so it's all cool, right?"

Aya paused, thinking it over, and then finally smiled back at her brother. "Right. So…who duels next, anybody know?"

The others shrugged, watching as the names on the board above flashed, finally selecting two Obelisk Blues to step up and duel. From their separate spots in the stands the two students stood and began to walk down to the field for their review duel.

While the duel started up another interesting occurrence was taking place. Outside a plain unmarked room was none other than Tobias Emerlo, his Osiris Red uniform neat and tidy as he leaned over, picking the lock on the door. _'They can't keep secrets from me. I know what's in here!'_

The sounds of the starting duel reached his ears, but he ignored them in favor of his current task. If he could get into this one room he could do exactly as he wanted to, but first he had to pick this lock. _'Oh yes E-bay, wonderful lock pick kit. It's not working at all!'_

Taking a pause to check on his secure position he heard an explosion, obviously from the duel going on. He sneered at the sound of someone declaring the activation of a trap card. _'Those losers, soon enough I'll be Obelisk Blue as well and I'll show them who's best!'_

He blinked at the sound of a click, and his head turned back to the door. Slowly he turned the knob, and the door pushed inwards. Chuckling he advanced into the room, tucking the lock pick kit into his pocket. _'Guess it wasn't so worthless after all. Now…where is it?'_

It didn't take more than a few seconds for him to spot what he was looking for, and he approached it, rubbing his hands together with glee. _'Perfect, I know exactly what I'm going to do. Now all I have to do is wait for the end of this current duel. Then I'll get exactly what I want!'_

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The two Obelisk Blue students lowered their duel disks, the duel finally at an end. For Obelisk Blues the duel reviews were merely ways to maintain their status or to raise their rank, it couldn't promote them like it could for Osiris Red and Ra Yellow. So for them, it was nowhere as stressful.

There was a smattering of applause, but nothing significant as the two students departed the ring. It had been a decent match, but nothing fantastic. The applause came merely from those who were being polite. "Guess it's time for them to select the next students in the duel review."

Shiro grinned, flinging his feet up on the seat in front of him. Once again this successfully annoyed Janice, who was again sitting in front of him. "Do you always have to do that? Can't you sit like a normal person?"

"I am sitting like a normal person. Now come on, like I said, they're about to pick and choose for who goes next." Janice rolled her eyes and propped her arms up on the back of the chair.

"The matches are selected based on dorm by a machine. It's all completely random; nobody actually selects the duelists who face each other. Don't you know anything?" Shiro managed to look decently annoyed, but he spoiled it by grinning.

"Nah, not really. Hey, check it out, the spinner is going." The others rolled their eyes and looked up at the screen above them which displayed who would be dueling who, and their current statistics for the duel. Of course the second part was blank since the students weren't selected yet.

Seconds later the screen lit up fully, showing the first selected duelist. A handsome teenager in a Ra Yellow older student's uniform appeared as the picture, smirking slightly at the camera. Janice whistled, impressed. "Ensui Tatakawa, he's the current top duelist of Ra Yellow. Heck, he'd be Obelisk Blue still if it weren't for some mistakes on his part."

Aya frowned and looked over at the older girl. "Still? You mean this guy used to be an Obelisk Blue?"

Janice nodded, looking back at Aya as she did so. "That's right; he was an Obelisk Blue up until close to the end of last year, which was his second year. Unfortunately he chose being reduced to Ra Yellow rather than being kicked out."

Next it was Kane who leaned in, getting interested in the conversation. "Okay, so what did he do that made him nearly kicked out? Did he just start losing duels or something?"

The black girl shook her head, looking like she was close to laughter. "Nothing like that, in fact he's an excellent duelist, he's kicked my butt more than once. Actually, he was nearly kicked out for being caught with a girl in his dorm room after hours."

Shiro laughed out right, tucking his arms behind his head. "Sounds like my kind of guy really. But I wonder, who's the unlucky sap that has got to face the veritable Obelisk Blue?"

There was a pause as the others started to look back up, and then Mizuki stood up from her seat. They changed their attention to her, wondering why she was standing. Shiro frowned, seeing her locked in place like that. "What's up Mizuki?"

"Me. I'm the one, that's who." Shiro followed the direction her eyes were going, as did everyone else in the group. There, in the picture box next to Ensui's, was a picture of a smiling Mizuki.

She tightened her DD2 on her arm, and then slid her deck into it. "Wish me luck guys, because I'm going out there and I'm going to give this guy my absolute best."

Mizuki gave them all a thumbs up, and then without another word she started walking down towards the ring, determination glowing in her eyes. A chorus of 'good lucks' came from her friends as she went. Janice watched her go, knowing the power of Etsui, and she began to worry. _'You're going to need it.'_

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As both duelists stepped into the ring, one the dark haired Mizuki and the other the short brown haired Ensui, several duelists were watching with particular interest. Tobias in particular was watching carefully, leaning up against the railing as the two duelists squared off.

"You arranged this match up, didn't you Tobias?" Tobias glanced over his shoulder and found none other than Harrison standing there, his blue small cape flaring out from his shoulders. The older teen adjusted the glasses that sat lightly on his nose, looking imperious as he stood over Tobias.

"That's right, a work of genius I might add. Ensui is basically an Obelisk Blue and a strong one at that. He'll crush Mizuki into the ground and embarrass her. But of course that doesn't mean I still don't want our agreement to go off without a hitch." He smirked, but to his surprise Harrison didn't reply in kind, he just watched the field.

"I don't remember agreeing to anything."

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Mizuki took a deep breath, her duel disk already activated. Ensui looked deadly serious as he turned on his own duelist and drew six cards. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro, I've heard a lot about you. Even though you're called this school's Rising Star, I can't allow you to win. I will reclaim my place in Obelisk Blue by the time this day is over, and to do that I have to win!" (ELP: 4000)

She drew her five cards all at once, seeing just how serious he was. "I understand that, but I'm definitely not going to just let you walk into that position. If you want back to Obelisk Blue you have to go through me first!" (MLP: 4000)

Ensui didn't seem bothered by the statement; instead he nodded and looked over his hand of cards. "Yes, I understand that. In fact, that's exactly my intent, so let's get this thing started!"

Above them the screen lit up with their scores and current fields, which were at full with fields empty. Ensui grabbed one of his cards between two fingers, studying it. _'I've already got one of the key cards of my strategy, but no way to play it. I'll have to start defensively.'_

Moving his fingers to the card next to it he pulled it free and placed it carefully down on the plate of his duel disk. "I set a monster in defense mode. Then I'll place two cards face down behind it. End."

Mizuki drew slowly, looking over his field, and then up at his eyes. His eyes were intense and focused, showing just how much determination he had about winning this duel. _'He's completely focused, so this won't be easy. He wants to win this…probably more than I do. That'll be something I've got to overcome.'_

She looked over her hand of cards, studying the potential strategies she had present. Then she surveyed Ensui's field again, her eyes resting on the monster. _'Somehow I've got a bad vibe from that set monster. No…I won't attack it, that's what he wants, I can tell.'_

Finally she was decided, placing a single card onto her duel disk at first. "Just like you'll I'll summon a monster into face down defense position."

Her opponent nodded, letting her proceed. Next she took one of the other five cards from her hand and placed it into her disk. "But unlike you I'll just be setting one card face down. That's back to you Ensui."

Ensui stopped himself from frowning as he drew, taking careful note of his new card. _'So, she's got a duelist's heart after all. She knew instinctively that attacking my set monster would be a bad idea. But there's little I can do at the moment without her…cooperation.'_

A second glance at his four card hand gave him the exact same response as before. "I pass this turn."

Murmurs went through the crowd, each of them curious about what would happen next. The first few turns had been uneventful, especially from two duelists who had made names for themselves at the school. _'That's it? Guess he really is hinging on that set monster like I thought.'_

She to drew, tucking that card in with the others. Then she grabbed another card between her thumb and forefinger and lifted it free. "I'll throw out another monster in defense mode. Then I'll pass the turn back to you."

Up in the stands Shiro sighed and kicked back once more, looking intensly bored. "Sheesh, with all your talk I was expecting something impressive from this guy. He's being so lame that Mizuki has to play wait and see with him. What kind of duelist does that?"

In the seat in front of him Janice couldn't help but frown. "This is totally unlike Ensui, normally he'd be all over her field, shredding her monsters up and tearing her field down. He always rips through my Cyber Civilization cards like they were nothing."

The others in the group shot her a surprised look, all of them having seen what her deck was capable of. Shiro sat up quickly, his feet actually coming off the back of her chair. "No way…he ripped through Cyber End Dragon? That thing's got four thousand attack!"

Janice shook her head, remembering the last time she had dueled him. She had lost badly. "He defeated Cyber End Dragon even when I protected it against opposing effects. He defeated it with an amazingly powerful monster, a monster stronger than any I've ever faced before."

Aya gulped, looking back down to the field. "If that's the case then Mizuki could be in a lot of trouble!"

As soon as Ensui drew, his demeanor changed, his eyes taking on a great wrathful fire in them. In the front row Tobias smirked, seeing that deadly look. Harrison folded his arms over the railing, looking amused. "Now, let's witness Ensui's power. That girl Mizuki, she'll never survive it."

Ensui reached down and snatched up his set monster, flipping it over. "Flip summon Sangan(1000/600)!" With the appearance of the furry wide eyed demon Mizuki knew she had made the right choice in not attacking.

Next the former Obelisk Blue flipped around the card he had drawn in the card. "Let me demonstrate the pain that comes with being demoted, the pain of loss. I'll let you experience it as well. Magic card activates, Share the Pain!"

A large serrated knife appeared above Ensui's field, and one appeared above Mizuki's field as well. She grimaced, not liking the look of this at all. "Many people don't know this card, even though it's an old card. Few people use it anymore, but I find it useful. First I select one monster on my field to destroy. Sangan is my choice!"

The knife dropped down, spearing into the brainpan of his demon. It struggled for a minute, its body quivering, and then it exploded into pixels. "Before we move on with Share the Pain's effect I now search my deck for a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack thanks to Sangan's effect."

His duel disk scanned his deck for his chosen card, and when it was located it popped out of the deck, letting him snatch it free. He placed the card into his hand, and then pointed over at Mizuki. "Now, just like me you have to choose a monster on your field and send it to the grave!"

She grimaced, looking at the two horizontal cards that lay on her field. So she had to choose between them? "I select my monster on the right to be sent to the grave!"

Just like with Sangan the knife fell, skewering the defense mode monster, pricking the card like a soap bubble. Ensui smirked, picking back up his selected monster. "With that resolved, it's time to show you my strategy. Summon!"

Ensui's field shimmered and then…a giant egg appeared. Mizuki sweat dropped at the appearance, and Shiro and Kane burst out laughing, as did others in the audience. But several knew better. "What…what's that thing?"

"This? This is something for maturing. This is Red Eyes Black Chick(800/400), and its special effect will unleash my key monster! The cornerstone of my deck will now emerge as the Red Eyes Black Chick sacrifices itself to the flow of time, maturing into its adult form!" Mizuki gasped as cracks formed along the egg, and then it burst.

What emerged from the broken shell was a large and horrible form, towering nearly twenty feet above the field, its ebony form looking diamond tough, its ruby red eyes glaring down at Mizuki. "No way…that legendary monster is…"

"That's right, the key card of my deck, Red Eyes Black Dragon(2400/2000) in all its mighty glory! And it's special attack, triggered by my magic card. Inferno Fire Blast is a card that works only when I have a Red Eyes Black Dragon in play, which I do." The Red Eyes opened its jaws wide, flame forming within.

"At a cost of that Red Eyes' attack for the turn I am able to do something quite impressive. I deal twenty-four hundred damage to your life points!" Mizuki's eyes went wide seconds after, but not in time to stop the explosion of flame from the dragon's mouth that hurtled towards her.

Her friends in the stands screamed for her as the flames engulfed her body. Ensui didn't look bothered, in fact he looked eager. "I know it burns, but its fires are the fires of my power. If you can't overcome that heat you can't even come close to beating me!"

Off to the side Harrison smirked, looking darkly satisfied. "I've seen more experienced duelists than her collapse because of the power of that magic card. It's doubtful she's still conscious."

The smoke cleared, and Harrison and much of the audience, including Ensui, looked shocked. Mizuki was still standing, though it looked like she was struggling, steam rising off her body. "That was a powerful hit Ensui, but I don't bow under pressure." (MLP: 1600)

Ensui smirked, actually looking happy that she was still standing. "It's good that you don't bow to the flame. But perhaps you'll reconsider when I unleash my combo. Reveal face down card, Metal Force! It equips to Red Eyes, giving it 300 attack and the ability to gain half of its attack target as attack for the turn."

"Yeah, but you forfeited its attack for the turn, so it doesn't matter." Ensui chuckled, and snapped his fingers. Suddenly the metal ran all across the dragon's body, completely covering it, making it look much like a machine.

"By sacrificing Red Eyes while equipped with Metal Force I can special summon Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon(2800/2400) from my deck to the field, and as a whole new monster it can attack. But wait, there's more." He gestured with his left hand to his remaining set card, and it flipped up to reveal a familiar graveyard image.

"Call of the Haunted returns Red Eyes Black Dragon(2400/2000) to the field, and its got its attack back! Inferno Fire Blast!" The dragon shot a fireball out, engulfing Mizuki's set monster and burning it to cinders.

"Now, my metal Red Eyes, attack her directly with your Flash Flare Blast!" The energy seared towards Mizuki, and her friends were at the edges of their seats with worry. This attack could finish her. And of course Tobias was leaning forwards in anticipation.

"Not so fast! Rune Symbol-Tiwaz triggers, negating your attack and giving me an equal number of life points!" A silvery barrier formed around her, absorbing the dark red energy ball. Then the barrier collapsed inwards and was sucked into Mizuki's DD2. (MLP: 4400)

"So you blocked my charge and recovered life points. That's an impressive feat, but it won't last long against my powerful force. That's all for now." A card appeared behind his two dragons, and that was his turn's end.

Mizuki drew, then grimaced. "I set two cards face down. End turn."

Ensui slid a new card off his duel disk, looking bored. "Is that all? I'll break through those this turn. Shadow Mirage Dragon(1600/600) and have it attack!" A hideous serpentine gold dragon with a blue mane of hair emerged and fire a red streamer of energy at Mizuki, hitting her head on. (MLP: 2800)

Kane blinked, surprised at the hit. "But why didn't she even try to block it? Surely with those two set cards she could have."

Aya shrugged, but behind them Shiro laughed at their lack of knowledge. "She knew what you two don't. Mirage Dragon, when it attacks, the opponent cannot active any face down cards in chain."

Ensui snapped his fingers, and Red Eyes Black Dragon launched its patented fireball at Mizuki. Immediately one of her face down cards flipped up. "Rune Symbol-Raidho! This negates the attack and ends the battle phase!"

The fireball fizzled out, but Ensui still had fire in his eyes as he extended on hand out so it was over his face down card. "That may be the case, but I play the quick-play Magic Purge which removes all floating effects, so my battle phase is back! Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon, Flash Flare Blast!"

Mizuki's eyes shrank to pinpoints as the attack came hurtling towards her. She had never expected him to force her to use both cards this turn. "Reverse card open, Rune Symbol-Ingwaz! You cannot attack for three whole turns!"

The three monsters froze in place, preventing the attack from completing. Ensui growled, frustrated at having been stopped again. "It won't be long before my dragons destroy you. For now I play Different Dimension Capsule, removing a card from play for two turns. On the second it comes to my hand. End!"

The young Ra Yellow girl drew. "Rune Soldier(1800/1800), emerge and slay Shadow Mirage Dragon!" The white robed swordsman immediately raced across the field and slashed the offending monster's head off with ease. (ELP: 3800)

"That monster would have been a threat later, but now it's gone. So for now I'll set one more card face down and end my turn." A card appeared down and to Soldier's left, seemingly unnecessary because of her other magic card.

Ensui drew, and grinned darkly. "Let's take this duel to a more fitting background. Field magic card, Darkness Volcano! In this place all monsters with 'dark' or 'black' in their name gain four hundred attack. End turn!"

The ground beneath their feet became molten rock, and rising up behind Ensui was a massive black volcano, with magma and a ring of smoke pulsing out of the top. In its presence his two monsters increased in strength, becoming 2800 and 3200 in attack power respectively for the standard Red Eyes and for its upgraded form. "I'm waiting Mizuki, don't keep my dragon's flames waiting too long."

She drew and immediately slapped the new monster down. "Rune Fencer(1700/1200) will level off that power boost! Attack and reduce the metal one's attack by 500!"

The white clothed fencer jumped from her card and stabbed the metal dragon ineffectually in the chest. But with all targets of the fencer its attack fell, in this case to twenty-seven hundred. "Even so my monster is much stronger than either of yours."

"Yeah yeah. Soldier to defense and one more card face down. Remember, this is your last turn without the ability to attack." Her soldier dropped into a crouch, followed by another card appearing next to the first one.

The moment Ensui drew a sarcophagus appeared on his field and opened, letting him retrieve the capsule card. "I set one card, then play my retrieved card, Twilight Renewal! Since I hold no cards I draw five!"

Mizuki looked to her set cards for reassurance as he picked up five cards off the top of his deck, then fanned them out. "Perfect. Reverse card open, Descent of Black Dragon! I offer a level four monster from my hand to ritual summon Paladin of Black Dragon(1900/1200)!"

A warrior in black dragonic armor descended onto his field, a sword held in one hand. Mizuki was certain it didn't bode well for her. "Magic card, Dragon Draw! When I have a dragon in play I draw two cards!"

He pulled two more cards, going back up to five. "Perfect! I play two magic cards, the first being my second Magic Purge to erase your Ingwaz's floating effect! The second is Halt Play, which prevents either of us from setting or activating magic or trap cards until my next turn!"

Mizuki gasped as her face down cards were bonded with dark energy, making them useless for the moment. "Paladin of Black Dragon, destroy Rune Soldier!" The paladin raced across the field and slashed her monster in half in one sweep of the blade. Her friends cringed at seeing just one remaining monster left.

"Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon, Flash Flare Blast!" The dark energy ball consumed the fencer, leaving her field barren. Ensui frowned as her life points didn't drop at all.

"So when your monster dies you take no life point damage?" She nodded in return, but didn't exactly look confident. After all, he had one more monster left, his very powerful Red Eyes Black Dragon with twenty-eight hundred attack power.

The crowd watched in tense silence as Ensui thrust out one hand at Mizuki, one finger extended to point directly at her. "Red Eyes Black Dragon(2800/2000), finish it now! INFERNO FIRE BLAST!"

Red Eyes' jaws opened wide, and a powerful fireball erupted from its maw. Mizuki threw up her arms, but that was nothing of a defense against the attack, and it exploded on contact, smothering her in the flames. "I apologize Mizuki, but the flames of darkness, the flames of my Red Eyes cannot be stopped by you. I'll advance back to Obelisk Blue with these flames!"

The smoke cleared, revealing Mizuki lying face down on the ground, smoke rising off her body. As the crowd gasped, Tobias mentally danced for joy, excited to see his rival fallen. _'That bitch has suffered her first defeat, and all thanks to my rigging the match up! How perfect, this deck couldn't get any better!'_

Next to him Harrison was smirking, looking coldly down the bridge of his nose at the fallen teenage duelist. _'So, that's the extent of your strength? You're really not worthy of my notice after all.'_

And the smoke continued to rise off her fallen body.

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Author's Note: Hopefully you enjoyed. More to come.

_Next Time: Mizuki lies with her body smoking on the arena floor, having tasted first hand the dreadful power of the Red Eyes Black Dragon. But the day of dueling is far from done, and there may be more fire than anyone expected coming up! _

_See it all in, Day of the Duel Review Part Two!_

**Review Response**

WolfGeneral: Even though some people think the E-Heroes aren't that great, I think they're a lot of fun, and can work wonders with the right duelist.

Time Mage: Enzeru is good, but Sanzo _is_ the second strongest duelist in the Academy, and that still wasn't his full strength. And now you know who Mizuki was to face.

Vyser Adept of Dragons: Thanks for the offer, but I have a huge amount of created cards, and if I don't have one I can make one in about 5 seconds.

John: Actually that's pretty much right, Sanzo was holding back at first.

Hogwarts-Knight: Include as much info as you'd like with the professor, but remember that professors will be secondary characters. Also, feel free to send the entire deck if that's what you'd like. Also, I'm glad you're enjoying my stories.

G.O.T. Nick: I'll pass that message along to Shiro, that I shall.


	10. Day of the Duel Review Part Two

Author's Note: Let us continue onwards.

**Chapter Ten: Day of the Duel Review Pt. 2**

_The crowd watched in tense silence as Ensui thrust out one hand at Mizuki, one finger extended to point directly at her. "Red Eyes Black Dragon(2800/2000), finish it now! INFERNO FIRE BLAST!"_

_Red Eyes' jaws opened wide, and a powerful fireball erupted from its maw. Mizuki threw up her arms, but that was nothing of a defense against the attack, and it exploded on contact, smothering her in the flames. "I apologize Mizuki, but the flames of darkness, the flames of my Red Eyes cannot be stopped by you. I'll advance back to Obelisk Blue with these flames!"_

_The smoke cleared, revealing Mizuki lying face down on the ground, smoke rising off her body. As the crowd gasped, Tobias mentally danced for joy, excited to see his rival fallen. 'That bitch has suffered her first defeat, and all thanks to my rigging the match up! How perfect, this deck couldn't get any better!'_

_Next to him Harrison was smirking, looking coldly down the bridge of his nose at the fallen teenage duelist. 'So, that's the extent of your strength? You're really not worthy of my notice after all.'_

_And the smoke continued to rise off her fallen body._

Ensui released the breath he had been holding, and then folded his arms over his chest. "It's a pity; she had a lot of potential. But unfortunately for her she was paired with me for this duel, and there was no way she could beat me."

He turned to walk away, shaking his head in disappointment. He didn't like crushing new duelists like that, but it was necessary for him to rise back up to his former position in Obelisk Blue. "I'm sorry Mizuki, sorry that you had to lose like that."

"Who lost?" Ensui and Harrison both stopped walking, shock evident on their faces. Tobias also looked horrified as he watched what was happening. There, on the field, Mizuki was picking herself up off the ground.

Ensui shook his head in awe, shocked that she was even able to stand after the direct attack of his Red Eyes Black Dragon. "But I saw the attack connect, and your face down cards couldn't be activated. So you lost!"

Mizuki grinned weakly, holding up her DD2. "Check again Ensui. Your fire wasn't even to do me in for good, not a chance." (MLP: 1400)

Up in the stands Shiro and Janice, both who had faced her, were laughing. Shiro gave a thumbs up to Mizuki, and the teen lifted her hand for a return thumbs up. "Those guys know. See, when you attacked I just removed Rune Guardian from my grave to reduce the damage to half."

The older duelist frowned, not quite sure he understood. "Rune Guardian? But when did you play that monster?" In just a second he realized, his mind going back to earlier in the duel.

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_The former Obelisk Blue flipped around the card he had drawn in the card. "Let me demonstrate the pain that comes with being demoted, the pain of loss. I'll let you experience it as well. Magic card activates, Share the Pain!"_

_A large serrated knife appeared above Ensui's field, and one appeared above Mizuki's field as well. She grimaced, not liking the look of this at all. "Many people don't know this card, even though it's an old card. Few people use it anymore, but I find it useful. First I select one monster on my field to destroy. Sangan is my choice!"_

_The knife dropped down, spearing into the brainpan of his demon. It struggled for a minute, its body quivering, and then it exploded into pixels. "Before we move on with Share the Pain's effect I now search my deck for a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack thanks to Sangan's effect."_

_His duel disk scanned his deck for his chosen card, and when it was located it popped out of the deck, letting him snatch it free. He placed the card into his hand, and then pointed over at Mizuki. "Now, just like me you have to choose a monster on your field and send it to the grave!"_

_She grimaced, looking at the two horizontal cards that lay on her field. So she had to choose between them? "I select my monster on the right to be sent to the grave!"_

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"That monster you sacrificed to Share the Pain, that was your Rune Guardian, wasn't it?" Mizuki nodded, looking quite happy with herself. Ensui on the other hand was shocked, thinking about her foresight. She had been ready the whole time.

Off to the side Harrison had returned to the front row to watch the duel. His lips quirked up into a slight sneer, his eyes focusing through his glasses on the now risen duelist. "So, you're stronger than I gave you credit for. But still, you don't stand a chance against Ensui."

Tobias slammed his fist into the railing, looking furious. "Again that bitch avoids defeat! Damn…but I guess all this means her suffering prolonged. She'll be crushed by Ensui and his dragon's flame!"

Ensui snapped one arm out to his Paladin of Black Dragon(1900/1200), which shimmered and faded away. In its place there was another massive black scaled dragon. "By sacrificing Paladin of Black Dragon I can special summon out another Red Eyes Black Dragon(2800/2000)! End turn!"

Mizuki drew, then placed the card down carefully. "I set a monster in defense mode. Now I end my own turn. Your turn Ensui."

Her opponent snapped up a card, and then smirked at whatever he saw. Slowly he held the card up, looking truly fearsome as he did so. Mizuki saw the card, and read the name out loud. "Polymerization…"

"That's right, Polymerization! And using its power I combine Red Eyes Black Dragon on the field with Meteor Dragon(1800/1600) in my hand to create Meteor Black Dragon(3900/3000)!" A warp formed, and Red Eyes and another dragon merged together into it. What emerged was even bigger than the others, its bulky body surrounded by black flames.

Next he flipped around one of the other cards he had been holding. "Magic card activates, Fusion Recovery! I return a Polymerization from my grave to my hand along with a fusion component which has been used in a fusion. Red Eyes Black Dragon and Polymerization come back!"

Grabbing the only other card in his hand he held the three cards out together, showing them off, one monster on each side of the Polymerization card. "Polymerization! Red Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull(2500/1200)! Be born from the flames of hell, Black Skull Dragon(3600/2500)!"

Another huge form was created, this one with bones covering parts of its body, looking more like a demon than it did look like a dragon. Mizuki grimaced, looking over all of Ensui's monsters. "Four powerful monsters so easily. You're a really powerful duelist."

"That's right, I'm Obelisk Blue regardless of my current uniform! Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon, attack the set monster with Flash Flare Blast!" Brilliant red flames shot out, pouring over the set monster, which appeared briefly as a man in white robes holding a large tome in his hand before being blown away.

"You flipped and destroyed Rune Researcher(400/400), whose flip effect returns two Rune cards from my grave to my hand!" Two cards slid out of her cemetery slot, and she held them up briefly before sliding them into her hand.

"It doesn't matter, I'll finish you this round anyways! Red Eyes Black Dragon, Inferno Fire Blast!" The original dragon opened its jaws wide to unleash its deadly flames upon Mizuki once again. The entire crowd watched with baited breath.

"I'm not going to fall to your beast so easily! Trap card activate, Rune Curse-Lethargy! When a Rune monster is destroyed, your battle phase immediately ends!" Each of the dragon's eyes drifted shut, and the flames died down.

Ensui grimaced at having been denied victory like that. "It doesn't matter, I'll still win. There's no way you can defeat my four deadly dragons, and next turn they'll burn you with their flames. Draw your last card!"

Mizuki let her eyes drift shut for a moment, then snapped them open as she drew swiftly. She began to thread the cards between her fingers, grinning brightly. "Last card you say? I'll burn my hand and crush your monsters in this turn."

"You really think you can accomplish that? Well then, fine. Go ahead and try to quench the flames of my dragons! It won't accomplish anything." Both duelists eyes were filled with fire as they each prepared for the turn.

"I'll start my turn off with Rune Symbol-Fehu! Its effect lets me draw two cards from the top of my deck, bringing me up to five cards!" She drew once, and then a second time, putting her hand at exactly the size she said. Immediately she grabbed one of the drawn cards and held it out.

"Card number two, Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! It destroys Meteor Black Dragon with its effect!" The dragon roared, and then exploded, raining flames down on the field. Ensui grimaced, but still remained confident since she had used up that monster destruction method.

"Card number three, Rune Chant! This lets me pick up a Rune Symbol from my grave, and I choose to grab and activate Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! This time my target is Black Skull Dragon!" Ensui threw up an arm in front of his eyes as his dragon demon exploded, pieces of bone flying right by him.

When the smoke cleared he saw that there was now a monster on Mizuki's field, another white robed man, this one with his hands glowing with flowing runes. "Rune Caster(800/1200) is my monster. And its effect is a once per turn Rune Chant. Guess what that means?"

Her opponent grimaced as a card popped out of her graveyard, and she held it up, once again showing off the now familiar image of her rune symbol. "Rune Symbol-Thurisaz with my target as Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

His key dragon shattered, leaving him with only the metal version on his field, and a weakened one at that. "My monsters still remain; you failed in your prediction!"

"I was going to break your stride this turn, and I did that. Now, in case you thought to attack my weak monster next turn, you've got another thing coming. Rune Symbol-Ingwas prevents you from attacking for three turns." His metal dragon froze in place, its eyes half-way into blinking.

"Since you can't attack me, I'll just set one card face down. Your turn Ensui, better make it a good one." The crowd cheered as she slid her final card into her duel disk, fulfilling her prediction of burning her entire hand in that turn.

"It's my turn, so I draw! Now, magic card go! Dragon Draw lets me draw twice since I've got a dragon in play!" Using the same effect as he had earlier in the duel he drew two times, looking at the cards carefully before coming to a conclusion.

"Even if I can't attack I'll make a build up right now. Metallic Breakdown lets me sacrifice Red Eyes Metal Black Dragon on the field to special summon a Red Eyes Black Dragon(2800/2000) from my hand or deck to the field!" The metal armor shattered, leaving the Red Eyes looking normal.

"That quick-play card is usually for adding another attack for the turn, but it serves a special purpose here as well, one that you'll learn soon. Until I can attack I just set this last card face down." He dropped his hands to his sides, waiting for Mizuki to make her move.

She drew, and picked up a card from her grave. "Well say goodbye to that last monster of yours. Using Rune Caster's effect I've returned this next card. Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! Destroy his last Red Eyes!"

"Not this time, not at all! Reverse trap card opens, Dragon's Honor! This negates one targeting effect on a dragon and lets me draw a card." The energy from Mizuki's magic card faded out, and Ensui drew a new card.

Mizuki glanced at the card she had drawn, and looked worried for a moment, but it quickly passed. "I switch Rune Caster into defense mode and end my turn."

"This turn…this turn…my flames will consume you! Pot of Greed!" He drew two cards, putting him up at three total thanks to the effect of his Dragon's Honor card. He looked at the drawn cards, and his eyes burned with even greater flames.

"This is it, the card I was hoping for! Dark Factory of Mass Production! This magic card lets me pick up two normal monsters from my cemetery and add them to my hand." Ensui placed his hand in front of his graveyard and caught the cards that were spat out.

He held the cards up, revealing two snarling black scaled forms. "I chose the two Red Eyes Black Dragons that you had previously defeated. And now, it's time for me to unleash my deadliest monster against you!"

Up in the stands Janice jerked upright, looking horrified. "No…he's actually going to use that against Mizuki? His ultimate monster…the one that even Cyber End Dragon can't beat!"

The others looked at her in shock, and then looked back to the duel, now fearing for Mizuki. Shiro's hands gripped the chair hard, hoping for the best. "Come on Mizuki, I know you can handle whatever this guy throws at you…"

Harrison folded his arms over the railing, looking smug. "And that's end game. There's no chance of even a Ra Yellow defeating Ensui's best monster. There's no way she can win now."

Tobias looked at the older teen, and then smirked. "Is that so? How perfect, now I can see her get crushed by his power. This is working out just as I expected!"

Back on the field Mizuki looked almost eager as Ensui prepared to unleash his best monster. "Come on, show me your best shot. I'd love to see what your best is and see if I can beat it."

"No, there's no way you can defeat this. Because this is the combined power of the Red Eyes, its ultimate and final evolution, from which there is nothing stronger. One last time I use it, the power of Polymerization!" He snapped around his fusion card and the two Red Eyes he had held, and the two monsters jumped into the swirling vortex with the third dragon on the field.

The energy vortex stayed in place, and then a heavy foot slammed down from it, shaking the entire arena. It was then followed by another, and soon a terrifyingly large form pulled itself free. Standing at least fifty feet in height was a bigger duel monster than Mizuki had ever seen. "What is it?"

Ensui raised one hand up over his head, and then dragon roared, the sheer sound shaking the room. Its body looked like pure obsidian, a black that seemed to soak up the light. It had the same horns on the back of its huge head as the Red Eyes, but a third grew up and swept back from the forehead, almost like a crown. A vast wingspan of black, bonelike wings made it seem even larger. "This…this is it! Black Dragon King(4000/2000)!"

Mizuki gulped, the huge duel monster barely even seeming to notice her. She wouldn't even be a snack to this monster. "What…does it do?"

"It crushes you with its hell flames, that's what. First, it gains four hundred attack points from Darkness Volcano!" The volcano belched up smoke, and the dragon's power began to rise, coming to rest at 4400 attack power.

"Next it gains one hundred attack for every monster with 'black' in its name that's in the cemetery. I have three Red Eyes, the metal form, the two fusions, the chick, the paladin, and a Black Saber Dragon(1850/1400) which I discarded for Paladin's ritual. That means it gains nine hundred attack points!" Again the beast roared its power shooting up to fifty-three hundred, higher than any other monster in the game.

The fifteen year old Ra Yellow took a quick look at her set cards, somewhat reassured that she was safe against the mighty wrath of Ensui's strongest monster. "You look like you're confident. Of course I can't attack because of Ingwas, isn't that right?"

She nodded slowly, not liking the way he was saying it. It didn't sound like he was bothered or worried at all. "Yes, that's right, and it lasts until the end of your next turn."

"Wrong, it ends now. I play Dragon King's Wrath, which works whenever I have a level eight or higher dragon in play. All of your magic and trap cards are destroyed and all floating effects are removed. Black Dragon King, destroy her cards!" The dragon stomped one foot down on the ground and both of Mizuki's set cards shattered like they weren't even there.

"Black Dragon King, attack her Rune Caster with your Black Hell Flames!" The dragon's two meter long head reared back, and then jerked forward, spraying black flames across Mizuki's field, incinerating her monster instantly.

She cried out, nearly falling again as she was assaulted by the heat of the flames. Had it been a direct attack she had no idea what would have happened. "You really are strong…"

"That's right, I am. And like I said at the start of this duel, there's nothing that's going to stop me from returning to my former position in Obelisk Blue. Believe me, there's no way a first year girl, even a talented one, could defeated my Black Dragon King. Go ahead and draw and see if you can, but it won't help." His arms folded over his chest, confident that his dragon had the duel won for him.

Mizuki's green eyes were burning with determination and what looked like joy as she drew. "This duel as been a lot of fun, and even if I lose I won't mind since it's been such a good duel. Of course, losing isn't exactly plan A. Plan A is Rune Symbol-Nauthiz!"

A card slid out of her grave and she caught it, and then threw it down. The familiar form of Rune Caster appeared. "Rune Symbol-Nauthiz lets me add a monster from my deck or cemetery to my hand, so I chose and summoned Rune Caster(800/1200)."

Another card came out of her grave, and she slammed it into her duel disk. "Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! Destroy Black Dragon King!"

Ensui smirked as his dragon stomped a foot against the ground, causing the magic card to shatter. "I can remove a Red Eyes Black Dragon from the grave to negate one of the opponent's effects." Black Dragon King's attack fell to fifty-two hundred.

"Negate effects huh? Well then…how about a special type? Time for a Rune Layout…" She closed her eyes and three cards appeared face down on her field. She started humming, and those who had experienced these effects looked on with interest.

"I've heard of this, and I won't allow it. Black Dragon King, King's Negation!" Again the dragon stomped its massive clawed foot, shaking the ring and shattering all three of Mizuki's cards before they could do anything.

All of Mizuki's friends jerked back in shock, and spoke at the same moment. "He…negated her Rune Layout completely?"

Mizuki opened her eyes, looking disturbed by the implications. "So, a Rune Layout can't beat you is that it? Fine, I guess I'll just have to find another way. One card face down, and end."

Ensui drew, holding the card up so he could see it. _'Red Eyes Darkness Dragon(2400/2000)? Well, that's worthless right now. I guess I'll just burn her monster for now.'_

"Black Hell Flames!" For the second time in that duel the hellish black fire of the Black Dragon King was too much for Rune Caster to handle, turning it into ash. Mizuki grimaced, looking at her deck with calculating eyes.

"I end my turn. Admit it Mizuki, there's nothing you can do to stop Black Dragon King. Its attack power and abilities are too great for you to overcome. Surrender and save yourself a deadly direct attack from my ultimate monster, it would be better for you." He shook his head, disappointed that it had come to this.

"Surrender? No way, this is way too interesting to pass on. Let's just see what my deck still has in store for us, right? I'll destroy your Black Dragon King and finish you off, that's for sure. Draw!" She plucked one card off her deck, and spun it around on her fingertips.

"Time for a new card. Rune Symbol-Jera! This card lets me pick up one magic card, trap card, or monster from my grave and add it to my hand. Rune Caster(800/1200) is back again!" The same monster once again appeared on her field in a crouched position.

"Thanks to Rune Caster I'll retrieve and play Rune Symbol-Thurisaz!" Ensui shook his head, looking bored with it. He looked up at his supreme monster and snapped his fingers.

"King's Negation. Stop that card in its tracks." Rune Symbol-Thurisaz blasted apart before its effect could be completed, leaving Mizuki with nothing left in her hand and no way to stop the dragon.

"I guess…if that doesn't work, then I'll end my turn." Ensui sighed and slid the last Red Eyes Black Dragon out of his grave and placed it in his back pocket. It had been a good attempt, but it had failed. All three times.

He drew, and then discarded his card immediately. "I can't kill you quite yet, but that's alright. Black Dragon King lets me discard Inferno Fire Blast to deal you half of the normal damage of the magic card. Inferno Fire Blast!"

A miniature jet of flames shot out of the large black dragon's nostril, scorching Mizuki's flesh. She struggled to keep from dropping to one knee, her body shaking with the effort of it. "Good…shot." (MLP: 200)

"Yes, and if I draw another then your time is up. Black Hell Flames!" For the third and potentially final time in the duel the flames of hell did away with Rune Caster, what was perhaps Mizuki's last chance of winning.

"With your monster gone and you top decking this duel will be over shortly. There's no way you can stop my dragon king. Like I said, you don't want to suffer its direct attack; you'd be unconscious for the rest of the day easy. Go easy on yourself and surrender." Mizuki's head was tilted down, her body shaking from the pain of the Inferno Fire Blast, and Ensui didn't want to do more than that.

"Hehehehe…I've just got to draw a monster to win, since your field is empty. Ensui, it's been fun, but you should know that if you harm a wielder of rune magic then you're bound to be cursed." Ensui's eyes widened as Mizuki's set card flipped over, revealing a trap.

He gulped and looked at his duel disk, releasing his own mistake. _'She knew that Rune Layout wouldn't work…she wanted me to remove my Red Eyes to stop it! She was just getting rid of my dragon's negation ability for this card!'_

"You've seen the mistake right? Well, here's the card that's your demise! Rune Curse-Death! When a Rune monster is destroyed in battle this card destroys the monster that did the killing, then it deals that monster's base attack as damage to your life points!" Ensui shouted in horror as his massive dragon was vaporized from the inside out, tossing him nearly off the dueling ring. (ELP: 1800)

Ensui looked at the Red Eyes Darkness Dragon in his hand, then at his blank field. Finally he looked over at Mizuki's blank field and empty hand. "I…I have no choice but to end my turn."

As Mizuki's fingertips came to rest on the top card of her deck, Ensui could feel his heart pounding in his chest. _'The chances of her drawing a monster, or even of drawing a monster strong enough are slim…there's nothing to worry about, right? I'm going back to Obelisk Blue!'_

Mizuki drew. "Ensui, it's been a whole lot of fun facing you, and this has been by far the toughest duel I've fought the whole time I've been at Duelist Academy. But all good things must come to an end so…it's over. Rune Centurion(1800/1500) is the method of your defeat!"

A man in white armor with rune symbols etched into it was summoned, standing tall with a heavy sword in one hand and a bow slung over its shoulder. "Rune Centurion, finish it! Centurion Slash!"

The former Obelisk Blue took the blade that slashed across his chest with grace, not flinching even as it drove him back. Not letting himself break even as he could hear the sound of his life points dropping. "Mizuki…you're amazing. I never would have thought I could lose to a first year student or even to a Ra Yellow at all." (ELP: 0)

The holograms faded away, leaving the ring looking normal as ever. Both of them walked up to each other and shook hands, Mizuki smiling up at Ensui. "Like I said, it was a great duel. I learned a lot from it."

"I learned a lot as well. Next time I won't be so confident in the power of one monster. After all, I could have negated Rune Symbol-Jera couldn't I? But since I was certain I knew you were just desperately trying to bring back Thurisaz, I waited. It was…fun." The crowd cheered, Mizuki's friends being particularly loud, cheering on the victory of their good friend.

Harrison closed his eyes, looking supremely amused. "Well now, I hardly expected that outcome. Maybe she is worth my time. She's Obelisk Blue worthy, I'll giver her that."

Tobias raged, slamming his fists repeatedly down on the rail in front of him, looking absolutely furious. "No! My plan should have worked; she should have been smashed underneath his feet! But now she's got the chance to move up to Obelisk Blue, and all because of me!"

Mizuki jumped up and down, waving up at her friends, overjoyed at having won, her face split into a huge grin as she danced around. _'This could be it, I could be going straight on to Obelisk Blue!'_

Her jump faltered as the screen above them changed, the names of the next duelists being displayed, meaning that they would have to depart. Mizuki shook Ensui's hand one last time before they parted ways, heading back to their seats.

Curious to see who was next Mizuki looked up at the board, and stopped dead at what she saw there. Two very familiar faces were on opposite sides of each other. "No…no way!"

Right nearby in the front row a familiar voice spoke up, sounding utterly confident. "What a perfect way to cheer me up after seeing you actually win. I'll get to stomp that idiot into the ground once and for all, just like I was hoping would happen to you."

Mizuki turned, and found herself face to face with none other than Tobias and Harrison. Tobias swung himself over the railing and dropped down in front of her, smirking as he brushed by. "I'll be sure to leave a piece of your boy toy left when I'm done with him."

Now there was no denying what the screen above them said. There was no denying exactly who would be facing off against who in the next round of the duel review. There it was in big bold letters.

Tobias Emerlo vs. Shiro Akugi.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Believe it or not, she won. And now, this next one should be a very interesting duel.

_Next Time: Mizuki has defeated a powerful opponent and opened the path to advancement for himself. But now Shiro is going to be put to the test as he faces off against his own demented genius roommate, none other than Tobias Emerlo! _

_See it all in, Day of the Duel Review Part Three!_

**Review Response**

WolfGeneral: Your spider senses were correct, she hadn't lost. Yes, eye twitching is bad. Since, you know, it's generally a bad and somewhat unnatural thing unless you're in an anime.

Time Mage: Got to hate laundry mats, they charge an arm and a spleen. Because of course if they charged a leg they'd never have repeat visitors.

John: What was that about Mizuki's Rune Deck failing again?

Vyser Adept of Dragons: I'll check them out.

G.O.T. Nick: Not only did Mizuki beat Ensui, but you're also about to get your wish. Tobias versus Shiro.


	11. Day of the Duel Review Part Three

Author's Note: Here we go, Tobias vs Shiro!

**Chapter Eleven: Day of the Duel Review, Pt. 3**

_A man in white armor with rune symbols etched into it was summoned, standing tall with a heavy sword in one hand and a bow slung over its shoulder. "Rune Centurion, finish it! Centurion Slash!"_

_The former Obelisk Blue took the blade that slashed across his chest with grace, not flinching even as it drove him back. Not letting himself break even as he could hear the sound of his life points dropping. "Mizuki…you're amazing. I never would have thought I could lose to a first year student or even to a Ra Yellow at all." (ELP: 0)_

_The holograms faded away, leaving the ring looking normal as ever. Both of them walked up to each other and shook hands, Mizuki smiling up at Ensui. "Like I said, it was a great duel. I learned a lot from it."_

_"I learned a lot as well. Next time I won't be so confident in the power of one monster. After all, I could have negated Rune Symbol-Jera couldn't I? But since I was certain I knew you were just desperately trying to bring back Thurisaz, I waited. It was…fun." The crowd cheered, Mizuki's friends being particularly loud, cheering on the victory of their good friend._

_Harrison closed his eyes, looking supremely amused. "Well now, I hardly expected that outcome. Maybe she is worth my time. She's Obelisk Blue worthy, I'll giver her that."_

_Tobias raged, slamming his fists repeatedly down on the rail in front of him, looking absolutely furious. "No! My plan should have worked; she should have been smashed underneath his feet! But now she's got the chance to move up to Obelisk Blue, and all because of me!"_

_Mizuki jumped up and down, waving up at her friends, overjoyed at having won, her face split into a huge grin as she danced around. 'This could be it, I could be going straight on to Obelisk Blue!'_

_Her jump faltered as the screen above them changed, the names of the next duelists being displayed, meaning that they would have to depart. Mizuki shook Ensui's hand one last time before they parted ways, heading back to their seats._

_Curious to see who was next Mizuki looked up at the board, and stopped dead at what she saw there. Two very familiar faces were on opposite sides of each other. "No…no way!"_

_Right nearby in the front row a familiar voice spoke up, sounding utterly confident. "What a perfect way to cheer me up after seeing you actually win. I'll get to stomp that idiot into the ground once and for all, just like I was hoping would happen to you."_

_Mizuki turned, and found herself face to face with none other than Tobias and Harrison. Tobias swung himself over the railing and dropped down in front of her, smirking as he brushed by. "I'll be sure to leave a piece of your boy toy left when I'm done with him."_

_Now there was no denying what the screen above them said. There was no denying exactly who would be facing off against who in the next round of the duel review. There it was in big bold letters._

_Tobias Emerlo vs. Shiro Akugi._

Tobias stepped up onto the central platform, a little briefcase in one hand. He smirked and sat down cross-legged, opening the case and looking through it. Mizuki watched him carefully, unsure what he was up to. _'Tobias versus Shiro…this won't turn out well.'_

The dark haired American boy chuckled as he picked up a deck out of the briefcase, then stood and shoved the briefcase off to the side with his foot. "Come on down Shiro, I've got a surprise for you."

With his friends looking at him intensly Shiro stood, fitting his duel disk over his arm. His jaw was set tight as he started the walk down. _'Of all people for me to have been paired with, it's Tobias. Had I even thought it might be…I would have actually looked over my deck. Can I beat him as things stand?'_

Kane met Shiro's eyes, and then gave his roommate a big grin. "Hey, don't sweat it. You'll kick that arrogant jerks ass, right?"

Shiro nodded, but his eyes were still grim. Of all people, it just had to be Tobias, the only duelist in Osiris Red who stood a chance of beating him. "Yeah, absolutely."

Even Janice, who thought Shiro was incessantly annoying, couldn't help but give him a reassuring smile. "You'll do fine. Just don't get cocky and stay focused, then it'll be okay."

Again Shiro smiled, but it didn't help him from looking grim. Even Aya's quickly whispered 'good luck' didn't aid him. _'Tobias will be ready for me…I know it. He's probably already figured out just how to fight me. So…guess I just have to show him that it takes more than smarts to win a duel.'_

Mizuki walked up to the front row, setting herself just a few feet away from Harrison. She might not have liked the guy, but she'd tolerate his presence so she could cheer on Shiro. "Good luck Shiro…"

Harrison chuckled, adjusting his glasses as he looked down his nose at Mizuki. "Oh please, that Osiris Red drop out has no chance against Tobias. I've seen him duel, and compared to those other drop out boys he's in an entirely different level."

"What is he? Your evil protégé? Better watch out, he might be able to give you a run for your money in the 'evil jackass' department." Harrison easily matched her glare, not even blinking against that fiery gaze.

"Why do you even care about that weakling? You have the power to be an Obelisk Blue, to stand above him in every way. Why not take it, you'd enjoy lording it over him, I'm sure of it." He smirked, his glasses glinting as they continued their staring contest.

"You're so heartless that power is all you think about it, is that it? No wonder you're the Dark Prince, you must be lonely." Mizuki smirked, feeling a small victory with this comment.

"Ah yes, it's lonely at the top. But it's comforting to look down at those on the bottom." Mizuki grimaced at how casually he said it, her right hand balling up into a fist. She was very tempted to punch him right then and there.

She was ripped from her internal debate by Shiro's arrival on the scene, jumping up onto the dueling ring. He glared across the field at Tobias, his duel disk at the ready. "Okay Tobias, let's get this thing going. I'd like to beat you down and get it over with."

The American boy chuckled at his currently red haired roommate, tapping a hand on his duel disk. "Don't be in such a rush to lose. I've actually got an interesting proposal for you."

Shiro paused in the process of turning on his duel disk, wondering if he should even give Tobias a chance to speak. Finally he sighed and decided to get it over with. "Fine, what's your proposal?"

"A simple bet for the winner. My end of the deal would be that should I win, you have to be my personal slave for a week. Of course, should I lose you'll be able to make some demand yourself. What would you like?" Shiro smirked, seeing definite potential in this.

"Okay then, I accept! If I win, you'll have to dress up like a chicken and run around clucking in school for a full week. That should put a little bit of respect into you. So what do you say, are the terms cool?" Tobias approached, and the two shook hands, finalizing the deal.

Both of them turned around, walking back to their starting positions. As they walked their duel disks clicked into on position, and Tobias got one last chance for a barb. "Maybe as my slave, I'll have you do something to Mizuki…you never know what." (TLP: 4000)

"That won't even be a factor, because I'm not going to lose. Now, first turn goes to the guy with at least some honor, so let's start!" He whirled around, his duel disk flipping into place and he drew his six cards in one swift jerk. (SLP: 4000)

Shiro started to look down at his hand, but was halted when Tobias burst out laughing, that evil villain laugh of his. "What's with that irritating laugh? It's not even your turn!"

To Shiro's surprise a card slid out of Tobias' deck, and the other Osiris Red caught it and held it out for Shiro to see. What from it looked like, the card was a magic card that showed two men sitting at a table, holding knives over their outstretched wrists. "Let's kick this duel off right, with my deck magic card Ultimate Ante!"

"Ultimate Ante? A magic card that's played from your deck? What the heck kind of card is that?" Their was a ruckus from the crowd, most of them sounded confused or horrified. Harrison on the other hand was laughing.

Tobias smirked darkly at his roommate as he began to explain. "Ultimate Ante is a truly deadly magic card. Once activated it sets a special program on our duel disks. The loser of this duel…will have their deck shredded by their duel disk!"

Shiro's jaw dropped, and then his gaze lowered to his deck. Finally he brought his head back up to look at Tobias, a fierce glare evident. "You…you're scum! I'll kick your ass for playing a card like that!"

"Oh no you won't. First of all this card perfectly legal, since Kaiba Corporation can't limit, restrict, or ban any cards even at Duelist Academy that aren't banned by Industrial Illusions. Second of all, if you move closer than ten to fifteen feet from me, or farther, then your deck is automatically destroyed. So let's have some fun!" Shiro couldn't help how tightly his fist was clenched, but he knew he couldn't get out of it.

"You would actually risk your own deck just for a chance to destroy mine? What the hell is wrong with you?" Tobias shrugged, and slid his deck out of his duel disk, briefly fanning it before snapping it together again and slamming it into his duel disk.

"This isn't my personal deck at all little Shiro. In fact, I assembled this deck specifically as a counter to yours. Meaning not only do I not care if its destroyed, but it can't lose to your deck anyways!" Tobias just laughed as Shiro continued to glare at him, completely unaffected.

"Jerk…even with that advantage I'm still gonna kick your ass! Now, it's time to start things off and get showy! Action Warrior-Slow Mo.(1600/1400) in attack mode!" In super slow motion the movie star warrior moved out into position on the field.

As soon as it was finally still, Shiro grabbed two of the cards he was holding and practically slammed them into his duel disk. "I throw down two cards and end my turn! Go ahead Tobias, show me whatever this counter deck of yours can do, and I'll still beat it down!"

Tobias drew, still grinning. "Oh please, don't make me laugh. Your pathetic Action Warriors on their own wouldn't be a threat to moldy cheese, let alone a tactical duelist like myself."

"Think what you like, but me and my Action Warriors will defeat you. Besides, if that's all you think then you've got the wrong idea about my deck. I may use that set, but that's not the whole theme of my deck." He cracked his knuckles, looking confident despite Tobias' declaration.

"Of course it's not. But the rest of your deck theme, it revolves around recycling your cards. You throw everything you've got out, and then get it back to send it out again. Of course, that always posses a risk when you put things in the grave to have them recycled." Shiro blinked, not liking the sound of that one bit.

"What are you talking about? What kind of risk is there for having cards in the grave? Besides something like Monster Reborn, I don't really see anything wrong with it." To his surprise Tobias burst out into his semi-evil laughter just like he had before.

"I'll demonstrate the first flaw of your deck shortly. Now, I draw!" He snapped a card off the top of his deck, looking truly fierce despite his mostly unimpressive appearance. He brought the card down so he could see it, and then he smirked.

Grabbing another card from his deck he held it out along with his drawn card. "Flaw number one…if you intend to send a card to the grave, you better hope it doesn't leave the field first. In other words, watch out for removal cards."

Shiro's eyes went as wide as they could go as he recognized the image of one of Tobias' two cards that he was holding up. "Oh no…not that…"

"That's right! Magic card activates, Dark Core! By discarding one card from my hand I can remove a monster on your field from the game! So I'll discard this little number in order to remove Slow Mo. from play!" Shiro's monster opened its mouth to do something, but a miniature black hole had already appeared above its head, pulling it upwards.

"Slow Mo!" Without another word the warrior was pulled up into the black hole, gone forever. Shiro's jaw creaked, his blood pumping furiously through his body as he slid his removed card into his back pocket.

Tobias held up a hand, forestalling any further comments. "But wait, there's more! The card I discarded is known as A Second Chance! When this card is discarded from the player's hand by an effect it can be removed from the grave to draw two cards. So I remove it to replenish my hand!"

He took his removed card and placed it in his own side pocket, then slid two more cards off the top of his deck, returning his hand size up to six. Shiro grimaced, realizing that Tobias really had gone through a lot. _'Okay, so he's calculated one way to get at my deck. But that can't be all, can it?'_

"I can see on your face that you're worried about what's next. Don't worry; I won't be going on the attack quite yet. I've got some preparation to do, so I set a monster in defense mode. Then I play two cards face down behind it. Your turn Shiro." Off to the side Harrirson smirked, guessing what the set monster was.

Shiro drew, looking for an option in his hand. He saw it immediately in the card he had drawn. "Whatever traps you've set, I hope you like them, because they're useless now. Action Warrior-Cyclist(1700/1300)!"

The movie star monster in leather jacket drove on out, sliding its motorcycle to a stop. It gave Tobias a harsh glare, looking ready to commit murder. "Did I forget to mention that my monsters have picked up some traits of mine? Well looks like they don't like you either!"

"Really? Well I don't like the way it's looking at me, so I guess I'll have to do something about it. Go face down card, Trap Hole!" Cyclist grunted in shock as the ground beneath his motorcycle collapsed, dropping him into the earth and destroying him.

The red haired Osiris Red grimaced, then pointed to one of his two set cards. "Reverse card open, continuous trap card Parting Gifts! From now on whenever a card goes from our field to the cemetery we'll gain two hundred life points!" (SLP: 4200)

Tobias' eyes darkened again, and he snapped his fingers. Immediately one of his own two sets flipped up, also showing an infinity symbol. "Flaw number two, damage effects involving cards going to the grave are your bane! My permanent trap card will capitalize on this: Skull Invitation!"

Mizuki winced, understanding what it was. "Careful Shiro! While Skull Invitation is in play whenever a card goes to the cemetery the owner of that card takes three hundred damage!"

Shiro winced in pain as a spirit burst out of the trap card and wrapped around his body, squeezing him tight to drain his life points. "That's okay, he loses three hundred from Trap Hole going to the grave, right Mizuki?" (SLP: 3900)

His roommate shook his head before Mizuki could reply. "Sorry Shiro, but not a chance! Second continuous trap card reveals itself, Deck Synergy! Instead of cards going to my grave, they are immediately shuffled back into my deck! So while you suffer the effects of Skull Invitation, I'm safe!"

He picked up Trap Hole and then shuffled it back into his deck, smirking the whole time. Shiro grimaced, realizing that the only thing that kept this from being a truly deadly situation was his Parting Gifts card. "I set one card face down. End."

Now it was Tobias' turn, and he looked quite satisified at what he saw. "Before I go on the attack, let's reveal my set monster. It completes my strategy; it is the combination of both flaws. Banisher of the Light(100/2000) appears!" The face down card faded away, replaced by a regal man who was staring across the field at Shiro.

"Next I play the magic card Pure Banishing! This card can only be played if I have no monsters in my cemetery. It forces you to send three monsters from your deck to the grave!" Shiro grimaced and fanned out his deck, swiftly selecting three monsters and inserting them into his cemetery.

Banisher's body glowed, and the cards shot back out of the cemetery. "Oh yes, while Banisher of the Light is face-up all cards that go to the cemetery are then removed from play. So your three monsters are removed. And now, Skull Invitation does its thing!"

Three spirits burst out of the card, wrapping around Shiro's body even as his own continuous trap card healed him. Despite the increasing pain, Shiro managed a cocky grin. "You've got a good strategy going, but its still just minimal damage." (SLP: 3600)

"Minimal? Let's increase that then! Immortal Lion(900/400) in attack mode!" A muscular lion with flowing mane appeared, its body wreathed by a minor red aura. Shiro grimaced, knowing he couldn't afford the thousand damage he'd be hit with.

"Immortal Lion, Banisher of the Light, double direct attack!" A beam of light shot from Banisher's finger tip, striking Shiro in the chest. Then the lion jumped over the Banisher's head and slashed Shiro across the chest, causing him to stumble backwards clutching at the point where he had been hit. (SLP: 3490)

"Heh…sorry Tobias, but before your attacks could hit I triggered the trap card Reduction Barrier. During the rest of this turn nine tenths of all damage and life point gain I make is removed, leaving me at one tenth." Tobias growled, irritated that his serious damage had been averted.

"Fine! Immortal Lion's effect activates! One random card is discarded from your deck whenever it deals you damage. So here comes an additional shot of damage, even if minor!" A card slid out of Shiro's deck, and he placed it in his removed from play pile. At the same time he was assaulted by a spirit. (SLP: 3480)

"Still haven't gotten me yet. Got anything else?" Tobias frowned, still bothered by the minimal damage for the turn. Finally he sighed and slid one of his remaining cards into his duel disk, and then gave a brief nod to Shiro.

Shiro snapped up his card. "Action Warrior-Brawler(2000/800) takes the field! And he'll take it by storm as well as he beats up on Banisher of the Light!"

A handsome but muscular warrior rushed straight of the holographic card representation and then at the regal man in robes on Tobias' field. "It's not that easy at all! Reverse card open, Shift! This swaps the target!"

Banisher vanished, and the Lion immediately took its place. Brawler's fist slammed into the monster's body, driving it backwards. But to Shiro's surprise it remained standing. "Damn…it's immune to battle destruction?" (TLP: 2900)

"That's right. So, was there anything else useless you wanted to try?" Shiro shook his head, having nothing else to work with at the time. All he had was his stronger Brawler, which neither of Tobias' monsters could break down.

"Right then, it's my time to beat you down isn't it? Thanks to my superior tactics and strategizing you've been doomed since the start of this duel. So my next card is perfect, it's Tribute to the Doomed!" Shiro grimaced as Tobias slid his two hand cards back into his deck.

A giant mummy hand came up from the ground and squeezed around Brawler, dragging it under. Once again the spirit came after him, dropping his life points, although it was only minor. Then he removed his Brawler from play. _'He's comboing me to death…he really does have this completely planned out!' _(SLP: 3380)

"Double direct attack!" Shiro braced himself as the monsters launched the same attacks as they had the previous turn, one firing a beam of light at him while the other charged into cut him with its claws. This time however he had no way to reduce the damage. (SLP: 2380)

"And you know what happens next right? You lose a random card from your deck thanks to Immortal Lion!" Shiro gulped, knowing that he was still surviving just barely on the pure basis of his Parting Gifts trap card. And it couldn't last forever. (SLP: 2280)

_'He's tearing my deck and my strategy apart. This isn't good, how am I supposed to beat him when his deck is completely set up to knock mine down?'_ He bit his bottom lip, struggling to come up with an answer, but with nothing coming.

"Don't' think I'll allow a cheap shot on Banisher this time. I switch it to defense mode. Then I end my turn." Shiro gulped, looking down at his deck. If he didn't draw something useful soon this duel wouldn't last long.

"I activate the Scapegoat magic card, even though it'll cost me a hundred life points!" Four different colored goats formed on his field, even as a spirit shot of Tobias' trap card. As it squeezed more of his life points away, he found himself actually bored of the feeling. He had gotten used to it by now. (SLP: 2180)

"One card face down, then end turn!" He was getting nervous now, not seeing a way out of this. And it was only made worse by the knowledge that he was doubly screwed if he lost the duel. He'd be Tobias' slave for a week, and his precious deck would be destroyed.

Tobias drew, and then burst out laughing. "The last thing protected you falls now! Quick-play magic card, Cyclone! Destroy his Parting Gifts continuous trap card!"

Shiro gulped as the winds swept away his trap card, allowing him to take the full force of Skull Invitations damage effect. "Great, it's just an entirely different type of pain. Jerk." (SLP: 1880)

"You're weak! Immortal Lion, destroy a goat token!" The lion's claws shredded the little sleeping pink goat easily, which wasn't hard considering each of them had zero attack points and zero defense points.

"Weak? Well I'll recover from your damage with my newest card, the permanent trap card Solemn Wishes! Thanks to it I gain five hundred life points every time I draw a card!" Tobias crossed his arms, looking cross at the recovery card.

"Draw! Now, I gain five hundred life points because of my trap card!" He breathed a sigh of relief, glad to know that he could recover for the time being. But he was still in a bad position. (SLP: 2380)

"Okay, comeback time! Action Warrior-Knife Flinger(1300/1600)! And when he's summoned I get to destroy one of your monsters, so your strategy goes down the drain. Banisher of the Light is banished!" A handsome man in a karate Gi emerged, then hurled a handful of knives at Banisher, shredding the monster.

"Next up, Knife Flinger attacks Immortal Lion! Even though he can't kill it, he'll still get in some damage on your life points!" Another barrage of knives struck, and though the lion howled in pain, it remained unharmed thanks to its special effect. (TLP: 2500)

When Shiro did nothing else, Tobias drew, then smirked. "Oh look, you get a good card, and I get a better one. Power Burn! This magic card doubles the attack strength of one monster on my field with under a thousand base attack strength!"

Immortal Lion increased in size, making it bigger than Knife Flinger was by far. Its attack points were now set at eighteen hundred, which while not normally impressive would do the trick in this situation. _'Come and get it Tobias, I'm waiting.'_

"Immortal Lion, attack Knife Flinger!" Shiro smirked as the lion came charging in, having been waiting for this for quite some time now. He extended his hand out, and the last trap he had left which had been set on his first turn finally revealed itself.

"Since you've targeted an Action Warrior with battle I can use this trap card. Cliched Power-Up! This adds the attacking monster's base attack strength to the attacked monster's! So now Knife Flinger(2200/1600) counter attacks!" Knife Flinger unleashed a double barrage of knives, knocking the lion out of the air in mid-leap. (TLP: 2100)

"You won that round, but your monster loses its attack points when the turn ends. So I'll just end it quickly to get that out of the way. You're still going to lose thanks to my counter strategy, and then Ultimate Ante will destroy your deck!" Tobias threw back his head to laugh, which for once Shiro didn't found annoying. He found himself afraid, because it didn't look good.

Shiro reached for his deck, drawing slowly and praying for something good. However, the card he saw just wasn't going to cut it. _'Damn, both of these cards require cards in my grave to work. But all that's in my grave is Cyclist!' _(SLP: 2880)

"I switch Knife Flinger into defense mode. End turn…" He closed his eyes, feeling like he was putting his Knife Flinger out there to die. He couldn't imagine this actually working well for him. There was just no way to win as things stood, with his strategies locked down like this.

Tobias chuckled as he held up his newest drawn card. "Pity I don't have Solemn Wishes or this would work well for me. Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards!" A green grinning pot appeared on the field, then shattered as Tobias drew his cards.

His chuckle grew into full laughter as he lifted up one of the two drawn cards. "Research on the Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards during the turn Pot of Greed has been played!"

"Perfect draw! Power Shut-Off permanently deactivates the effect of any continuous card in play, so Solemn Wishes gets its plug pulled!" Shiro felt it like a stab in the chest as his last true defense card against Tobias' strategy darkened, becoming useless.

"Next up I play Mystic Study! This lets me search my deck for a level four or lower spellcaster and add it to my hand. I've chosen and I summon Banisher of the Light(100/2000) in defense mode!" Shiro's head dropped in despair as the strategy was once again restored.

"Immortal Lion, destroy Knife Flinger!" The lion's mighty clawed paws ripped through his defensive monster, leaving him with only his chump token defense. And there was no way that was going to last long. (SLP: 2580)

"Don't think I'm done breaking you quite yet. Token Destruction obliterates all tokens and counters on the field, getting rid of your final defense!" Shiro threw up an arm to cover his eyes as the three goat tokens exploded, sending pixels flying his way.

Tobias smirked, spreading his arms out wide to encompass the field. "Don't you see Shiro? There's nothing left for you to do, you've already lost! Give up, surrender and spare yourself the misery of losing so pathetically!"

Shiro considered it for just a second, but he looked to his right, his eyes briefly meeting Mizuki's, which were bright as ever, filled with confidence. "No…to surrender would be the truly pathetic thing to do, so I'll keep fighting! Draw time!"

He looked down at the drawn card, and then stopped himself just in time from giving away his despair. _'Shit, that confident stuff about not surrendering and where am I now? Another useless card. Guess it's bluff time!'_

"I'll thrown down a face down! Tobias, I'm going to win this, no matter what I will! Even if you've got my strategy locked down, I won't lose!" Tobias just rolled his eyes, drawing a card from his deck without another glance.

"Oh please, what a pathetic bluff. Immortal Lion, slash away more of his life points!" Shiro bit back a scream as the lion's claws dragged across his stomach. Had the attack been real he would have been gutted, but as it was it just really hurt. (SLP: 780)

"Destroy a card from his deck!" Shiro couldn't help it this time, whimpering slightly as the spirit of Skull Invitation slammed into his body, dragging away most of his remaining life points. (SLP: 480)

"You've already lost Akugi! I told you before, give up now. You're just going to suffer more, it's better to forestall that pain than go through with it. Heh, you're done. I'll place this card face down, then end my turn." A card appeared behind his Immortal Lion, and then he folded his arms over his Osiris Red uniform, looking cocky.

Shiro started to reach for his deck, his hand shaking as he did so. His deck seemed so far away, and his entire chest was shaking with the force of his thundering heart. _'If this drawn card doesn't help then I'll lose and my deck will be destroyed. I…I can't win can I? This sucks…'_

Off to the side Harrison was leaning in close, looking satisfied. He tilted his head in Mizuki's direction, smirking down at her. "You see? He's weak, incapable of fighting back. He's been broken, he's not even worth the time or attention of a person of your caliber."

"Bastard, it's not about caliber it's all about the…that's it! SHIRO!" The despairing duelist lifted his head, looking over to see Mizuki looking directly at him, her green eyes aflame just as she was in duels.

"This isn't the you I know at all! You're standing there wallowing in despair and fear over losing your deck and losing to Tobias, but that's not what you seemed like to me when we dueled! You said back then that regardless of how serious the circumstances were, you wanted it to be a fun duel. So stop panicking and have a little fun!" Shiro stared at her blankly for a moment, and then broke out into a grin.

"You're right Mizuki, I've been taking this whole thing way too seriously and haven't been having any fun at all. Heck, this has been a great duel, and no matter what I'm not going to let it fall out from under my feet without going out with a bang first! So guess what Tobias, it's my turn!" He drew with renewed vigor, grinning as held up his new card.

"Alright, let's start off the fun by getting greedy! Pot of Greed activates!" The pot appeared and shattered, letting Shiro draw two cards at swift speed. (SLP: 180)

"Next up, Emergency Provisions! I'll sacrifice Solemn Wishes and my set card to gain two thousand life points, even though I'll lose nine hundred!" Both of his cards faded away, letting him take the spirits that attacked him head on. (SLP: 1280)

"You…you can't stop my strategy with just gaining life points! They'll be drained away in no time at all!" Tobias' voice to Shiro sounded a little on edge, as if he were nervous about his chances now.

"You don't sound so confident anymore. Well, I'll tell you that some of my hand is useless right now. Of course, that'll be taken care of with this: Reload! Now I can shuffle my hand into my deck and draw an equal number of cards!" He slid the two cards in and then shuffled up before drawing.

"You take damage!" Shiro flinched against the attack of the spirit, but he still looked happy and confident. He wasn't going to let a little bit of pain and damage stop him now that he was in stride. (SLP: 980)

He looked down at the two new cards and then flipped one over. "Action Stunt Doubles activates! At a cost of five hundred life points I can special summon two Action Warriors from my deck to the field, who at the end of the turn lose the ability to attack!" (SLP: 480)

"It won't do a thing, which drains you of all but your last handful of life points! Skull Invitation, strike him now!" Tobias growled as Shiro shrugged of Skull Invitation's damage effect. Although his roommate looked tired, he was still grinning like the idiot he was. (SLP: 180)

"Life points don't mean a thing here to me! I'll special summon my two Action Warrior-Knife Flingers(1300/1600 X2) and together they blow away both of your monsters!" The two identical monsters formed, and a double handful of knives shattered each of Tobias' creatures, clearing the way.

Tobias took a step back, his eyes wide with fear as he saw what was coming. Even Harrison looked surprised, while Mizuki was hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. "Come on Shiro, take him down!"

"That's exactly what I intend to do! Knife Flinger number one, direct attack!" Tobias winced as the holographic daggers slammed into his chest, draining away most of his life points. The whole time in the duel he had barely been hurt, but now his opponent was recovering! (TLP: 800)

"Next one up, Knife Flinger number two, finish him off!" The knives flew true, hitting Tobias head on. He nearly fell backwards over his own feet, but he managed to catch himself before he fell. One hand went to his chest as he breathed heavily. (TLP: 500)

Pushing himself back to full height, Tobias smirked and held up the card that had previously been set on his field. "Silver Ointment lets you draw one card at an exchange of me gaining a thousand life points. Guess I survived your finishing move, right?"

Shiro drew, still looking happy. "It's pretty impressive that you made it through, but I'm not surprised, you're no slouch at dueling, just overconfident. Guess I'll just set this new card face down and leave it at that."

Tobias picked up the top card of his deck, trying to hide his nervousness. He looked at the drawn card, and then smirked. "It's your end Shiro. But before I get to that, I'll set this final card face down. End."

Shiro's heart was beating in his chest as he reached for his deck, his fingers just itching to draw what could be the last card of the duel. Though the duel had returned to being fun, he knew deep inside that it was risky. "One last draw right? Well, let's go!"

He snapped the card off and up to the side, but then his eyes met Tobias', and he realized something was wrong. Tobias seemed way too confident. _'What's with that asshole smirk he's got? No way that single face down card can stop me now!'_

"Shiro, you lose! Reverse card open, Drop Off! This trap card negates your draw and forces you to discard it, and you know what happens then. Skull Invitation deals you three hundred damage!" Shiro's grin faded to a look of utter horror as he dropped the card into his grave, and Skull Invitation fired a spirit at him to drain away his last life points.

"I guess that means this duel is really over…right?" The spirit struck him, and his field exploded, spreading flames across the dueling field. Tobias stepped back to avoid the blaze, but Shiro was caught and he fell to his hands and knees, panting. (SLP: 0)

"You lose! And now Ultimate Ante does its stuff, and your deck is destroyed!" Shiro's duel disk began to whir, and Tobias started to laugh his cartoon villain laugh. Mizuki and all of Shiro's friends could do nothing but watch in horror as the duel disk began its forced task.

To everyone's complete surprise, Shiro burst out laughing, lifting his head up and holding up his duel disk. "You sure about that? If that's the case, then why don't you check your disk?"

Tobias frowned, holding the duel disk up. "What are you talking about, my duel disk is…what the hell?" There, right in front of his eyes, was the display of his life points. And above his head it was there was well, displayed for all eyes to see. (TLP: 0)

Shiro grinned, picking himself up off the ground. "It's pretty simple, since I was going to take effect damage I was able to activate my set trap card, Action Stunt-Stunt Dive which lets me sacrifice Action Warriors to deal three hundred for each. So I just tributed both my monsters to deal you six hundred damage."

Silence filled the arena, not a single soul able to say that they had expected such an outcome. Both duelists pictures on the big screen above dimmed, showing that it was a simultaneous defeat. Shiro winked at Mizuki, looking happy. "Guess nobody loses there deck, and nobody wins the bet since it was tie. Maybe next time, right Tobias?"

The American teen frowned, and then slowly his frown changed to a smile, albeit a minor one. "Yes, next time. Next time there will be a real winner, I guarantee it."

Turning without another word he walked off the platform, stalking away and out of the arena. Shiro walked right up to the front row, grinning up at Mizuki. "I did good, right?"

To his surprise Mizuki flashed him a wink and turned to walk off. "I don't know, you didn't exactly win did you? But…you had fun didn't you?"

He paused, looking at her back. Finally he smiled, feeling the rush from the duel fading away. "Yeah, yeah I did."

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Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed that, because it was fun to write.

_Next Time: Shiro and Tobias' duel is done, and without incident the day of the duel review comes to a close. However, one event is left before the day can be over. The challenge presented before those with the potential to rise to the next level in Osiris Red and Ra Yellow. And Mizuki is going to have a real challenge if she wants into Obelisk Blue. Especially considering who her opponent is…_

_See it all in, VS The Dark Prince; Demon Leeching!_

**Review Response**

WolfGeneral: Good to know Shiro and Harrison have a fan.

Time Mage: You misunderstood, Tobias didn't alter Shiro's deck. Instead he formed a counter strategy to beat said deck. Heh, I'm glad I have props from you about Black Dragon King, especially since I had originally slated it to be named 'Red Eyes Ultimate Black Dragon' and then I realized it was a dumb name.

John: You didn't say anything? Guess I misread.

Vyser Adept of Dragons: Opposite of a Rune Deck? Runes are an ancient form of writing that were also used in divination. How do you create a deck that's the opposite of a deck based on a language?

Gearfried the Iron Angel: Welcome to the reviewing circle Aaron, and don't worry, I'm balancing fics quite well I think. As for Shiro, guess you just found out.

G.O.T. Nick: Oh yeah, Harrison is an arrogant ass. Hehe, good to know I fooled you there.


	12. VS The Dark Prince Demon Leeching

Author's Note: It's been quite some time, but I'm back at last with a new chapter!

**Chapter Twelve: VS The Dark Prince; Demon Leeching!**

The image of a student on the big screen darkened, indicating that he had been defeated. With that duel finished, the duel review was finally completed. All of the students relaxed, glad that they wouldn't have to continue and would get to relax for the rest of the day.

Shiro hopped up from his seat and started stretching immediately, looking bright and cheery in comparison to how he was in his own duel. "Glad to see that over. Most of those duels were_ boring_! I mean, what's the point of a duel unless its exciting and fun to watch or be in?"

Kane looked at his roommate out of the corner of his eyes, frowning as he did so. "You know, some people duel for things other than fun. A lot of people duel for very serious reasons. Haven't you studied history?"

"Nah, that was ages ago. I like to live in the present, not dwell in the past. And like I said, the past is the duel review. So now, party party party!" He threw his hands up, looking overjoyed. Until he was punched on the top of the head by Janice.

"Shut up idiot, the day isn't over yet. The duel review is done, but there are a couple of things left to be done. For instance, the top scoring duelists of Osiris Red and Ra Yellow get to face someone from an upper dorm, and if they win they move up. So there are a few duels left." Shiro rubbed his head, groaning about 'violent women'.

The lights above the stadium came down to focus on one man standing in the center of the dueling ring. He wore Obelisk Blue clothes that were modeled to make him look almost like a general, with large shoulder pads sticking out. "Ah, students I know you were all looking forward to this. The time when our top scoring students get to face against their peers in the dueling ring to see if they deserve the right to move ahead! Osiris Red to Ra Yellow, and Ra Yellow to Obelisk Blue!"

Despite his enthusiasm all he got was silence from the gathered students. He coughed, disappointed by the reaction. "Well, I'm here to announce that we'll be kicking off the next six duels, three from each of the two lower dorms, with the top scoring student of all freshmen and the top scoring student of today's duel review. Miss Mizuki Mitsuhiro!"

A spotlight came up on Mizuki who was sitting amongst her friends, and she stood up, looking completely shocked. The others clapped her on the back, but their words were drowned out by the thunderous applause of the student body. "MIZUKI!"

She blushed brightly when a series of banners came up on the other side of the room, that boldly declared "We Love You Mizuki!". When the students quieted down a little, the Obelisk Blue dorm head spoke up again. "Our randomizer has selected her opponent, and this one is going to be a doozy folks! Today we've seen this little rising star face off against one of Obelisk Blue's former top duelists. And now…her opponent is one of the current top duelists of Obelisk Blue!"

A second spotlight came up, this one focusing on a tall and thin Obelisk Blue standing at the front row, hands against the railings. Clad in the white and blue uniform with a small blue mantle cape over his shoulders, the bespectacled duelist smirked confidently and adjusted his glasses. "The third ranked duelist of our entire school, Duelist Academy's very own Dark Prince, Harrison Wilhelm the Third!"

Mizuki felt her blood run cold as Harrison lifted his head up, his eyes glinting darkly behind those glasses. Her heart started pounding in her chest, and she realized that she was afraid. _'So what if he's the number three? I swore I'd beat him, and I can't back down now! I'll beat him and move on to Obelisk Blue!'_

Harrison continued to stare up at her, his smirk never leaving his face. _'Come and face me Mizuki Mitsuhiro. This is a challenge I will relish, crushing you into the ground. You'll learn your place, and understand that you belong in Obelisk Blue. Pity I can't let you join the dorm.'_

He hopped over the railing, and marched up onto the dueling ring, his DD6 already unfolding. It lit up, and five cards slid out of it and into his hand. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro, come and face me! Come and witness my myriad of godlike feats!" (HLP: 4000)

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Mizuki finally started walking down to the stadium. Her friends patted her on the back consolingly this time, giving her their best wishes. Kane placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled brightly at her. "Kick his ass, okay?"

She nodded, unable to get out anything coherent. She didn't want to admit it, but she was dreadfully afraid of facing a duelist like Harrison. After losing so badly to Vlad, she had no idea how she'd manage to beat somebody on the same level. Shiro saw the way she looked, and looked her straight in the eye and grinned from ear to ear. "Yeah, whatever happens just…have fun."

Hearing that perked her up a little and she nodded again, this time with a little bit more enthusiasm. Turning away she started walking again, this time with more determination in her step. _'He's right, I just have to relax and let this play out like a normal duel. Sure he's good, but he's not unstoppable.'_

_'Just keep saying it. He's not unstoppable, he's not unstoppable. He's just vicious, calculating, and very talented. And unrelenting. And brutal. And…I really need to stop thinking of adjectives. Let's just review, his dueling isn't that fantastic, is it?'_

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_Harrison looked at his drawn card out of the corner of his eye, and then looked back up at Kane. "Weakling, I'll crush you completely right now. Then you'll understand what it means to talk about things you know nothing about, particularly my family!"_

_Shiro could have sworn he saw the card that Kane had just drawn pulse with energy, but shook it off as his imagination. "Harrison's about to show just how strong he really is."_

_The Osiris Red teen yelped and jumped a foot in the air. He landed facing the speaker, who turned out to be none other than Mizuki. "When did you get here, and how did you just appear like that?"_

_She looked at him like he was stupid, which he was starting to get used to. "I walked. You know, with my legs, which are generally used for walking. How else would I have gotten here?"_

_"But…but…you….oh screw it! I'll just stand here and watch the rest of the duel." _

_Harrison looked absolutely merciless as he slapped his drawn card onto his duel disk. "This monster, he'll crush you! Legendary Demon Slayer Dante(1500/1200), come to me!"_

_Dropping down from the sky was a white haired man in a trench coat, guns holstered at his hips. He raised his head and smirked at Kane. "When Dante is summoned I may take one equip card from my deck and attach it to him!"_

_A card ejected from his deck, and he immediately slipped it into the magic/trap zone behind Dante. "His appropriate weapons, Twin Pistols: Ebony and Ivory!" _

_Dante reached down to the holsters at his hip and whipped out the two pistols, one black and one white. He leveled them at Kane, who gulped and took a step back. "Ebony and Ivory increase Dante's attack power by three hundred."_

_The demon slayer's attack score rose to eighteen hundred, but Kane still looked to his set card for support. "I'll be sending your life points deep into the negatives in about ten seconds. Hunter of Shadows, direct attack!"_

_"Activate trap, Waboku!" The trap card began to lift itself up, but was halted as Harrison's own set card lifted, and purple smoke shot out of it. The Waboku trap was consumed by the smoke and broke apart._

_"Trap Jammer negates it! Hunter of Shadows, complete your attack!" Kane groaned as a crossbow bolt hit him in the shoulder, forcing him to step backwards on his left leg. (KLP: 0)_

_Shiro frowned, not quite sure he understood what was going on. "If he had it that easy, then why go to the trouble of summoning Dante in the first place?"_

_Mizuki gasped, realizing what was about to happen. "He's…he's not finished!"_

_Harrison's icy smile turned feral as he pointed one finger at the beaten Kane. "I told you I'd punish you. Dante, attack him directly!" Kane cried out as a barrage of bullets slammed into his weakened body, knocking him off his feet. (KLP: 0)_

_"Ebony and Ivory gives Dante the ability to attack twice in the battle phase! Dante, attack him again!" Dante stepped up right in front of Kane, both of his pistols leveled at point blank range at Kane's face. Even for a hologram that only faked pain through stimulators, a point blank double gun blast would be hell. _

_Before Mizuki or Shiro could make a protest, Dante pulled both triggers, and the sound of gunfire echoed through their part of the island. The demon slayer spun his guns in his hands and then holstered them, just before fading away. "That will teach you a lesson. Never talk about my family, ever, or the punishment will be great." (KLP: 0)_

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She shivered at the memory, rubbing her hands against her bare arms to give herself warmth. _'Okay, so he is good. And he's got nothing against being a tad brutal to get his point across. Or rather, really brutal.'_

Her duel against Ensui had been her hardest so far at Duelist Academy, even tougher than her duel against Vlad. Then she had been beaten fairly completely, so she hadn't gotten to struggle much. But against Ensui she had worked her hardest to win, and succeeded. _'And beating a guy like Ensui makes me worthy of Harrison's notice? Does that mean before that I couldn't even be considered worth his time? Just how strong is he really?'_

Mizuki knew that Harrison hadn't used anywhere near his full skills to defeat Kane. Kane was fairly good as a duelist, just good enough to get into Duelist Academy. But against someone like Harrison, who had been the first in his grade at the Duel Prep School and a first semester Obelisk Blue that skill was like nothing. Mizuki was better than Kane, but could she stand up to Harrison. _'Just stay calm and have fun, you can do this!'_

Without noticing it she had made it to the bottom of the stadium and was now standing at the steps up to the dueling ring. Up there Harrison was awaiting her, most likely with that cocky smirk on his face. _'I'll wipe that smirk off his face, everybody just watch!'_

Taking the steps one at a time was enough to give her a dramatic air, and soon she stood in the designated position, across from Harrison. The Obelisk Blue smirked and adjusted his glasses with one finger. "Oh, you've actually come? Be sure not to be a disgrace to this school as we duel each other, or else you'll be punished."

Mizuki grimaced and slammed her dueling deck into her duel disk, which powered up and move into position. "Shut up and let's duel! I've come this far and I've got no intention of backing down now!" (MLP: 4000)

Harrison sneered, and lifted up his hand of cards, then pointed at her with the other hand. "You've got the potential to be strong Mizuki Mitsuhiro! But you can never achieve that power unless you understand your weakness! I'll teach you that in this world of the strong you stand at the bottom of the ladder to the top! You've lost already!"

"Big talk, but it doesn't mean anything! Show me what you can do Harrison! Then I'll believe all this boasting you've been doing. Don't say things like 'you've lost already' when the duel hasn't even started yet. Wait and save those words for if you actually beat me!" Their eyes met, and the entire stadium lit up as the screens above them lit up to show that the duel was underway.

He nodded, and his duel disk slid a new card out of it. He held it up, then slid it into his hand. "Very well, I'll show you exactly what dueling in this world is like. Where the strong triumph over the weak! Legendary Demon Slayer Dante(1500/1200) is my weapon!"

The red-coated demon slayer jumped out onto the field over Harrison's head, doing a flip and landing a crouch. He flashed Mizuki a cocky smirk, fingering the guns at his belt. Mizuki watched the monster and remembered. _'Since he's summoned Dante he can now activate Twin Pistols: Ebony and Ivory to grant him a three hundred point boost and a double attack. I can handle that.'_

"Since Dante has been summoned I can now equip him with a card from my deck. And my choice is the mighty weapon Merciless! In exchange for the inability to equip anything else on him, Dante now gains fifteen hundred attack points!" Mizuki took a slight step backwards as a heavy razor sharp sword dropped down in front of Dante, and then the slayer picked it up as if it weighed nothing, his attack shooting up to three thousand.

_'So it lets him place any equip card on it, is that it? Guess I'll have to watch more carefully. And three thousand attack points is no laughing matter either.'_ Harrison selected another card from his hand and slipped it into his duel disk.

"I activate Shards of the Demon Brood. You must now discard all demon and undead type monsters from your hand. If you fail to do so, you lose eight hundred life points." Mizuki grimaced, as there was nothing she could do.

"There aren't any demon or undead type monsters in my deck, let alone my hand. So I take the damage." His face-up magic card shattered and the pieces flew across the field, stabbing into her flesh. She winced, but kept calm despite the damage and slight pain. (MLP: 3200)

"Finally I set one card face down on the field. My turn is over, and now you can attempt to prove yourself. Face me with your all in this duel, and maybe you'll prove to the rest of these gathered students and teachers what I already know. You stand above those weaklings that you hang around with, and should stand in the ranks of Obelisk Blue!" Mizuki felt almost sick just hearing him, even though she wanted to get into Obelisk Blue.

"You keep talking like that and I'll forget this duel and beat you up bare handed! My friends aren't weak, and it doesn't matter what dorm I'm in, I'm a duelist all the same regardless!" She drew as she spoke, her determination rising with each word.

"What childish sentiments. Can you really uphold that in a duel against someone of my caliber, or are you just speaking for the sake of looking good? You certainly seem to be number one at this school at something, and that's pointless but inspirational. words." He adjusted his glasses again, smirking at his own witticism.

Mizuki looked down at her hand, looking over her options. Once she had seen them all she looked back up at Harrison and smirked right back, threading her cards through her fingers. "You're number one at something too. Number one at acting cool!"

The instant the words were out of her mouth she slipped one of the six cards she was holding onto her duel disk. Instantly her monster was summoned, and it appeared in the form of a man in a white robe with a glowing spear. "Rune Spearholder(1900/1200) is my choice to fight back against Dante!"

Dante eyed her new monster carefully, hardly looking threatened by it. And Harrison didn't look threatened either. "Such a monster cannot oppose Dante. Or maybe you're going to attempt some form of combo?"

"Maybe I am. Let's see what we've got here? Oh, I know! Rune Guidance activate! When I've got a Rune monster on my field I can add a 'rune symbol' from my deck to my hand." A card slid out of her deck and she held it out for him to see.

"See? It's the card that can easily take down Dante! Rune Symbol-Thurisaz which has the power to destroy one monster on the opponent's field!" The magic card started glowing, and Dante struggled as a blue aura surrounded him, pushing him to his knees.

Harrison pointed at the face down card in front of him, and it flipped up revealing a runic circle with purple smoke coming up from it. "Magic Jammer, one of the most widely known counter traps in the entire game. At a cost of one card from my hand I can negate any magic card played by the opponent."

He carefully selected one card and inserted it into the grave, and the blue glow around Dante faded away. Mizuki grimaced, realizing she had been led in. "Well that's just fine, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."

Harrison's duel disk spat out another card for him to take, and he accepted it. "Well well, what do we have here? The magic card Demon Brood! This allows me to produce two Demon Broodling Tokens(400/400) to your field in defense mode!"

Two scrawny red-skinned demons with four tiny arms appeared on Mizuki's field, huddling up like they were scared of everything around them. "These monsters cannot be used for tribute summons at all. In addition they assist my plans with the card I sent to the grave."

Mizuki gulped as his cemetery slot started glowing, and two beams of light shot up and over Harrison's head. Finally they came crashing down into his deck. "What did you do?"

"I discarded Benefits of the Demon Slayer for the cost of Magic Jammer. As long as it is in my cemetery or on my field whenever the opposing player has a demon summoned to their field I can draw one card." His card slid him two new cards, and the light faded away.

_'He was able to use a cost to benefit himself? He's freaking better than I had expected, even after seeing him duel Kane.'_ Even if he had that advantage, she wasn't that worried. There were only so many ways he could make up for her not having any actual demons in her deck.

"I'm sure at this point, like most of my opponents, you're assuming that there are only so many methods I can exploit when facing a duelist with no demons in their deck. Although my deck is Anti-Demon in nature, that is hardly its only strength. I don't need the other aspects to function, but no matter the situation, I can make them work anyways!" As he spoke he slammed one of his drawn cards into his duel disk, and the field began to shimmer as if with a great heat.

The two demons sniffed at the air, as if they felt something that nobody else did. And then they started eying Mizuki hungrily. "Meet my continuous magic card which will be your demise. Demon Leeching!"

He smirked again, adjusting his glasses, and then pointed at Rune Spearholder. "Dante, attack that weakling!" Dante shot forward at great speed towards the rune monster, massive sword swinging with the intent to decapitate.

"Open face down card! Rune Symbol-Wunjo now activates its reverse effect, which lets me send one monster on the opponent's field back to their hand. So Dante returns from whence he came!" Dante vanished in mid-air, and the car popped off Harrison's duel disk and back into the Obelisk Blue's hand.

Harrison didn't look all that bothered, despite the set-back. "That's fine, I"ll just resummon Legendary Demon Slayer Dante(1500/1200) and this time I'll equip him with Lightning Broadsword Alastor!"

The cocky demon slayer once again took to the field, and this time the weapon that dropped down in front of him was a broadsword that crackled with electricity. Dante gripped it by the handle and picked it up, making a few experimental strokes with it. "When equipped this card Dante gains five hundred attack points. And, once per turn he can deal the opponent five hundred damage!"

Dante swung the blade down and streaks of lightning shot off of it, slamming into Mizuki's body. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to remain standing despite the waves of electricity coursing through her body. "I…don't fall so easily Harrison." (MLP: 2700)

"Oh? Here I wasn't even trying either. I suppose I'll have to do more to you later. But for now I set one card face down and end my turn." A single card appeared behind Dante, replacing the Magic Jammer that Harrison had used in the previous turn.

Mizuki drew and to her shock the two little demons on her field jumped from their position and tackled her. "Get off me you little freaks!" She batted at them, but to little effect. Despite her protests they sank their teeth into her arms and began to drink.

Once sated the two demons jumped away, returning to their place on the field. Mizuki sat up, her head pounding and herself feeling slightly dizzy. "What the heck was that Harrison?"

"Simple, that's the effect of my continuous magic card Demon Leeching. Every person should be aware that demons are treacherous beasts, and they will attack even their master given half the chance. So Demon Leeching works off that, deal you three hundred damage during each standby phase for every demon on your field." Mizuki glanced at her duel disk, and discovered that it was true. She had lost six hundred life points. (MLP: 2100)

"I…see." She frowned, considering her options. She currently had no way of getting rid of Demon Leeching, and no way of getting rid of the two pesky demons outside of slamming them headlong into Dante, which was a dumb idea.

_'He's really good, he's set me up perfectly with two monsters I can't get rid of that will drain my life points each turn. And each turn that I can't kill Dante I'll lose an additional five hundred life points thanks to that equip card. Man, if only I could get Dante to kill them and not take damage!'_ She blinked, and then looked back down at her hand.

To Harrison's surprise Mizuki grinned, and then tapped her duel disk. The two little demons stood up from their huddled positions, snarling at Harrison and Dante. "I switch both tokens into attack mode!"

"Into…attack mode? You aren't actually planning on having them attack Dante just to get rid of them are you? That would drain all of your life points." Mizuki wagged a finger at him, looking happy at her choice of plan.

"That's not completely accurate actually. See, normally I'd take sixteen hundred damage if I attacked Dante with one of these tokens, but I've got a way to reduce that damage to nothing. And it's all thanks to this magic card, Rune Symbol-Algiz!" She flipped it around from her hand and her field was covered in a light blue glow.

"Demon Broodling Tokens, attack Dante!" Both of the little buggers jumped at the demon slayer. Immediately the slayer's instincts kicked in and he slashed first one and then the other in half with his broadsword, making quick work out of them.

"I see. So your Rune Symbol-Algiz reduces all damage to you for the turn to zero, is that it?" Mizuki smirked and flashed him a victory sign, proving to Harrison that his theory was correct. Not that it mattered in the slightest to him.

"Even though I can't kill Dante quite yet, I can still make preparations for later. Reverse card open, Rune Symbol-Eihwaz! I can now choose one monster on your field and that monster can no longer attack or switch modes. I choose Dante!" Red strands of light wrapped around Dante, binding his arms to his chest and preventing him from moving.

"Clever, but stopping Dante won't save you. He's not the only weapon in my deck, and you still have to worry about Demon Leeching. So, are you finished with your turn or what?" Mizuki nodded, confident that she'd make it out of this okay. Harrison was good, but he obviously wasn't invincible.

Harrison grabbed the card his deck presented him with, and then selected a different one from his hand. "You'll notice that I said you still had to worry about Demon Leeching, despite the fact that you had seemingly eliminated all demons on your field. Well I was prepared for such a circumstance with this next card!"

Mizuki braced herself for something dramatic as he held his card out. But instead of bright lights or explosions, there was a simple 'poof' on her field. When the smoke cleared the two little demonic minions were there again. "What the…how did they come back?"

"My magic card Demonic Regeneration restores your field with all demons that have been on it in the past two turns. Which means the two tokens are restored, and since they were summoned I can draw two more cards thanks to my foresight in discarding Benefits of a Demon Slayer." His cocky smirk grew as he drew twice, keeping him at a good sized hand.

_'Even though I thought I had gotten rid of the threat of that magic card, it's still there so I'm not out of the fryer yet. I shouldn't have thought it would be so easy against someone at his level.'_ Harrison snapped his fingers, getting her attention.

"Dante may be bound from attacking or changing modes, but his equip card still gives him that special additional ability. He now deals you five hundred damage!" Lightning streaked from the tip of the blade, ran along the floor, and then shot up into Mizuki's body. She whimpered, unable to stop herself, and fell to one knee. (MLP: 1600)

"Magic card activate! Forced Summon! You must now summon one monster of equal level and same sub-type as one already on your field. I select Rune Spearholder!" Mizuki shook herself off, and reached for her deck to find a card to summon.

She had no idea what Harrison was up to with that play, but if he was intending on helping her with that then she saw no reason not to comply. Not that she had any choice but to comply. "I special summon Rune Fencer(1700/1200) to the field!"

Her white masked monster was summoned, its sword held up in classic fencing pose. _'Thanks Harrison, you've given me a way to make Dante weak enough to kill. Then I'll thrash your life points.'_

"Did you think I was doing you a favor? Reverse card open, Ties to the Demon Brood! This trap activates when the opposing player summons a monster. It and all other monsters on their field of the same sub-type become demons." Mizuki gulped as her two monsters began to mutate, horns growing out of their heads and leathery wings growing out of their backs.

_'I get it, he made me summon so he could use that trap and turn my monsters into demons before my standby phase rolled along. That way Demon Leeching would deal an extra burst of damage to me. Not good.'_ And right now in her hand and on her field there was no way to stop that damage from occurring.

"You're really not doing very well so far, are you Mizuki? But that's that to be expected, since against me you're nothing. Nothing you can do, weakling. I place this card face down for later, and then conclude my turn." He adjusted his glasses, and his eyes pierced into hers, and she felt her confidence fading.

Off to the side, back at the front row and at the railing was none other than Tobias. And he was looking particularly happy. "I thought my plans for revenge were ruined when she defeated Ensui, but rigging the randomization machine to select Harrison as her opponent was a stroke of genius. There's no way she can win!"

In the stands her friends watched with baited breath as Mizuki drew her card for the turn, unaware that this situation had been brought about by the sneaky actions of a sleazy duelist. If they had known, they likely would have beaten Tobias into a pulp.

Mizuki drew, and immediately all four of her monsters were all over her, attacking relentlessly. She was lost under the pile, being assaulted without remorse by creatures that should be fighting for her. And when they moved away, her hair was mussed and she looked weak in the knees. "I…won't let my monsters continue to hurt me." (MLP: 400)

"Not that you really have a choice. My Demon Leeching magic card will drain you of your life points bit by bit, and there's not much you can do about it. Of course, if you can't beat Dante this turn, then you lose on my turn, don't you?" He chuckled, completely confident in his victory. And so were the rest of the Obelisk Blues.

Mizuki glanced up at the crowd, seeing the signs that cheered for her, and seeing her friends faces. They were cheering her on, telling her to keep going. "As long as there are still cards left, I'll continue to fight you Harrison. And I have no intention of losing!"

"Yes, well the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. And if cards are what keep you confident, perhaps I should strip you of those cards. Activate trap card, Card Crush! One card is discarded from your hand, and if it's a demon or undead type you lose three hundred life points." A heavy force slammed into Mizuki and one of her cards went flying.

She caught it before it reached the ground, and then slid it into her duel disk. "It wasn't a demon. But…I am down to just one card in my hand now."

"Face it Mizuki, you're talented but you're just not ready to face someone like me. After all, just look at the field and the scores. Not only do I have control over the field but I've also got a commanding lead in life points. You've only got a handful of life points left, whereas I've remained untouched all game long!" Mizuki's fists clenched tighter, and she could feel herself slipping towards that place of rage that any teenage girl had. But she knew she had to keep a cool head in a duel and not get distracted.

_"How do I become stronger in heart?"_

_"That's a matter for every duelist and person to discover on their own. Little one, although you have that weakness, I must admit that I enjoy our little duel. Perhaps next time we face each other, your strengthened heart will make me push harder, stretching us to our limits. To be in a duel where both duelist's hearts were fighting almost as much as their cards, that would be a true duel."_

Mizuki lifted her head, and to her surprise her eyes met with the dark orbs that belonged to Vlad, who stood at the top of the stadium with his massive arms folded across his chest. He smiled warmly and gave her a brief nod of the had as if to say 'yes, that's right.'

Mizuki grinned and looked back at Harrison who appeared surprised at how she was smiling. "Maybe I haven't touched you yet, but I'm about to try something new. Let's see how well it works out. Rune Symbol-Fehu lets me draw twice!"

Harrison felt his blood run colder than before as she slipped one of her drawn cards into her duel disk and the field started to shake. "Rune Symbol-Tiwaz activates! At a cost of half my life points I can destroy all cards on the field!" (MLP: 200)

The crowd jumped to their feet as every single card in play was blown apart, leaving the field completely empty. And Mizuki was already slapping her remaining card down onto her duel disk. "Rune Berserker(2000/1200), attack Harrison's life points directly!"

The muscular monster growled a challenge and charged at Harrison, clotheslining the teenager. Harrison hit the ground on his back hard, and clutched at his throat, coughing violently. _'That bitch she…actually struck me?'_ (HLP: 2000)

Mizuki smirked and flashed Harrison a victory sign for the second time in their duel. "Don't get overconfident yet Harrison, because this duel is just getting started! I'm not finished with you by a long shot!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Took me a while, but it was worth it.

_Next Time: Mizuki is just getting started, but Harrison has a lot more waiting in the wings for her. And according to Harrison his mighty demon slayer Dante isn't the worst thing he has in store for her. Now Mizuki has to fight with her all to defeat this powerful opponent! _

_See it all in, VS The Dark Prince; Slayers and Avengers!_

**Review Response: From now on there will not be a review response thanks to newest rules. Sorry folks.**


	13. VS The Dark Prince Slayers and Avengers

Author's Note: Now for the conclusion to Harrison vs Mizuki.

**Chapter Thirteen: VS The Dark Prince; Slayers and Avengers**

_Mizuki glanced up at the crowd, seeing the signs that cheered for her, and seeing her friends' faces. They were cheering her on, telling her to keep going. "As long as there are still cards left, I'll continue to fight you Harrison. And I have no intention of losing!"_

_"Yes, well the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. And if cards are what keep you confident, perhaps I should strip you of those cards. Activate trap card, Card Crush! One card is discarded from your hand, and if it's a demon or undead type you lose three hundred life points." A heavy force slammed into Mizuki and one of her cards went flying._

_She caught it before it reached the ground, and then slid it into her duel disk. "It wasn't a demon. But…I am down to just one card in my hand now." _

_"Face it Mizuki, you're talented but you're just not ready to face someone like me. After all, just look at the field and the scores. Not only do I have control over the field but I've also got a commanding lead in life points. You've only got a handful of life points left, whereas I've remained untouched all game long!" Mizuki's fists clenched tighter, and she could feel herself slipping towards that place of rage that any teenage girl had. But she knew she had to keep a cool head in a duel and not get distracted._

_"How do I become stronger in heart?"_

_"That's a matter for every duelist and person to discover on their own. Little one, although you have that weakness, I must admit that I enjoy our little duel. Perhaps next time we face each other, your strengthened heart will make me push harder, stretching us to our limits. To be in a duel where both duelist's hearts were fighting almost as much as their cards, that would be a true duel."_

_Mizuki lifted her head, and to her surprise her eyes met with the dark orbs that belonged to Vlad, who stood at the top of the stadium with his massive arms folded across his chest. He smiled warmly and gave her a brief nod of the had as if to say 'yes, that's right.'_

_Mizuki grinned and looked back at Harrison who appeared surprised at how she was smiling. "Maybe I haven't touched you yet, but I'm about to try something new. Let's see how well it works out. Rune Symbol-Fehu lets me draw twice!"_

_Harrison felt his blood run colder than before as she slipped one of her drawn cards into her duel disk and the field started to shake. "Rune Symbol-Tiwaz activates! At a cost of half my life points I can destroy all cards on the field!" (MLP: 200)_

_The crowd jumped to their feet as every single card in play was blown apart, leaving the field completely empty. And Mizuki was already slapping her remaining card down onto her duel disk. "Rune Berserker(2000/1200), attack Harrison's life points directly!"_

_The muscular monster growled a challenge and charged at Harrison, clotheslining the teenager. Harrison hit the ground on his back hard, and clutched at his throat, coughing violently. 'That bitch she…actually struck me?' (HLP: 2000)_

_Mizuki smirked and flashed Harrison a victory sign for the second time in their duel. "Don't get overconfident yet Harrison, because this duel is just getting started! I'm not finished with you by a long shot!"_

Harrison's fists stopped shaking and he unclenched them, his relaxation returning. "You managed an impressive hit, but as you said, the duel is far from done. I have literally ten times your life points. So, let's see where that lets us. Draw!"

A card slid out of his duel disk and he caught it, adding it to his hand. "I'll set one monster face down as well as a magic or trap card. Then my turn is over."

Mizuki drew, and then slapped her newest drawn card onto her duel disk. "Rune Centurion(1800/1500) joins the fray!" A man in white armor with rune symbols etched into it was summoned, standing tall with a heavy sword in one hand and a bow slung over its shoulder.

Harrison still seemed completely calm, so she wasn't perfectly sure that this would do it. Still, nothing was ever accomplished by sitting around and doing nothing. "Rune Centurion, attack his set monster with Centurion Slash!"

Rune Centurion charged across the field and drove its sword point first into the set monster, which blew apart. But Harrison didn't seem bothered about it. "You destroyed Arsenal Forger(900/900) whose flip effect lets me add an equip card to my hand."

A card slid out of his deck and he took it. "By the way, you also triggered my trap card by destroying my monster. Oath of the Slayer is triggered, and now it lets me select one face-up monster on your field."

Light shown down upon Rune Berserker, who looked around in confusion. "Oath of the Slayer adds 'Demon Slayer' to the chosen monster's title, and then gives me control of it. If possible I can instantly equip it with a card from my hand."

Mizuki grimaced as Rune Berserker stumbled over to Harrison's field. Seconds later an ornate sword with a hilt like a demon's face appeared in the monster's hand. "He has become Demon Slayer Berserker, and I equip him with Rebellion! This equip raises his attack by one thousand."

Since there were no more cards in Mizuki's hand and nothing for her to play it was Harrison's turn. Now with two cards in hand and a powerful monster in play he seemed to be back in his element, his element being control. "This should be the end."

The crowd was on the edge of their seats, certain that this was the end. But two people in the audience didn't seem so certain about that. Both Shiro and Vlad crossed their arms across their chests and smirked knowingly. At the same time on opposite sides of the room they spoke the same words. "Mizuki's got an ace up her sleeve, just wait Harrison."

Harrison pointed at Mizuki's monster, who held his sword up in preparation for the coming attack. "Demon Slayer Berserker(3000/1200), attack Rune Centurion!"

Berserker didn't budge an inch. "What are you doing? I said attack!"

Yet still the monster didn't move, and now Harrison was certain it wasn't just a glitch, but rather Mizuki's doing. She was smiling, and that told him what he needed to know. "What did you do?"

"Centurions are basically guardians you know, just ones that have a more offensive nature than guardians. They're preemptive. At the start of the opponent's turn Rune Centurion lets me select one monster on their field, which can't attack this turn. And I chose Berserker." Vlad and Shiro smiled knowingly again, while Tobias slammed his hands against the railing in frustration.

Harrison just adjusted his glasses, looking almost bored. "If you hadn't stopped that attack somehow I would have been disappointed. I set one card face down and place a monster in defense mode. Your turn Mizuki."

Mizuki drew and immediately she reached for her duel disk, shifting the only card on it into a horizontal position. "Rune Centurion moves to defense mode."

"Next I set a new monster in defense mode. And that's the end of my turn." Immediately Harrison drew, and after a quick glance at his drawn card he slid it into his duel disk, and smirked.

"Since I've managed to get my hand empty, I can now fully utilize my set monster. Flip summon Jar of Wealth(500/700). When it's flipped and I have no cards in my hand it lets me roll a die. I draw cards equal to the number rolled. Dice Roll!" A little crazy face with big eyes was all that could be seen of his actual monster's body, as it was within a jar. But it spat a die out which bounced across the field.

The die stopped with three points staring up at the ceiling, and Harrison drew three cards accordingly. He looked down at the cards, and then smirked. "You have bested Dante, and for that I am impressed. But I suppose I should advise you about Dante's true nature."

As he spoke a spectral version of Dante appeared behind him, arms crossed. "Thousands of years ago there lived a tremendously powerful demon by the name of Sparda. In an act of kindness he took up his blade and defended mankind. Following his battle against the unholy hordes he joined humanity and fathered Dante, making Dante half-human and half-demon."

Harrison closed his eyes as he spoke, his right hand taking one of the three cards he was holding away from the rest. "Yet Sparda had more than one son. And as powerful as his son Dante is, the other son is stronger still. For he seeks power for his own ends."

Mizuki gulped as the spectral image of Dante faded away and Harrison held his card out in front of him. "Ritual magic card activate! To unleash the power of Dante's brother I will use this card. Opening the Gate to the Demon Realm!"

A huge gate with skull and crossbones on each end formed on the field, and began to suck in the monsters that were already on the field. Berserker and Jar of Wealth were pulled in, but nothing seemed to be happening. "Together those two monsters are six levels, while I require eight. So I offer Getshu Fuhma(1700/1200) to feed the summoning!"

The female samurai was also sucked in, and at long last the gate swung open, light bathing the field. When the light faded, the monster that had been summoned was revealed. He looked very similar to Dante, with similar white hair, only he wore a fancy blue trench coat and had his hair spiked up rather than down like Dante. He also appeared much calmer than his brother. "Legendary Demon Swordsman Vergil(2800/2600)!"

Harrison made a slashing motion with one of his hands and one of his two face down cards shattered. "By sacrificing a card on my field Vergil can be equipped with this card from my deck. Blade of the Father: Force Edge!"

The katana sheathed at Vergil's side didn't change, leading Mizuki to believe that it was his standard weapon. "Force Edge increases Vergil's attack by seven hundred. So now his thirty-five hundred attack points are aimed at you. Also when he destroys a monster with Force Edge equipped you take one hundred per level of the slain monster. Meaning my next attack can finish you off!"

Mizuki placed her hands on her hips, looking confident despite the monster staring her down. "Vergil's strong, but you failed to realize that if the monster chosen by Centurion leaves play I get to reselect. And so I've chosen to prevent Vergil from attacking this turn!"

Despite having been denied a chance to finish her off immediately, Harrison didn't look worried. Perhaps it was just the presence of Vergil on the field, or maybe it was something more. "Very well, I set the final card in my hand face down and end my turn."

Mizuki took a deep breath and drew, then reached down to her duel disk. "I flip summon Rune Researcher(400/400). When he's flipped I get to take back two Rune Symbols from my cemetery and add them to my hand."

She held up one of the returned cards immediately, and a blue glow surrounded Vergil. "I return and played Rune Symbol-Thurisaz to destroy Vegil! That big entrance and now he's gone so fast!"

"Don't be so cocky with so little to back it up. Reverse card open, Illusion of Truth. This card lets me sacrifice one card on my field to negate a magic or trap card, and I choose to sacrifice itself to negate your magic card." Mizuki's magic card vanished, and the blue glow around Vergil did as well.

"Well I'm still not finished. Rune Symbol-Fehu lets me draw two cards!" She drew twice, and then looked at her brand new cards. She seemed satisfied by what she had drawn, but Harrison wasn't worried.

"I sacrifice my two monsters in order to summon the strongest of the rune monsters. Rune Paladin(2600/2400) is summoned!" Centurion and Researcher blinked out of existence. But to replace them came a man in similar white armor to Centurion's, only it had runic symbols constantly moving around it, and he held a shield in one hand that also had rune symbols on it, as well as a mirror bright sword.

"Not enough. But I'm sure that's not all you have for Vergil." Mizuki nodded and slipped one of her two remaining cards into her duel disk. Instantly the blade in Paladin's hand started to glow with a brilliant inner blue light.

"Runic Energy allows me to permanently power up one rune monster on the field by a thousand attack and defense points. Which means Rune Paladin(3600/3400) can more than handle Vergil. Attack!" The Paladin jumped at Vergil, swinging his sword down and unleashing a powerful wave of energy.

Vergil glared at the oncoming attack contemptuously and unsheathed his sword. With a quick slash of his blade he dispersed the energy, leaving him intact. But sparks still fell past Vergil and onto Harrison. Mizuki wasn't that surprised. "What happened?"

"My continuous trap card happened. Heart of Healing prevents any monster with 'demon slayer', 'demon hunter', or 'demon swordsman' in its name from being destroyed in battle. So Vergil remains." Mizuki sighed, but still felt satisfied that she had at least dealt some damage to her opponent. (HLP: 1900)

Mizuki placed the final card in her hand face down, and tilted her head to Harrison, indicating to him that her turn was done. He gladly accepted the card he had received from his duel disk. "I suppose since I can't kill your monster I may as well make preparations. I set one card face down."

A card appeared behind Vergil, but the demon swordsman didn't make any notice of it. As soon as it was down Mizuki's own set card flipped up. "Rune Symbol-Perthro's reverse effect activates! For the next two turns you have no draw phase, but on the third turn you get to draw four cards instead of one."

"Interesting and clever. Although Vergil can't be slain in battle, I've now only got one card between you and him and you have two turns to beat him or drain my life points. I suppose my turn is over." Mizuki drew slowly, watching as Harrison smirked and adjusted his glasses. She didn't like how he was acting.

"You're cocky, and I don't like the looks of it. Rune Paladin, attack Vergil!" Again the Paladin fired off a blast of energy from its sword, and again Vergil countered by cutting the attack in mid-air with his katana. (HLP: 1800)

"Minimal damage, I'm not worried. Do you have anything better you can do?" Mizuki nodded and flipped around the single card she was holding. Instantly five cards slid off the top of her deck.

"Rune Symbol-Ansuz lets me look at the top five cards of my deck and rearrange them in whatever order I want. So this should help." She changed their order a few times, and then finally returned them to her deck.

Harrison sighed and shook his head. "Since I can't draw, my turn is over. Go ahead Mizuki."

She drew and then flipped it around. "Rune Symbol-Sowhilo lets me gain five hundred life points and draw one card!" She drew once again, faster than the previous time. Harrison didn't even react to her life point increase. (MLP: 700)

"Rune Symbol-Uruz increases the attack of my monster by one thousand for the turn, so now he's going to attack Vergil once again!" Again he struck, only this time the wave of energy was only somewhat dissipated by Vergil's counterattack. The bulk of it overflowed and washed over Harrison. (HLP: 700)

"And so the epic battle continues between the two. I'm sure it's terribly frightening. Is there anything else you'd like to attempt?" Mizuki shook her head, confused by Harrison's reaction. It was like he was completely confident, despite his poor situation.

Tobias pounded his fists against the railing again and again, unable to comprehend what was happening. "This is ridiculous! Harrison is the third highest ranked duelist in this entire school, which means there's no way Mizuki should be able to beat him. Yet he's losing!"

He stopped striking the railing, settling for squeezing it as tightly as he could between his hands. "How…I arranged it perfectly. I thought that Shiro would crush her spirit, but even that didn't work. Then I thought that setting her against Ensui would bring her defeat, but that bombed as well. And now…now even Harrison isn't working? What do I have to do to crush this girl!"

This wasn't his day, not at all. "Even my own efforts to get ahead were negated because I ended up tying with that idiot Shiro. I even made a deck designed to defeat his and it failed. Am I cursed or something?"

He suddenly tensed up, and then a large heavy object dropped onto his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that it was a massive hand. Shaking he turned, and found himself forced to look up at a man of over seven feet in height. "V…Vlad. How nice to see you."

Vlad didn't remove his hand from Tobias' shoulder, nor did he look down at the younger and much smaller teen. "Mizuki is far from weak. She has a lot of potential within her, the only thing she needs are people who can draw that potential out of her. Strong opponents, worthy of her."

"Y…yes I'm…uhh…sure that's the case." Tobias gulped, wondering how little effort Vlad would have to expand to rip his head off. With arms that large it probably wouldn't take much. After all, it only took a pound of pressure to break skin.

"Your efforts, crude and cruel though they may be, have gotten her opponents worthy of bringing out that potential. If it weren't for that I wouldn't tolerate such despicable actions at this school and would get you thrown out. For the moment, you can remain. But Mizuki is important, and if you try to take any physical action against her, I'll break your legs. Understand?" Tobias nodded, unable to stop himself from shaking. He knew that this behemoth of a man could carry out that threat easily.

"Good, since we have an understanding I suppose I can leave you be for the time being. But just keep my warning in mind." Again Tobias nodded, unable to get his vocal cords to work out a response. Vlad lifted his hand off Tobias' shoulder and departed.

Once the strongman was gone Tobias slumped against the railing, looking much paler than he had been before the top duelist had confronted him. But slowly a smirk appeared on his face. "So…she's important is she? Just like I thought, there's something different about her. And I'll find out what. I'll play your game Vlad, and I'll find a way to draw out her potential and then crush her at her best."

Harrison tapped a hand against his duel disk, and continued to smirk. "Ah yes, the last turn where I can't draw. I suppose that I should be worried that you'll defeat me before I can draw again, shouldn't I? But yet somehow, I'm not worried at all."

"What is up with you? How can you be so unconcerned despite the situation you're in? I can't even tell if you're enjoying this duel or not." Harrison turned his head to the side slightly and adjusted his glasses. He still looked like he knew something nobody else did.

"Yes, I'm enjoying this duel quite thoroughly actually. I'm simply not concerned with any chance of me losing. That would mean you were my superior, and unfortunately for you I am something you are not." Mizuki frowned, not sure she got what he was talking about.

"You're something I'm not? Would that be a guy, or did you have an actual point to make?" Harrison chuckled and turned to face Mizuki again. She found herself irritated by that know-it-all look he had on, and knew she'd get a chance to wipe that smirk off his face.

"I am an avenger. And so I won't lose this duel. What is your reason for facing me? An effort to get into Obelisk Blue? Retribution for my embarrassing someone you barely knew? My insults to a friend of yours? One of these? With those as your reasons there is no way you can defeat me!"

"Shut up and end your turn so I can prove you wrong! Even such simple reasons can be enough to win a duel when you fight it with your all! And what do you have, the declaration that you're an avenger? Even if you're trying to avenge something that means nothing to me, because it has nothing to do with me. You're not getting vengeance against me, so it has no impact on this duel." Their eyes met, and sparks crackled between them as their wills battled.

"You believe that do you? I'll prove to you that an avenger will win in order to gain strength for the purpose of that vengeance. Watch me crush you under my heel as soon as I draw my next card. You have one turn to defeat me or this duel is over for you!" Slowly their determined looks faded into small smiles, as they both accepted what that declaration meant.

Mizuki placed two fingers on the top card of her deck, already knowing what it was going to be. "Harrison Wilhelm the Third, if you really think you can defeat me on your turn, then you'll have to prove it. But this turn, Vergil falls! Draw!"

She instantly threw it into her duel disk, and a bolt of white light flew from her cemetery up into the air. "Rune Chant activates! Now I can pick up one Rune Symbol from my cemetery and add it to my hand!"

A card popped out of her graveyard slot and she picked it up. "Vergil, this time my card won't be stopped! Rune Symbol-Thurisaz destroy Vergil!"

Harrison stood there and did nothing as his mighty monster exploded into tens of thousands of holographic pixilated fragments. Now all that remained on his field was his useless continuous trap card and his set card. "Impressive, you succeeded. Although, are you sure that you can defeat me?"

"Either way, there's no way I'm backing down now! Rune Paladin, direct attack with Rune Energy Wave!" Rune Paladin raised his sword high up over his head and then swung it down. A blast of blue energy nearly double the size of the previous ones erupted from the tip, the target being Harrison.

The Obelisk Blue thrust his hand out over his set card and it opened, revealing the card that had been hidden from prying eyes for a number of turns. "Trap card go! Destiny Destroy! I can send five cards from my deck to the cemetery."

Mizuki blinked, having expected something slightly more…useful. "How's that going to protect you at all?"

"Just watch and see. Ah…here are my cards." He flipped around five cards, returning his deck back to his duel disk. Mizuki clearly saw that there were five magic cards, three of which appeared to be equip cards.

"I'm discarding The Artemis, Devouring the Darkness, Klaymores, Zambak, and Substitution. I should probably mention that for each magic card I send to my grave with Destiny Destroy I take one hundred damage." Even as most of his remaining life points trickled away he still appeared confident. (HLP: 200)

"Now we're tied. And I still don't see how that move helped you survive my attack." Harrison adjusted his glasses with one finger, a look of complete superiority on his face. His lips quirked up into a dangerous smile, and then the wave of energy rolled over him.

Up in the stands Shiro, Aya, and Kane all jumped to their feet, cheering. Almost the entire audience also began a round of applause. "Go Mizuki! Mizuki Number One! All the way to Obelisk Blue Mizuki!"

She blushed at the praise, dipping her head down to avoid the gaze of the other students. "Taking premature praise are we?"

Harrison stepped out of the maelstrom of energy and hefted his blue duel disk, showing Mizuki the life point counter. "In case you hadn't noticed, this duel isn't over yet." (HLP: 200)

"H…how? I was certain I had you." The crowd fell silent, all but a few shocked to see him completely undamaged from the powerful direct attack. It was only a few of the more advanced students that understood what had happened.

"You have a monster called Rune Guardian that can be removed from the game to reduce damage you take by half during the turn it is removed. I made a move of a similar vein, except the card I used was Substitution. I removed it from my grave to substitute for the damage completely, protecting me." He held up the magic card in question, and then placed it in his back pocket.

"Wow…that was impressive, I admit it. Alright, I'll just have to end my turn. But hey, you remember your declaration. You'll look like a total loser if you can't beat me in your next turn, and I doubt that's going to happen." Harrison just smirked mysteriously.

"I guarantee that this is the very last turn of the duel. I draw now, and thanks to your magic card I draw four cards!" Four cards were given to him by his duel disk, and he fanned them out to create a full hand of cards.

Mizuki felt her heart pounding in her chest as Harrison looked down at the four cards he had drawn. They were tied in life points, and Mizuki had field advantage with her powerful Rune Paladin in play. _'He's good, but it'd be tough for him to beat me in this turn.'_

"Ah yes, I can't destroy Rune Paladin. But then again, do you remember what I did to that weakling friend of yours?" Mizuki gritted her teeth, remembering perfectly well what he had done to Kane. Attacking directly even when he didn't need to.

"That is my intent to prove my power. Now, magic card activates! Sword that Seals the Dead! This will seal away your monster until a monster on your field is destroyed, at which time it will be released again." A black sword flew out of the card, stabbing into the Paladin's chest.

The paladin vanished, turning back into a card. The card was sent flying backwards, landing a few feet behind Mizuki, piercing into the ground. "I do believe that clears your field and I still have three cards in my hand."

Mizuki let out a little laugh, realizing just how much trouble she was in. This time there was nothing she could do if he summoned a monster. "Go ahead Harrison, take the opening."

"I shall! This monster is an avenger just as I am. Avenger of Fallen Souls(1600/1000)!" A burst of light formed into a dark haired young man wearing a white suit with a blue cross on the chest. He also wore a cape-like mantle in the same way that Harrison did.

Without another word he slammed one of his two remaining cards into his duel disk, and the card appeared face-up. It showed a man picking up a sword from a furnace. "Weapon of Choice allows me to equip a monster on my field with an equip card of my choice. That card automatically reaches its full potential as well."

Avenger of Fallen Souls held up his right hand and a white glove formed over it, it had the same blue cross on the back that the man's outfit did. "Gloves of Focus are now equipped to Avenger of Fallen Souls, and the Gloves of Focus gain their maximum counters!"

The avenger leveled its right arm at Mizuki, holding it there. Moments later an ornate and deadly looking black bow formed attached to the gloves. "Gloves of Focus can only be equipped on Avenger of Fallen Souls, and they maximize his potential. His effect increase by one hundred for each counter on the gloves, and they now have their max of five."

The avenger reached out with his left hand and placed it near the bow as if ready to draw an arrow. It pulled the string back, and bit by bit a glowing blue arrow formed, fitted perfectly into the bow. "It's over for you, more than you can imagine as this will hurt. When Avenger of Fallen Souls attacks it gains two hundred attack points per magic card in the grave."

Mizuki stared at Harrison, her smile fading away. "And Gloves of Focus has five counters, so that amount is increased by a total of five hundred. Meaning when it attacks it will gain seven hundred attack points per magic card in the grave."

"That's correct. And now its time to end it. Avenger of Fallen Souls, attack Mizuki directly with all your might! Arrow of Soul(13500)!" The spiritual archer released the arrow of blue light that he was holding and it was fired off like a shot from the bow.

As it left the bow it increased drastically in size, the light brightening the entire room. Mizuki stood stock still as the arrow seemed to approach as if in slow motion. The entire student boy was silent to her ears as it approached her. Then it connected, and her world was filled with light. (MLP: 0)

The light filtered out of the room and the two duelists were seen clearly once again. Harrison's duel disk was shut down and compacted on his arm, and he was standing over Mizuki. The fifteen year old Ra Yellow girl was sprawled out on the ground, unconscious. "When you've improved, come seek me again. Maybe then you'll be able to actually push me and make me stronger. Until then…don't bother me."

He walked off the platform, and then stopped to glance up at Tobias. "Next time I face her, it will be a Darkness Game, just as you suggested. Then I'll see what she's truly capable of."

Tobias continued to watch the fallen Mizuki, even as she was surrounded by her worried friends. He had gotten his wish, seen her crushed completely, but he still wasn't satisfied. It just wasn't enough, it would require the Darkness Game for it to be complete. "Enjoy a temporary reprieve Mizuki, I'll leave you alone for now. Pretty soon you'll learn what the darkness is like, and you'll learn who your superiors are."

He turned on his heel to follow after Harrison, a happy smirk on his face. "I'm going to wipe that happy smile off your pretty face once and for all."

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Author's Note: And there you have it.

_Next Time: Mizuki has suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Dark Prince of Duelist Academy, Harrison Wilhelm the Third. Yet life at Duelist Academy must still go on. Friends will be friends, foes will be foes, and siblings will be siblings. Then again, siblings don't always get along that well._

_See it all in, Sibling Rivalry!_


	14. Sibling Rivalry

Author's Note: Sibling battle ahoy!

**Chapter Fourteen: Sibling Rivalry**

A month had already passed since that day of the duel review. Mizuki had been surprisingly elated by her defeat, declaring that it meant she still had farther she could go. She was also delighted when she went out on her very first date with Sanzo.

Aya walked out of the classroom and saw Mizuki standing next to a tree, looking up at one of the branch's where the grinning Sanzo sat. They were chatting idly, so Aya turned away and walked in the opposite direction. "Some people have all the luck. Like Mizuki and like…Enzeru."

When her older brother had been accepted into the Duel Prep School associated with Duelist Academy both she and Kane had been jealous. Especially since they hadn't made it in at the time. Then when Enzeru graduated with top grades from the Prep School and automatically became an Obelisk Blue it bothered them. _'He's always been better than us, but now that we're here with him it seems to reach us more.'_

She had been trying harder to improve herself since she came to the school, especially after she lost so badly to Sanzo. She knew that Kane was also trying to get better, but he didn't seem to take it as seriously as she did. "That idiot will never improve at this rate."

"Who's an idiot? Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Aya sighed and attempted to ignore Kane once again. Her brother was walking just a few feet behind her, heading for the Osiris Red dorms.

Shiro placed a hand on his roommate's shoulder and grinned like an idiot. "Don't worry about it man, your sister is just clinically insensitive. It's best not to take anything people like that say seriously."

Seconds later he was holding his head in pain, a big lump rising from the top where Aya had hit him. "Now who's talking like someone isn't there? Idiot!"

She stormed away, and Shiro lifted his head to look at Kane. "Say Kane…I think your sister has a crush on me or something."

Kane stared at his friend blankly. "You…you're joking, right?"

"She seems to hate me, and we both know that whenever that's the case there's love involved. Poor girl though…surely she knows I'm interested in Mizuki." This time it was Kane's responsibility to smack his friend upside the head to knock some sense into him.

"Stupid! That stuff only happens in manga and anime, not in real life. Sheesh, this is why you're never going to actually have any success with a girl." In response Shiro raised one hand and pointed his finger straight to the sky.

"Yes, but I Shiro Akugi won't rest until I have met with success! Although I have fallen to the depths of the darkest pits of loneliness I will rise again like a phoenix from the ashes! And when the ladies see me they will cheer my name, then I'll be the one with buttons and a fan club!" Kane saw an image of it in his mind, with Shiro flying into the sky laughing, and then he burst into flames.

"You do that Shiro. I like the phoenix idea, it sounds like a good thing." Shiro eyed Kane curiously, as the other Osiris Red appeared to be grinning in an almost evil manner.

"You're thinking of something entirely different than what I am, aren't you?" Kane shook his head vehemently, so Shiro backed off, looking satisfied.

The two of them trekked up the hill which would lead them towards the Osiris Red dorm. It was the farthest away from everything, and by far the least impressive. But at the very least it had a nice view of the ocean.

Kane and Shiro walked in silence for a minute, until finally Kane grew bored. "So…what are we going to do today? I've got no plans now that classes are over for the day. You gonna make another failed attempt at pranking Sanzo?"

Shiro's left eye started twitching instantly at the mention of that name. It was a sore spot for him, as not only had the guy gotten the girl he was after with very little effort but he had so far avoided every attempt Shiro had made at pranking him. And all of it without seeming to notice what was happening. "I'll get that jerk soon….but no. Not today, gotta figure out a new plan. I was thinking of dying my hair blonde today, what do you think?"

"That sounds so amazingly boring that I think I'd rather hang out with Tobias than do that. Any other thoughts?" Shiro scowled and slung his backpack off his shoulder and deposited it on the ground. Then he reached in and whipped out his duel disk.

"Fine then! I'll go and kick Sanzo's ass in a duel right here and now!" He posed dramatically, right hand thrust up in the sky just like before, duel disk gripped tightly. He stood that way for several seconds, and then his arms flopped back down and his head drooped.

"He'd kick my ass wouldn't he? Ahhh….damn it! I'm the best duelist in Osiris Red and still I can't touch that jerk. At least I'm improving; you've been stuck in the same spot since the beginning of the semester." He sighed and returned his duel disk to his backpack.

Kane grimaced, feeling the weight of his duel disk on his back. It wasn't much, but somehow it felt heavier than it had seconds ago. _'He's right, and so was Aya. I've been stuck in the same spot as a duelist since I got here. I'm not improving at all and everyone is passing me up.'_

In his mind's eye he saw himself standing at the bottom of a hill while Shiro and Tobias marched up towards the top, where Enzeru, Mizuki, Sanzo, and Harrison were all waiting. _'Even Aya is improving, soon she'll meet up with those guys at the top and I'll be left alone at the bottom. Forever in red….'_

Unable to contain himself he unbuttoned his Osiris Red uniform top and tossed it onto the ground, remaining standing there in the issued black t-shirt. "I'm tired of being at the bottom Shiro. I'm tired of everyone surpassing me, especially my brother and sister! And I'm not going to take it anymore!"

He spun around and pointed his finger across the island towards where the Obelisk Blue dorms lay. "I've made up my mind! Today I'm going to prove myself by going out there and defeating Enzeru in a duel!"

Shiro grabbed Kane's hand and shifted the direction, making it point towards Ra Yellow. "Yeah, let's start easier okay buddy? Why not challenge your sister first? And before you do that, how about we work on fixing your deck up?"

Kane remained standing there, pointing out at the Ra Yellow dorm. Shiro sighed and grabbed his friend's shirt and started dragging him along back to the Osiris Red dorm. "Come on buddy, I'm gonna help you not make a fool out of yourself. Once we're done with you there's no way you'll lose to your sister!"

Kane remained fixed in position.

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The door to room 213 of the Ra Yellow girl's dorm burst open all of a sudden and Kane stood there, his finger pointing directly at his sister. "Aya! I challenge you to a duel to prove who has improved more since coming here!"

The three girls in the room blinked, taking a second to register what he just happened. Once they had Kane registered what had happened as well. Janice and Mizuki were currently in the middle of changing into their regular clothes. "PERVERT!"

Kane was suddenly pummeled by random flying objects, and finally struck by a chair and sent flying out of the door. He hit the stairs and rolled down, finally coming to a stop at Shiro's feet. "See, told you it was a dumb idea."

Kane leapt to his feet and put his finger right in his roommate's face. "It was your freaking idea in the first place!"

"Yeah, that's why I said it was a dumb idea. Never thought you'd listen to me…."

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Aya, Janice, and Mizuki were walking through the forest in the normal clothes, chatting idly with each other as they headed to their secret destination. Suddenly some dropped down in front of them, hanging upside down from a branch. It was none other than Kane. They screamed at the sudden intrusion.

"Aya! I challenge you to a duel to prove who has improved more since coming here!" Once his challenge was issued he noticed that all three girls seemed rather upset. Perhaps it was because he had just scared the living daylights out of them.

As one their raised their clenched fists, brows twitching in irritation. Kane sweatdropped, knowing what was coming next. "IDIOT!"

Three combined punches were enough to send Kane sailing. He soared through the trees and finally stopped, entagled in a branch and unable to move. Several minutes later Shiro stood under the tree and stared up at Kane's disabled form. "You okay?"

"This is seriously your fault. 'Jump them from a tree, it'll work I swear'. Bah! You suck Shiro!"

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The three girls finally relaxed in their secret destination. Thanks to the fact that the island they were on had once been volcanic there were plenty of these places scattered. It was a nice little hot spring that they came to in order to unwind and have girl talk where they couldn't be interrupted.

So there they sat, shoulder deep in the water, chatting idly just as before. Something was amiss though, as bubbles were rising from the water a few feet away. The girls moved forward slightly to see what it was, and instantly Kane exploded from the water, his clothes soaking wet as he pointed his finger at his sister. "Aya! I challenge you to a duel to prove who has improved more since coming here!"

He blinked, stopped, looked at them, and knew his demise was imminent. Seconds later he was sent flying through the air, right up and over the little rock ledge that was next to the hot springs. He landed with a mighty splash in the hot spring on the other side.

Kane came up out of the water, spluttering, only to find Kane sitting at the edge of the water as if waiting for him. Kane swam to the edge and glared up at the grinning Shiro. "So when you said 'surprise them when they walk by the hot spring by bursting up out of it' what you really meant was 'wait for them to be in the hot spring so you can get your ass kicked' right?"

Shiro rubbed the back of his head, laughing lightly. "Why do you keep listening to me? Seriously man, it boggles my mind."

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"Okay, I've got a great plan this time! It's bound to succeed!" Kane looked over at Shiro, his black eye standing out prominently. He was busy toweling himself off and hoping he hadn't caught a cold.

"Not this time, there's no way I'm going to listen to you again. Now let's do it my way. I'll just send her a message over the personal organizer as a duel challenge. Let me see yours for a second." There was a deep silence that filled the room in response.

Kane sighed and glared at Shiro out of the corner of his eye. "You don't know where your personal organizer is, do you?"

"Organized chaos man, organized chaos. You can't possibly expect me to know where everything is every second, can you?" Kane closed his eyes and wished to all the gods in existence that when he opened them Shiro would be replaced by someone who used his brain more often.

Slowly but surely he opened his eyes. What he saw was Shiro rifling through his drawers, desperately seeking the personal organizer. Kane's hopes had been dashed against the rocks of the universe. "Never mind, I'll just go steal Tobias' for a second."

"Where's yours?" In response Kane just glared at Shiro. It took him a minute, but finally Shiro remembered and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Oh yeah! I broke it didn't I? Sorry about that!"

"Sometimes I hate you."

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Shiro, Mizuki, and Janice sat in the bleachers, looking down at the two siblings as they faced off. They both seemed equally determined to prove that they had improved more during their stay at Duelist Academy than their sibling. "Let's duel!" (ALP: 4000, KLP: 4000)

Aya took the first turn, drawing one card. She assessed her hand and started off fast. "Fire Storm Teutonic(1400/1300) in attack mode. And when he's summoned I can summon a teutonic from my hand with two thousand or less defense."

She grabbed another of her cards and threw it out onto the field. Joining the simple knight whose banner showed raining flames was a larger knight whose banner was pure white with an exploding star across the center. "Starburst Teutonic(2200/1800) is summoned!"

Then she took one card from her hand and slid it into her duel disk. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Kane snapped up a card and then slammed it down. "Templar Axewielder(1700/1400)! I have it attack Fire Storm Teutonic!"

"Trap card activates! Seal of Ice! This trap encases your monster and seals it away, keeping you from accessing it for attack, defense, sacrifice, or anything else until you increase its attack points." The black knight holding an axe was suddenly covered up by ice, keeping it stuck in place.

He grimaced and tucked two more cards into his duel disk. "I may not be able to attack, but that's just fine with me. I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Now it was Aya's turn to move, and she seemed oddly determined considering she had seen her brother play and faced him. "I know that I can beat you Kane, but I'm not going to play nice like usual. I'm going to use all my strength against you, and that will show you how much you need to improve!"

"Yeah, talk all you want. The only person who'll be winning this duel is me, so bring it on!" Their three friends watched quietly from the stands, not quite sure who to root for. They knew how important this duel was to both siblings, so it would feel bad to root for one over the other.

Aya picked up one of her cards and slipped it into her graveyard. "This monster in my hand can substitute its sacrifice for a discard from my hand. I discard this magic card to act as the tribute for Flash Teutonic(2100/1600)!"

Her newest monster blinked into existence on the field, its own banner a blank black banner. On closer inspection it seemed to have a single white dot with a circle around it in the center. "Fire Storm Teutonic, risk the first attack!"

Kane smirked and pointed to his first face down card, which flipped over. "Magic Arm Shield, grab me Starburst Teutonic to block it!"

A little shield appeared on his field and sent a mechanical arm out. It hooked onto the knight and dragged it over so that it was right in front of the charging knight. It swung its sword once and the attacking monster was blown apart. "Heh, that went well." (ALP: 3200)

Aya gritted her teeth, unable to admit that Kane's play had been a good one. Since he now controlled her strongest monster until the end phase there was little she could do except conclude her turn. "Lucky play. One card face down and that's it."

Kane grinned back at her in response, and held up his drawn card. "You want lucky? Try this one out! Magic card activate, Power of Prayer! I increase one Templar's attack by 400 times its level for the turn!"

The ice around Templar Axewielder shattered as its attack power soared up to thirty-three hundred and it was surrounded by a fiery aura. "Those extra attack points will come in handy for beating you down this turn. And to help out with the process I equip him with Spirit Slayer!"

The axe vanished and was replaced by a sword with a slit down the middle that had a blue aura surrounding it. "Spirit Slayer increases my monster's attack by five hundred, and when it battles a monster the target loses five hundred attack points. So get ready, because he's coming after Starburst Teutonic!"

"Actually Kane, you just helped me out! Activate quick-play magic card, Mirage Magic! This negates your attack and increases my life points by the total attack points of your monster!" A rainbow barrier blocked the strike, and the axewielder jumped away in frustration. (ALP: 7000)

Kane punched a hand into his other hand, looking irritated that his attack had failed and managed to boost Aya's life points drastically. "I set one card face down. Now I end my turn, and my monster loses all its attack points. It stays at five hundred thanks to Spirit Slayer though."

Aya drew and placed her new card onto the field. "Lightning Teutonic(1600/1200) in attack mode." Her newest monster was just as identical as the rest, except his banner was a red one with a lightning bolt as the image.

"Lightning Teutonic will attack Templar Axewielder!" The knight aimed its sword at the templar and released a bolt of lightning. As soon as it did the effect of Spirit Slayer kicked in and its attack fell to eleven hundred.

Kane dipped his head in despair as the attack came hurtling towards him. And then, without warning, the Templar slashed the lightning with his sword and sent it arcing back towards the Teutonic. "Heh, whoops. Looks like your monster lost that battle."

Aya and their miniature audience gasped as the lightning slammed into Lightning Teutonic and he blew up. Not only that but Aya's life points started to fall. "What the heck? It was eleven hundred against five hundred!" (ALP: 5900)

"Not exactly. When I ended my turn I guess I forgot to mention that my Templar's attack is only reduced until the next time I draw a card. So when you attacked I just activated my set Jar of Greed to draw one card. So its attack was set back to the original plus the Spirit Slayer bonus. And so it won that battle." He smirked, impressed by his own play.

The blonde girl stared at her brother, unable to believe that he had made such a clever move and tricked her. _'Is this really my brother, who would always make the worst moves and almost never won his duels? Is he really the same duelist as before?'_

With little else that she could do Aya did what seemed best. "End turn!"

Kane drew, and looked over his three cards. He eyed two of them in particular, looking suddenly devious. "Ooo, I've got a sweet move here. For starters I summon Templar Centurion(1700/900) in attack mode."

This knight looked identical as the other black armored knight, only its weapon appeared to be a large shield with spikes connected to each corner of it. "Now, that may not seem that great, but here's the sweet deal. I play Synchronic Ability!"

A line of line floated between the two monsters, and Templar Centurion raised its right hand. Suddenly a Spirit Slayer formed in its grip, and its attack power rose to equal Templar Axewielder's. "Check that out!"

Shiro scratched the top of his head, staring at the field curiously. "I thought he said he played Synchronic Ability, not another Spirit Slayer. What's the deal?"

Mizuki leaned forward, looking intrigued by the move. "Synchronic Ability is a great card for these types of decks. It lets one monster share its effect, including equipped effects, with one other monster in play. So Kane just gave his Templar Centurion a Spirit Slayer effect."

Kane grinned like an idiot and pointed a finger at Flash Teutonic. "Templar Centurion, bring that monster down!"

His monster charged the field and as it came forwards the Flash Teutonic's attack points fell rapidly to sixteen hundred, making it no match for the twenty-two hundred attack power Templar. It was defeated in one stroke. "Yeah! Now effect time!" (ALP: 5300)

Starburst Teutonic sagged, its armor cracking. It also seemed to be losing attack points at a fairly steady pace until it was down to sixteen hundred just like Flash Teutonic had been before dying. Before Shiro could ask Mizuki was answering. "When Templar Centurion deals life point damage an equal amount of damage is dealt to one monster in play, reducing that monster's attack or defense. So since Aya took six hundred damage so did her remaining monster."

Templar Axewielder leapt into the air and came crashing down on the weakened monster. As he did so those remaining attack points were reduced even further as Spirit Slayer sucked away its strength. "Yeah! More damage for me!" (ALP: 4200)

When it became obvious that Kane had no intention of doing anything else, Aya drew to start her turn. She was in a bad position with no field and only two cards in hand. "Okay, it's time for the come back. Crescent Teutonic(1700/1000) comes out!"

Like her other monsters it was just a simple knight, and like all the other monsters its only difference came in the image on the banner attached to its back. This one had an image of a crescent moon on the banner. "This monster can be sacrificed to special summon two level four or lower monsters from my deck to my field!"

The knight vanished, and then two bigger knights with banners of a full moon appeared. "Together I've summoned out two Moonlight Teutonics(1900/900 X2)!"

She flipped over her other card, looking completely focused. "I play Storm the Fortress! I pay eight hundred life points to combine my warrior's attacks together for one attack that is equal to both their attack strengths." (ALP: 3400)

The two monsters locked blades and gave Templar Axewielder a focused look. "Attack together with thirty-eight hundred attack points against Templar Axewielder! Even with the reduction of five hundred points it can still win!"

As one the monsters rushed Templar Axewielder, who hefted his Spirit Slayer. He knew that he was going to die, but he was willing to meet it without fear. "Hey, you just made my job easier. Activate trap card, Skull Dice!"

Aya's eyes went as wide as they could as she realized what that meant. "No…based on the roll of a die my monsters will have their attack points divided. The only way they won't lose is with a one."

"That's right! Dice Roll!" A red die was thrown against the ground by an impish looking devil. All five people in the room watched the die with baited breath, and then suddenly Kane let out a cheer as it stopped. The number of dots that it showed was clearly six.

The two attacking monster's attack power shrank to a tiny five hundred and fifty, and the Axewielder lashed out with his equipped weapon. A single swing took the heads off both attacking knights. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" (ALP: 1750)

Aya grimaced and stared at her empty field. "I…can't do anything. End turn."

Kane drew, looking absolutely elated. Even the three duelists watching couldn't believe what they saw. Kane had been smacking his Ra Yellow sister around the entire duel, he had been playing much better than she had, and now had every advantage a person could have in a duel. Field advantage, hand advantage, and life point advantage. "This is it; I'm going to prove myself right now! Templar Axewielder, direct attack!"

It attacked Aya, stabbing at her with the Spirit Slayer. The instant it touched her skin a bright light burst out of her graveyard and the monster was hurled backwards and away from her. "I'm not going to lose to my Osiris Red brother."

"What the…how did you stop me?" In response Aya held a hand over her cemetery and six cards slid out of it. She held them up for him to see.

"I used the effect of Sanctity of the Buried to remove five of the eleven cards from my grave to negate your attack. That means I've got five left, enough to negate one more attack." Kane scuffed a foot against the ground, irritated that his win had been stopped in its tracks like that.

"That doesn't make any sense! You never played the card, so how the heck did it go to the grave?" Aya grinned and held up one of the five cards she was removing. Kane saw it, and knew just what had happened.

_Aya picked up one of her cards and slipped it into her graveyard. "This monster in my hand can substitute its sacrifice for a discard from my hand. I discard this magic card to act as the tribute for Flash Teutonic(2100/1600)!" _

"Damn…so that's it. You discarded it when you summoned Flash Teutonic. Well, I can handle that. Templar Centurion, attack her directly!" It made to attack her, but was blocked by another burst of light from her grave.

Kane smirked as Aya took the ten total cards and slipped them into her back pocket, having them removed from play. "Well, that's all the attacks you can negate with that card. So I just set this one card face down and end my turn."

Aya drew one card, and then released the breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Coins From Heaven lets each player draw until they hold six cards. So get to drawing."

She drew six cards while Kane drew five. Aya scanned her hand, and then let out a deep breath. "Kane, you've played great so far, and I'll admit you've improved more than I have while we're here. But even though that's the case, I'm still going to win."

"Yeah? Let's see how you can manage that when I've still got full life points and these two badass monsters in play." He didn't mention his set card, which he knew could be a doozy when used properly.

"Yeah, that's right. I'll start by playing Bonds of Brothers at a cost of one thousand life points! I'll use it to special summon the two remaining Crescent Teutonics(1700/1000 X2) from my deck!" Monsters identical to what she had summoned before rode out, looking ready for battle. (ALP: 750)

She snapped her fingers and both monsters faded away. "I sacrifice both of them two special summon a total of four level four or lower monsters from my deck. I'll summon the one remaining Moonlight Teutonic(1900/900) in my deck, as well as three Blitz Teutonics(1900/0 X3)!"

Kane held his ground, still not convinced despite the growing army in front of him. "It's still not going to beat my monsters!"

"I don't have to beat them, when I can just destroy them. I activate Lightning Vortex, discarding one card from my hand to destroy all face-up monsters on your field!" Kane threw up an arm as the two monsters were destroyed by streaks of lightning, the particles flying at his eyes.

"Now, just in case that set card is going to stop me, I'll activate Cyclone from my hand to destroy it!" Kane's hopes were dashed completely as his last remaining chance, his Hyper Refresh magic card, was destroyed. It would have saved him this turn.

"All of my monsters attack you directly!" The four powerful knights ganged up on Kane and each one took a slash at him with their swords. He held himself up despite the attacks, waiting until after the holograms had faded to relax his body. (KLP: 0)

Aya walked across the field and held her hand out to her brother, who gladly took it. "Congratulations Kane, even though I won the duel, you won the challenge. You've improved much more than I have. I guess I just have to work harder."

"Even though I lost, somehow I still feel good about it. And hey, maybe next time I'll win." The two siblings shared a laugh, and their friends came to join them, patting them on the back and congratulating them.

Kane was happy and willing to look to the future. He wasn't as far at the bottom of the hill as he had first thought. The journey had started and sooner or later he'd catch up to the rest of his friends and join them at the top of the hill. "Next time for sure. And if not that time, then the time after that."

Shiro heard his words and looked over at a smiling and laughing Mizuki. "Yeah…if not the next time, then the time after that. I won't quit either."

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Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed that. Next is some more funny stuff.

_Next Time: Life continues as normal for everyone. But enough time has passed, and a dangerous plot of Shiro's is at last prepped and ready to go. The target is in his sights, now all he needs to do is keep his focus and it just might work!_

_See it all in, Aim to Please! Shiro's Plot for Love!_


	15. Aim to Please! Shiro's Plot for Love!

Author's Note: Whee! Fun time!

**Chapter Fifteen: Aim to Please! Shiro's Plot for Love!**

Target: Sanzo Uzumaki

Codename: Hero Saint of Duelist Academy

Rank: 2nd

Age: 16

Dorm: Obelisk Blue

Likes: Sweet Foods, Praise, Dueling, Mizuki (DAMN!)

Dislikes: Spicy Foods, Bad Attitudes, Bad Hair Days, Villains

Advantages: Fan Club, Shiny Teeth (Blinding), Wavy Locks

Disadvantages: …….. (There's something damn it!)

Deck Type: Hero

Deck Style: Fusion

Deck Counters: Anti-Fusion

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Shiro nibbled on the end of his pencil, trying to figure out what else he could add to his list. It was the details he knew about his rival for Mizuki. "I'll get that jerk…sooner or later I'll figure out a way to really get him."

He paused in his nibbling and craned his neck to see the other side of the room where the farthest away Osiris Reds were sitting. He could clearly see Tobias there, looking to be the only one who was fully paying attention. "That idiot is always scheming something, and he's got lots of cards at his disposal. I wonder…."

He tilted his head back, looking at the farthest top of the room, where the Obelisk Blues sat. There was that jerk Sanzo, chatting calmly with a pretty Obelisk Blue sitting to his right. He had his feet kicked up on his desk. "Look at him, all cocky and relaxed like he owns the world. Any second now and those freaky teeth with sparkle…"

Moments later Sanzo smiled at the girl he was speaking to and sure enough his teeth sparkled. "I knew it. He's so predictable, with the flicking of that lock of hair, and those blinding teeth. Seriously, he could just style his hair differently and not have to constantly brush that lock aside. Damn him…"

Every attempt he had made at setting up on a prank on Sanzo had failed horribly, and Sanzo had never seemed to notice it. In fact, Shiro was pretty sure that Sanzo had never once even acknowledged his existence. "The first time we met that jerk didn't even notice anybody was there besides Mizuki…"

The second time they had met was when he had come for one of Mizuki's tutoring sessions in math, only to discover that Sanzo was already there. Sanzo had looked up at Shiro, and then looked back at Mizuki as if nothing had changed. "Jerk jerk jerk…."

He knew that something could be done. There was no way any person could avoid his efforts forever, so sooner or later Sanzo would fall prey to one of his pranks or tricks. _'But embarrassing Sanzo, how's that going to get Mizuki to really acknowledge me in the way I want? I know it will make me happy but…man what a tough choice!'_

The pencil snapped and he bit down hard on his own teeth. Grimacing at the taste he spat the end of the pencil out onto his desk. "Well then, it's decided. Today I make my move. And this time, it's going to work!"

"Shiro Akugi, please don't speak while I'm speaking." Shiro blushed as he found the professor's attention directly on him. He lowered his head, embarrassed at having been caught talking to himself.

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Shiro clapped his hands together, looking completely satisfied. "Well, everything is all set except for one last item of business. That part I can take care of easy, and all it requires is a little bit of my extra cash for the semester and I'll get the aid I need."

He flipped open his cell phone and dialed in the number he had acquired from Tobias. If Tobias was right, this number would get him in touch with the one person who could make it all work out. "Hello? Who is this?"

Shiro grinned when he heard the deep voice answer. Tobias had been right after all, who would have thought. "Hey, this is Shiro Akugi, a student at Duelist Academy. I need a favor and I'm willing to pay for your unique services."

"What's the job?"

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Sanzo let out a long drawn out yawn as he walked out of class. He was done for the day, so now all that was left was avoiding his fan club and whatever else came up. He looked around, trying to spot those crazed girls, but saw no trace. "Lucky…I thought they'd have spotted me by now for sure."

Since there weren't any around he felt safe leaping up and grabbing a branch of the closest tree, using the branch to swing himself up. He released and did a back-flip, landing directly on the branch. "All those years of work, never thought they'd pay off for this sort of use. But I do love nature…"

Settling down with his back against the tree, Sanzo closed his eyes and prepared to sleep. He'd take about an hour nap here, hopefully avoiding prying eyes, and then head back to his room at the Obelisk Blue primary dorm. "Simple, easy, relaxing day, that's what I want. No hassles, nothing to stop me from getting a little quality relaxation."

A faint beeping noise got his attention and he groaned once he realized what it was. "Who's sending me a message so shortly after class like this? What a bothersome thing…"

Digging into his pocket he located the source of the noise and pulled it out, revealing his personal organizer, tinted blue to indicate that it belonged to an Obelisk Blue student. "Yeah, I get it. On we go…"

He pressed the button to accept the message, and the screen briefly displayed the academy's logo as it loaded up the message. The bar for loading scrolled, and he tapped a hand impatiently against the branch as he waited. "Why does it always have to take so long? Some high technology…"

The image flickered as the loading bar reached one hundred percent. Fully loaded the message began to play. On the screen was a man with a dark cowl pulled up over his head, so his face wasn't clear. "Sanzo Uzumaki, your talents as a duelist have come to my attention and I wish to face you in a no holds barred duel."

Sanzo sighed, having hoped it wasn't something like this. He enjoyed dueling, but today just wasn't the best day for it, he just wanted to relax. Yet the person sending the message just laughed. "Just on the off chance that you might refuse, I made sure that you would accept. I have taken a hostage…"

The screen panned out to show Mizuki slumped against the far wall, obviously unconscious. Sanzo gritted his teeth, feeling anger bubble up in his chest. "Should you refuse I will execute the hostage, and should you lose I'll execute you and the hostage. But if you win, both of you are free to go and I'll depart, no harm done. If you really are a hero like you claim, come to the old dueling ring of the abandoned dorm tonight at midnight. Neither of us will be there before then, so don't bother coming early. And tell nobody about this, or she'll suffer. See you then!"

His personal organizer went blank, and in retaliation he punched the branch with his bare hand. "Damn…that bastard is going to pay for doing this. Mizuki, I'll come to your aid like a hero is supposed to and I'll defeat this guy with all that I am. With the heart of a hero!"

He stood up on the branch and stared out into the distance, where he knew the abandoned dorm lay. "Mizuki, I'm coming for you!"

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Sanzo stepped through a hole in a wall and found himself at the abandoned dorm's dueling ring, which was surprisingly well lit. It was a large circular room with a strange pattern painted into the floor. "Come out and face me coward!"

Smoke rolled out of the far wall, boiling out onto the field. A deep voice chuckled from within the smoke. "Sanzo Uzumaki, I'm so glad you came. Prepare to face your darkest fears!"

The barrier of smoke drifted to the ground, revealing the same person Sanzo had seen in the video, face still hidden by that deep black cowl. The man's entire body was shrouded like that, but it was obvious he was big, at least six and a half feet in height. "Come face the darkness Sanzo! Or your precious Mizuki will pay the price!"

A blast of smoke came from the left, and Sanzo jerked his head to the side to see what it was. He grimaced as he saw what was there. It was a metal pole that went straight up to the ceiling, attaching to some sort of weird box with knobs on it. And tied to that pole was none other than Mizuki. She looked up at Sanzo with fear in her eyes. "Sanzo, help me!"

Sanzo started to rush towards her, but the man in the cloak held up one hand, revealing a remote control of some kind. "I wouldn't take another step if I were you. After all, that box there will send one hundred thousand volts of electricity into that girl and fry her brain if you go farther. It's also set to go off the moment your life points hit zero, or if you deck out or surrender at any time."

He stopped, and settled for giving Mizuki a promising look. "Don't worry Mizuki, I'll defeat this guy and rescue you. After all, I'm a hero and that's what we do! And I won't take those words back no matter what!"

Letting out a deep breath Sanzo returned to standing across from his freak opponent and held up his left arm, duel disk in place. "For placing Mizuki and myself in this sort of situation, I promise this. I will not forgive you!" (SLP: 4000)

His opponent let out a deep booming laugh and lifted his own left arm, which showed an older model DD3 of a pitch black color, which clicked into position. "So be it Sanzo Uzumaki, but I don't need your forgiveness. My name is Kurayami, and I will destroy you utterly!" (KLP: 4000)

Kurayami snickered and drew five cards, then placed his gloved fingers on the top card of his deck. "First turn honors are mine. Draw!"

He snapped the card up, and then slid it into his duel disk. "I activate Shadow of the Wicked, which allows me to select one dark type monster from my deck and add it to my hand. If that monster is a level six monster and I summon it in the next turn, I gain one thousand life points. If it's a level eight and I summon it within two turns, I gain fifteen hundred life points. This monster is a level eight."

Kurayami added the chosen card to his hand, and took two others from his hand and placed them onto the field. "I set one card face down and one monster as well. Turn end!"

Sanzo drew fiercely, a look of raw determination on his face. "I'll defeat you in a swift maneuver! Polymerization activates, fusing Elemental Hero Burst Lady(1200/800) with Elemental Hero Featherman(1000/1000)!"

The two monsters flew together into the vortex, and then emerged as a brand new stronger creature. It stood taller, and had one angelic wing sticking out of its back, as well as one arm being like a dragon. "Elemental Hero Flame Wingman(2100/1800) is fusion summoned to the field!"

Flame Wingman raised its dragon arm just as Sanzo raised his own arm, pointing at the face down monster. "Flame Wingman, attack the set monster with Flame Shooter!"

A blast of flame shot out of the fusion monster's hand, streaking towards the set monster. Kurayami didn't seem worried because his own face down card was flipping up. "Icy Death now activates, to destroy your monster and deduct half of its attack points from your life points!"

A wave of ice clashed with the fire, pushing it back towards Flame Wingman. Sanzo grimaced and pushed forwards, slamming a card into his duel disk. "Quick-play magic card, Hero Undying! This prevents one hero on my field from being destroyed this turn, so while I take damage your monster is still finished!"

Shards of ice slashed at Sanzo, who gritted his teeth and remained standing under the assault. At the same time the flames covered the face down monster and destroyed it. "Now, Flame Wingman will activate his effect to deal you damage equal to the destroyed monster's effect!" (SLP: 2950)

Kurayami chuckled and picked up the monster card off his duel disk. "You destroyed just a measly Bone Sorcerer(450/600) and when it is destroyed I shuffle it back into my deck and draw cards until I reach a monster, which is promptly summoned." (KLP: 3550)

Once the damage was dealt Kurayami slapped his newly drawn monster onto his duel disk, and a dark blob appeared in front of him. "Shadow Clone(?) activates its effect when summoned. I choose one monster, and if that monster exists in your hand, grave, or deck my Shadow Clone gains its effect and stats, but it must be level four or lower. Since there are no cards on my field, I choose to make my monster clone Elemental Hero Bubbleman!"

Sanzo frowned as the dark blob of matter morphed itself until it was a dark version of his Elemental Hero Bubbleman. "Since my Shadow Clone Bubbleman(400/600) was summoned with no cards on my field, I draw two cards from my deck!"

Kurayami drew twice, and then looked back up at Sanzo. The Obelisk Blue duelist considered his options, and then made his decision. "End turn!"

As soon as Kurayami drew he had seven cards in hand and he looked to be satisfied with them from what little Sanzo could see of the man's face. At the very least he appeared to be smiling. "This should be a unique experience. Death Caliber Knight(1900/1800) is summoned, and guess what? I activate Dark Syncronization, special summoning a second Death Caliber Knight from my deck to the field!"

Two identical skeletal knights now stood next to the clone of Bubbleman, their swords raised in preparation. "Death Caliber Knight number one, attack Flame Wingman!"

"Flame Wingman, counterattack!" The black skeletal knight began to gallop across the field, but was met halfway by a blast of flame from Flame Wingman. The knight shuddered under the assault and then exploded. (KLP: 3350)

Sanzo clenched his right hand into a fist, looking cocky. "Flame Wingman's effect is just going to activate again! Now he'll blast you for a total of nineteen hundred damage!"

Sanzo's eyes went wide as the second knight suddenly latched itself onto Flame Wingman and the two of them exploded. Kurayami chuckled at the site of the explosion. "When an enemy monster activates its effect Death Caliber Knight is sacrificed to negate that effect and destroy the user. Looks like your fusion hero is no more, and now Shadow Clone Bubbleman attacks directly!"

The Hero Saint of Duelist Academy grimaced as the dark version of his own hero raised the water gun mounted on its right arm and sprayed him with water, shoving him a few feet backwards. "Scum…you'll pay." (SLP: 2550)

Mizuki struggled against her bonds, looking worried at the sight of Sanzo losing. "Sanzo! Are you alright?"

Sanzo smirked and flicked that stray lock of hair out of his eyes. He gave Mizuki a thumbs up and gave his trade mark shining smile. "Don't worry Mizuki, the hero never loses. I said I was going to win, so I will. Just hold on tight and I'll set you free!"

Kurayami threw back his head and laughed out loud, a dark amused sound. "Ignorant fool, you shouldn't be making such declarations when you're losing! Especially since my strategy is coming together. When a demon or undead monster is destroyed in this turn, I can special summon Demon Wing(0/500) from my hand to the field, and it is summoned in defense mode!"

A pair of black wings on a tiny spherical body was the newest creature to be summoned. It appeared useless, but appearances could be deceptive. "I set one card face down and conclude my turn. Show me what a hero can do Sanzo Uzumaki!"

Sanzo nodded and drew, his eyes burning with determination to win. "I'll show you the use of a hero, the person who stands in front of others to protect them and give hope to those people behind! Future Fusion!"

Three cards slid out of his deck, and he deposited them into the graveyard. "Future Fusion lets me send fusion component monsters from my deck to the grave in order to special summon a fusion monster which cannot attack this turn. I've chosen to send another Featherman to the grave, along with Elemental Hero Sparkman(1600/1400) and Elemental Hero Bubbleman(800/1200)!"

The three named monsters merged together, and then in a blast of wind the new monster was revealed. It was tall and muscular with blue skin tight clothing covering it. Two large green edged wings spread out from its back, and its right arm was a gun. "Elemental Hero Tempester(2800/2800)!"

The Obelisk Blue held up one of his other two cards, the intense look of focus still on his face. "Quick Attack lets one monster on my field attack immediately, so now I bypass Future Fusion's restriction to let Elemental Hero Tempester attack your Shadow Clone Bubbleman right now! Chaos Tempest!"

Kurayami raised one of his arms over his set card, and it flipped up. "My trap card Dragging the Dead forces all attacks this turn to one undead or demon type monster on my field, all other attacks are negated. You now attack Demon Wing!"

The little demon was blown apart by a spray of energy from Tempester's gun hand, leaving only Shadow Clone Bubbleman in play. "When Demon Wing is destroyed in battle I can choose one demon or undead sub-type monster from my deck and add it to my hand."

He quickly selected a card, raising his hand size to four cards. Sanzo slid his one remaining card into his duel disk. "It doesn't matter, I won't lose to you. Mirage of Nightmares activates and my turn is ended."

Kurayami drew and as soon as the card was in his hand Sanzo started drawing as well. "During my opponent's standby phase I can draw until I hold four cards thanks to Mirage of Nightmare. Continue."

"I've got all the cards I need right here, and all the cards I need in the cemetery as well. Watch as I banish both Death Caliber Knights as well as Demon Wing from my graveyard in order to summon…Dark Necrofear(2200/2800)!" The famed blue skinned female monster emerged from the card, her arms crossed over her chest, her sharp teeth bared at Tempester.

Sanzo grimaced, realizing what his opponent could do. At a cost of six hundred damage the scum could gain control of his Tempester during the end phase. "I bet you think I plan on taking your Tempester. Well I've got something else in mind, so watch! I attack Tempester with Dark Necrofear!"

There was no way for Sanzo to stop the attack, so Tempester blasted Dark Necrofear into oblivion. Kurayami started to laugh even as his life points fell. "Yes, yes! Now that Dark Necrofear has gone to the grave your chances of winning are reduced to nothing. By negating Dark Necrofear's control effect I can activate this card from my hand…" (KLP: 2750)

Sanzo and Mizuki looked around in horror as the area they were in changed. A wall of red now covered everything, and thousands of dark eyes were peeking out of that red wall, as well as sets of gnashing teeth. "Welcome to the Dark Sanctuary, a field where all your hopes and dreams are stripped away! This is where you and your girl will die!"

Mizuki shivered, her entire body shaking with fright. "Sanzo…I'm scared. I can't take this place, it's not right….please win Sanzo!"

"Don't worry Mizuki, I won't fall to this sleaze. I'll win for sure and set you free, just like I promised. This place doesn't scare me Kurayami, so you might as well just give up on the terror act, as whatever this field is it won't stop me for long!" Kurayami just responded by laughing even more.

"Ignorant fool, this place is a field like no other. As long as Dark Necrofear remains in the graveyard it cannot be destroyed, and now a dark spirit is haunting the arena! Tread lightly or the spirit will punish you for your transgressions. One card face down and one monster in defense mode. Now, take your turn." Sanzo drew immediately, not frightened in the least by the presence of the strange field card.

"From my hand I play Emergency Provisions, sacrificing Mirage of Nightmare to gain one thousand life points and prevent myself from having to discard!" His continuous magic card faded away, letting his four cards remain in hand and not be discarded. (SLP: 3550)

Then he grabbed one of his four other cards and threw it onto his field. "Elemental Hero Wildman(1500/1600) is summoned! This monster has immunity to traps, so no worries about your set card. And now, Wildman attacks Shadow Clone Bubbleman!"

His muscular dark skinned wild warrior slung his sword off his shoulder and slashed the cloned monster in half in a single strike. "That makes quick work of that, so all that's a worry is your set monster." (KLP: 1850)

Tempester aimed his arm at the set monster, determined to destroy it. "Chaos Tempest!" The gun fired, and Mizuki screamed as she saw what happened. Tempester turned at the last moment and fired the blast straight into Sanzo's chest. (SLP: 2150)

Sanzo stumbled backwards and fell to one knee, gripping his stomach with one arm. "Tempester…why? What happened?"

Kurayami chuckled and raised one hand and made a sweeping motion, indicating their surroundings. "I told you there was a dark spirit lying in wait in the Dark Sanctuary. In this place one of your monsters will be possessed each turn, and if you attack with it the attack is negated, you take half its attack as damage, and I gain half its attack as life points!" (KLP: 3250)

"I see, so I'll have to be careful from now on based on who I attack with. End turn!" He bit his bottom lip and looked around at the field, trying to work a way around it. There didn't seem to be any way to determine what monster was possessed, and trying to second guess was a stupid idea. He'd have to attack based on instinct.

Kurayami drew and then his face down monster faded away. "Each turn I must offer one monster as a tribute to the Dark Sanctuary, or else it will fall and my combo will be worthless. I've chosen to sacrifice my set Sangan(1000/600) so I now search for a monster."

He quickly selected his monster of choice, and placed it onto his duel disk. "Displaced Spirit(500/700) is my choice of monster. I also set one card face down, and then end my turn."

The new monster was a shadowy man in tattered robes, who appeared to be wandering aimlessly around Kurayami's field. Sanzo eyed it carefully for a moment, and then drew. When he saw it he smirked instantly. "I'm going to break your strategy right here and right now!"

"Oh? Go ahead, let's see what you've got Sanzo Uzumaki! Show me your might and I'll crush it!" Kurayami spread his arms out as wide as they could go, motioning towards him with his hand. He was egging Sanzo on to attack.

"You said yourself that the spirit of Dark Sanctuary chooses its target at the beginning of the turn, so any monster I summon after that is safe. Well even if you can suddenly change the target, there's only one spirit, so the more monsters I've got the better. So…I activate Defusion!" Tempester flickered, and where there had been one monster there were now three new ones.

"Defusion let me say goodbye to my Tempester in exchange for summoning Sparkman(1600/1400), Featherman(1000/1000), and Bubbleman(800/1200) back from the grave. Now I've got four monsters, and you've got just one spirit and one monster!" He smirked at his logic, and on the sidelines Mizuki cheered.

"If you're so confident, why not attack me Sanzo Uzumaki? Or perhaps you're afraid that your strategy isn't quite as foolproof as you think?" Sanzo frowned, not liking the tone of Kurayami's voice. He seemed to confident for this situation, so either he was bluffing or he had a way to stop any assault Sanzo made.

"Let's even the odds a bit more then, with Monster Reborn to bring back Flame Wingman!" The fusion hero was reborn, his angel wing extending out as far as it could go. Now Sanzo's field was completely full of monsters, each one ready to go on the attack.

"I equip Bubbleman with Bubble Shooter, raising his attack strength by eight hundred!" A large weapon fell into Bubbleman's hands. It looked like a massive bazooka, only it was capped by a tank holding a large amount of water.

He closed his eyes, trying to focus. Right now he knew that the only monster he couldn't risk an attack with was Wildman, which might have had the spirit of the Dark Sanctuary on it when he removed Tempester from the field. "Featherman, attack Displaced Spirit! Feather Break!"

Featherman flew several feet into the air and then flapped his wings, sending a spray of white feathers at the wandering spirit. "Reverse card open, Call of the Dark Sanctuary! If the opponent attacks with a monster that doesn't have the spirit on it I can immediately negate the attack and prevent any attack by a monster without the spirit on it."

Kurayami held up one finger and snickered. "Of course, you can still attempt to attack this turn. But if you choose the wrong monster to attack with you lose three hundred life points. Then again, Wildman is immune to traps so if you attack and he doesn't have the spirit then the attack goes through, but if he does then you still take damage. Quite a choice isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. So I'll end my turn without making any additional attacks." He whispered a silent dedication to Mizuki, determined to finish this as soon as possible. If he messed up even one attack he could lose the duel, so there was no room for error.

Sanzo's opponent drew, still amused about the result of the previous turn. "Sanzo Uzumaki, you've dueled well, but you made a mistake when you filled your field with monsters. Watch and learn as I sacrifice Displaced Spirit to Dark Sanctuary!"

The spirit shrieked as robes of the same red material that made up the space of Dark Sanctuary came after it. It shivered and then exploded, blasting apart Kurayami's face down card and Bubble Shooter. "What…what the hell was that?"

"If Displaced Spirit is sacrificed to Dark Sanctuary I can destroy two cards in play, so I chose to destroy Bubble Shooter and my own face down card. What I destroyed was the magic card Horror of the Dark Sanctuary, which when destroyed activates a deadly effect…." Sanzo and Mizuki flinched at the sound of a terrible wailing filled the room.

"When Horror of the Dark Sanctuary is destroyed I can generate one spirit of the Dark Sanctuary for every monster on the opponent's field. Since you so generously filled it up with five monsters, that means you can't attack at all anymore without giving me more life points and losing some of your own!" Sanzo felt his hands shake slightly as he realized what that meant. If attacking was impossible…winning just might be as well.

"Of course I bet you think that makes no difference, since as long as you don't attack you're not at risk. But I'll change your opinion by summoning Taunting Spirit of the Dark Sanctuary(0/0) whose presence forces you to attack at least once as long as he and Dark Sanctuary remain in play and he is in attack mode!" A rotting corpse shambled out onto the field and leered at Sanzo.

"Heh, looks like in just a few turns you'll lose, and victory will be mine. And you know what happens after that. You die and so does the girl! No hero can match me, because heroes don't even exist in this cold cruel world!" He threw back his head and laughed in true villain manner, before slipping a card into his duel disk.

"Come Sanzo Uzumaki, let's finish this now!" Sanzo grimaced and shot a brief glance over at Mizuki. She was depending on him, and if he fell now then not only would they fall, but there was no telling what else this freak would do. He might continue and hurt others.

"Kurayami, I refuse to allow you to hurt anyone! It's the hero's job to stand in front and take the brunt of the damage, so as the hero I'll do whatever it takes to prevent others from being hurt, even if it means I am killed. That is the meaning of hero, and that is why this turn is the last turn! DRAW!" He drew with all of his might and held the card up in the air as high as he could.

"This is the card that determines the outcome of this duel, and it is the card that is one of the cornerstones of this deck. Polymerization activates! Fuse together Elemental Hero Flame Wingman with Elemental Hero Spakrman!" The two heroes merged, and what formed from the fusion was a magnificent creature.

It was roughly the same size as Flame Wingman, but instead of a hero's outfit, this monster wore almost mechanical looking armor, which gave off an unearthly blue glow. A set of wings extended out of its back and its single red eye seemed to burn into Kurayami's flesh. "Shine! Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman(2500/2100)!"

The fusion hero spread its wings out as wide as they could go, illuminating the entire room. Kurayami involuntarily stepped back, holding up an arm to shield against the bright light. "For every hero in my cemetery Shining Flare Wingman gains three hundred attack points, so now he has four thousand!"

Sanzo snapped his right arm up, palm wide open, and leveled it at the weak Taunting Spirit. "Shining Flare Wingman…attack with Shining Shooter!"

Shining Flare Wingman began to soar across the field, but Kurayami seemed unsatisfied. "Reverse card open, quick-play magic card False Start! This negates your attack and forces you to attack with a monster of my choice, which is Wildman!"

The fusion hero's attack stopped in its tracks and Wildman took his turn. He turned on his heel and slashed his sword across Sanzo's chest. The Obelisk Blue grabbed at the place where he had been struck and grimaced. "Damn…" (SLP: 800)

"You see Sanzo Uzumaki? You can't defeat me, and shortly you will lose the duel, because in the next turn even your mighty Shining Flare Wingman will be possessed by a spirit of the Dark Sanctuary. You've lost, and darkness has triumphed! Some hero you are." He laughed as the energy from Dark Sanctuary flowed into him, boosting his life points. (KLP: 4000)

Sanzo lifted his head and to Kurayami's surprise he flicked the lock of hair out of his eyes, looking completely confident. "Oh please, you've got a fantastic deck, but I can already tell that I'm the better duelist. And you should know by now that the hero always wins. Quick-play magic card activates, Life-Risking Strike!"

To Kurayami's surprise he saw Sanzo's life points begin to fall. Mizuki struggled against her bonds and cheered him on. "Alright Sanzo! Go for the win!" (SLP: 100)

Sanzo smirked at Kurayami, and held up his right hand, which he then squeezed into a fist. "Life-Risking Strike costs seven hundred life points, and needs a monster on my field to have had its attack negated this turn. It can now attack again, which means this duel is over!"

Kurayami gasped as Shining Flare Wingman suddenly appeared in front of his Taunting Spirit and himself, glowing brighter than ever. "Shining Flare Wingman…finish it! SHINING SHOOTER!"

Kurayami screamed as Shining Flare Wingman's glow expanded, flash frying Taunting Spirit and all of his life points in a single strike. "So it seems that you won…Sanzo Uzumaki…despite this professional level deck." (KLP: 0)

The duel disks shut down and Sanzo approached the fallen Kurayami, ready to inflict punishment on him. "I said at the beginning of this duel that I would never forgive you, and now I'm going to beat you into the dirt for such a disgraceful act!"

He stopped in his path when Kurayami raised one hand, remote control held tight and thumb over the trigger. "Fool! Did you really think I would let the girl go even if I lost? It's over for her!"

Sanzo raced forwards, but his movements were too slow, and Kurayami depressed the button. Instantly blues streaks of lightning raced up the pole that Mizuki was attached to, shocking her with a hundred thousand volts of electricity. She screamed in unbridled pain. Sanzo could do nothing. "MIZUKI!"

As Mizuki fell limp against her bonds, Sanzo could think of only one thing. Revenge. He grabbed Kurayami by the front of his cloak and jerked him up, raising one fist in front of the freak duelist's face. To his surprise Kurayami began to laugh, but not in the same dark deep voice he had laughed in through the duel, but rather a lighthearted tone. "What the…"

Kurayami reached up and flipped the cowl back, revealing none other than Shiro. Sanzo dropped the duelist in shock and stumbled back, unable to believe his eyes. "S….Shiro Akugi!"

Shiro flashed him the victory sign and grinned broader than Sanzo thought was humanly possible. "Smile Sanzo. You're on candid camera!"

Laughter filled the room again, this time female. Sanzo looked to his left, and saw Mizuki standing up and walking towards them, laughing with delight. "But…you were…and he was….what the heck is going on?"

Mizuki walked up and stood next to Shiro, grinning just as broadly as the Osiris Red was. Sanzo could only stare at them with a mix of horror and confusion. Mizuki wiped a tear from her eye and struggled to explain. "Your face was…absolutely priceless! Oh man…perfect! But I can't explain it, only the mastermind should do that, and that's this guy right here. He's a genius!"

Shiro wiped away a fake tear. "Thank you for those words of praise Mizuki, you are too kind. Ah, but explaining right? Well, I've been wanting to pull a prank on an upperclassmen for a while, and I chose you Sanzo. When I realized how you were perfect for hero roles, I decided to play to that, hence the threat of a hostage."

The Osiris Red smirked and jerked his thumb at Mizuki. "Of course the hostage would need to be in on it as well, since I couldn't actually hurt someone. Mizuki was the perfect choice, and once I explained she agreed to join in."

Next Shiro pointed to the box and pole that Mizuki had been tied to, and Sanzo followed his hand. "I'm not much for technology, so I managed to get a little aid from Mizuki's roommate Janice, who happens to be really good with the technological stuff. That box is actually just a disguise for a holographic projector, which would show the image of lightning when really there was nothing there."

Janice walked out from behind a little rock column and waved at Sanzo, whose face was still locked in a mask of disbelief. "Believe me, it wasn't that hard. Easy stuff, and the chance to pull something like this was too great."

Shiro rubbed his hands together gleefully, looking as if he had been anticipating this. Which it seemed obvious that he had. "I was pretty sure I didn't stand a chance in a duel against you, and the only people I knew who could were Harrison and Vlad. Vlad's too big to be disguised and Harrison wouldn't have gone along with it. So I talked to Tobias and he set me up one of his cousins, who let me borrow his Dark Sanctuary Deck…and his voice."

Tobias walked out from an entirely different rock column, his arms folded across his chest and a cocky expression on his face. Not that it was that different from his normal face. "It was worth it to see such a despairing look on the face of an upperclassmen, even if I had to help this idiot. And supplying the voice modulator to make him sound like my cousin was also my part."

Sanzo swung his head back to Shiro in time to see the Osiris Red pull a little wire and microphone out of the hood of his cloak, which he then dropped onto the pile his cloak made. "Getting a cloak was ummm…Harrison's part, though he didn't know it. I borrowed it from his closet. Temporarily of course. And, as you can see, all it took was a little bit of holographic manipulation to make me look taller and make my face nearly invisible from within the cowl, which was Janice again."

Shiro placed a hand on the older duelist's shoulder and grinned right in his face. "And the best part? We got every last bit of it on film! Now we can watch this whole thing whenever we feel like it!"

His grin faded slightly when he saw Sanzo's right eye twitching rather dangerously, and the fact that the older boy was looking rather…violent. "You freaking lunatic! You scared the hell out of me and made me think I was risking my life and Mizuki's just to see the look on my face! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Shiro yelped and turned tell, running away with Sanzo hot on his heels. The rest of the group watched in amazement as they made circles around the room. "Come on! That's not very hero-like of you!"

"Shut up and get back here so I can kill you! Then I'm gonna bring you back to life and kill you again! I nearly had a heart attack when you did that electricity thing you wackjob!" Their circle continued, but it looked like Shiro wouldn't be caught. He was just a little bit to fast.

Mizuki grinned and lifted up a digital camcorder and aimed it at the two. "Better get this part on film as well. For ummm…posterity."

They spent the next hour watching Sanzo try to catch and kill Shiro. All told they were pretty sure that all the effort they had gone through today had been worth it. After all, they could see it whenever they wanted since it had been filmed.

Shiro spent the next hour thinking that although his plan didn't bring him any closer to getting Mizuki for himself, it had made him feel a lot better. But best of all, it made Sanzo furious, and that was what mattered most of all.

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Author's Note: Heh, I know you guys didn't expect that from this chapter.

_Next Time: Tobias was willing to aid in the psychological torture of Sanzo Uzumaki, but that doesn't mean he's given up on his plans. Recently he's been going somewhere on the island and taking things he gets delivered to him out there as well. Curious about what the Osiris Red is up to Janice follows. What will she find, and what is Tobias up to?_

_See it all in, The Secret Cave!_


	16. The Secret Cave

Author's Note: Let's check in on Tobias, shall we?

**Chapter Sixteen: The Secret Cave**

Janice rubbed sleep from her eyes as she staggered out of the dorm room. She hadn't been able to fully get to sleep that night for a number of reasons. One was the fact that Mizuki had been rolling around in her sleep and muttering incomprehensible things.

The other reason was that when she did start to fall asleep she was plagued of dreams of herself at thirty as a Ra Yellow. It was entirely ludicrous to think of, but after the Osiris Red Kane had nearly beaten his Ra Yellow sister, and Osiris Red Shiro using a professional deck nearly beat Sanzo, she felt like she was falling behind.

She didn't like to mention it to the others but she had been feeling left behind for a while. Her first year she had started as a Ra Yellow, not as an Osiris Red. Yet her grades had remained in that middle range, as had her dueling scores. She wasn't fantastic, she wasn't some natural born duelist. She worked hard just to remain in Ra Yellow, and here she was as a second year student, still in the same dorm, still in a middle rank.

It had all come to a head when the very first day of the year she had been defeated by her roommate Mizuki, a first year student who showed to have huge potential. Not only that, but she had lost and discovered that Mizuki had held back against her. Mizuki was a genius, both at mathematics and apparently at dueling as well. It seemed that most things came easily for Mizuki.

Strange things also followed the girl around. She had made herself rival to Tobias, who seemed very dead set on embarrassing her and/or defeating her. She had made a rival for herself out of Harrison, the school's third ranked duelist. She had made a boyfriend out of the school's second ranked duelist, a mentor of the strongest in the school, and had Osiris Red's number one student after her heart. Even if she wasn't aware of it.

Janice didn't like the feeling of jealousy, that little green-eyed monster who beat at the barriers of your better judgment at the most inopportune moments. She didn't like to admit it, but she was jealous of Mizuki. Not only that, but she was jealous of others as well.

She had found herself jealous of the likes of Kane and Shiro for the oddest reasons. Kane had entered the school with close to the lowest entrance scores of any Osiris Red. Yet now nearly half-way through the year he had improved significantly, and Janice was certain it would be difficult for herself to beat him.

For Shiro she found herself jealous of his boundless determination, his bright sense of humor, his ability to make friends out of most people, and most of all of his zest for life. Nothing seemed to put a damper on that boy's spirits, and it got to her. _'Where does all that put me? The girl who couldn't move onwards, stuck in Ra Yellow while everyone around her improved.'_

Sanzo Uzumaki and Harrison Wilhelm the Third had both been in the same entrance class that she had. Sanzo had entered by test, just like herself, and both had been admitted into Ra Yellow. Harrison had graduated at the top of his class at the duelist prep school, placing him automatically into Obelisk Blue. Now both of them had gone far beyond her and were at the top of the school.

At the end of the year, when Vlad graduated, it would likely see a blowout between the two, a bout to see which student would claim the giant's relinquished top position and take the title of Kaiser, which Vlad had chosen not to specifically take. At that time, she would still be in Ra Yellow like she had been.

_'Will I graduate from this school as a Ra Yellow and move on to mediocrity in the dueling circuits? I entered this school with the intent to enter the Pro League, but if I graduate as a Ra Yellow how can I get a sponsor, or even perform well in the league? Heck, there's no way at this pace that I could do well enough in the league to meet my ultimate dream.'_ She sighed, and slipped out through the door's of her dorm, walking into the night.

It was something that she hadn't told anyone. The reason she was at the school, her real reason, the desire that she held in her heart. She wanted to stand before the eyes of the world and represent her home country, the United States of America, as one of Team U.S.A. in the Olympics. Dueling for her pride and for the pride of her country. _'But if I'm forever a Ra Yellow…how can that dream come true?'_

It was a sad thought, but it was the truth. At her current pace it would be impossible for her to ever enter the Olympics. Hell, at the rate she was going it might be impossible to even enter the Pro League. "But how…how do I get better?"

She cursed her luck and stared up at the night sky as she continued walking. At last she reached the hill she was heading for, which overlooked the ocean. It was a beautiful view that she liked to watch when she was feeling down or couldn't sleep. "This definitely qualifies as one of those times."

Janice planted her hands on her hips and looked out at the ocean that stretched for miles. It was impossible to see how far out the ocean reached, impossible to touch the end of the ocean. She felt a little like the edge of the ocean that she couldn't touch represented her dream. She could only try vainly to see that conclusion, but could never ever reach it, no matter how hard she tried.

"Be careful you idiot, that equipment is worth a large sum of money, more than you're being paid!" Janice yelped, shocked out of her musings by a voice reaching her ears. It wasn't close either, it sounded like it was almost an echo, bounced up by the cliff wall.

Slowly she leaned over the edge and looked down. What she saw was a white boat partially in the sand, with a dozen or so men loading crates off of it. It was too far away to get a good look at any of them, or even the crates, but she was certain she knew who had been speaking to them, directing them.

Compared to the men at work, the one directing them was smaller, indicating that he was either younger or just plain short. If the voice was any indication, he was younger. "If you damage even a single piece you'll be in debt for the rest of your lives you apes! I said be careful!"

Yes, there was no doubt about it. She knew only two people who sounded that arrogant, and the other had an even more conceited manner of speaking, but also a much more pleasant voice. This voice was somewhat higher in pitch, and had a slight edge to it. It was younger, angrier. "Tobias?"

Without a doubt the owner of that voice, the person directing those men lifting the crates was none other than Tobias Emerlo. Yet that brought another question to mind. "What's he unloading? Any packages brought onto the island must be approved by the school and go through inspection, and only during operational hours. To bring this stuff in here in the dead of night means he doesn't want anyone knowing about what he's doing."

There was a building feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach that said she should just turn around and go back to her room. She should just pretend she had seen nothing and go about her business as normal. In the back of her mind a voice spoke up and said: "Don't take any risks, it's better to just let pretend you saw nothing. Curiosity killed the cat after all."

She scowled, took the voice in a firm grip and stamped into the very farthest recesses of her mind. Tobias was a jerk who was always trying to prove how he was better than others, and always trying to get Mizuki down. If she took advantage of her discovery she could turn the tables on Tobias. _'Mizuki will owe me one, Tobias will be knocked down another notch, and my jealous streak will be appeased. It's a win-win situation.'_

With that decision made she remained at her perch, watching the men continue their unloading process. It took about fifteen minutes, but eventually it was all on the shore. Tobias inspected the crates to see if they were intact, and then motioned for them to follow.

Janice stood up from where she had been lying down waiting, and followed from the top as all of the men followed Tobias with the crates in hand. Her heart pounded in her chest as she darted from tree to tree, staying out of sight as their paths converged. Soon all of them were deeper into the island than Janice had ever gone, because there were no buildings here. _'Where are they going?'_

Her breathing sounded incredibly loud in her ears and she tried to quiet it, but every move she made seemed ten times louder than normal. Yet despite that the movement of Tobias' group was louder, and they didn't notice her.

"We're here, take the crates in, set them down, and then leave." Tobias waited beside a tree, with Janice just fifteen or so feet away, both of them watching as the men carted the crates into the mouth of a cave.

The cave was dark enough that Janice saw the men flicking on flashlights as they went in. About ten minutes later they exited the cave and without a backwards glance at Tobias they left. Janice held her breath and pressed herself against a tree as they passed, but they didn't notice her. Instead all they did was grumble about the people that got suckered into working for, even if the money was good. _'What's Tobias up to in that secret cave of his?'_

Tobias flicked on a flashlight, and headed into the cave. Janice watched the mouth of the cave, which had quickly swallowed the light, and came to a conclusion. Right now it would be pointless for her to confront Tobias now. She had no idea what he was doing, and for all she knew he was doing something simple, like setting up a personal dueling ring or something else. She had absolutely no way of knowing, so barging in after him wouldn't accomplish anything.

_'Yeah, I'll wait, I'll see how often he comes here and then I'll decide when the right time is to confront him. Now…now I really need sleep.'_ Without a word said she slipped away, returned to her dorm room, collapsed on her bed, and promptly passed out.

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Days passed, and each night Janice went out to that cave and saw Tobias enter. Like clockwork he would spend about three hours in there working on something, and then come out and return to the Osiris Red dorm for the night.

Curious as to how nobody noticed his exiting the dorm at night, she took a careful look at his bunk one day while talking with Kane. To her surprise she discovered a clever set-up of holographic projectors at each end of his bunk, obviously intended to project an image of him still there sleeping in case his roommates woke up or the dorm head checked in on them.

It was probably slightly more difficult for him to slip out, but she was sure Tobias was clever enough to manage. Shiro seemed like the type of person to sleep heavily, and after asking Kane about it the Osiris Red confirmed it. A little questioning of Aya revealed that Kane as well as a heavy sleep.

Her questions of how he was getting out there were answered, but her question of what he was up to was still unanswered. The little poking around in that room that she was able to do had turned up nothing suspicious that might point towards an answer, so she was no farther along than she had ever been.

It seemed like she had been following him for ages, trying to uncover his secret. Yet in reality this night was merely the end of the first week. This time she was determined to risk a closer peek, so she had dressed all in black and followed him in. _'This time, your ass is mine Tobias!'_

She crept along the walk, remaining completely silent. She had lost sight of him but could see a little light around the corner, so she was sure that he would be there. Slowly she craned her neck around the corner, and had to bite down on her tongue to keep from gasping in shock.

Janice knew technology fairly well, but this was beyond the scope of her knowledge. Whatever Tobias had built it looked very high-tech, but that was all Janice could tell from her first glance. It had four clawed feet that planted it sturdily against the ground, a spherical body with a glowing ring of lights in the middle, and what looked like a silver radio dish at the top.

The clawed feet and the fact that all of its lights were red gave Janice a feeling of uneasiness. There was a dreadful feeling from that object, yet it seemed completely irrational. After all, she had no idea what it was. _'Wait a second…it looks complete! Does that mean he's come to retrieve it tonight?'_

"Thank you for joining me, test subject." Janice did gasp this time as the entire cave lit up, revealing her location. Tobias stepped out from around the corner, a duel disk strapped to his left arm and another duel disk in his right hand.

"You…knew I was following you? And what do you mean by calling me a test subject?" Tobias' responding smile had a greasy unsettling quality to it, and Janice felt sweat beginning to bead at her temples. She was barely able to react in time to catch the duel disk when Tobias threw it at her.

Tobias smirked and his duel disk clinked into position, just as he slid a deck into it. "Tell me Janice, what do you know about Mizuki Mitsuhiro's father, Nobunaga Mitsuhiro?"

Janice gulped even as she placed the duel disk onto her arm. She had no idea what was going on, why she was being asked this question, and why she had been given the duel disk. "I know what just about everyone knows. He was the head of the International Board on the Study of Paranormal Math and Science for a number of years, particularly through the whole Twilight of Man thing, the so-called War against Darkness Games."

Every school child was taught about that event, that near war where Darkness Games threatened the very existence of mankind and supernatural creatures ran rampant. Most of the students at this school had been born at some point during that war, so hadn't actually experienced it themselves.

Tobias rolled his eyes and tapped his foot against the ground. "Outside of the fact that he was the head of that board, what was he known for? Why is he famous, why is Mizuki famous?"

"He was a well-known duelist, I know that. And…" Tobias glared at her hard, and she wilted under his gaze. She understood what he wanted her to say, but rarely did people talk about Nobunaga Mitsuhiro's discovery in actual terms.

"Nobunaga Mitsuhiro discovered the equation that came to be known as the Mitsuhiro Factor. I'm not sure exactly what it does, but everyone says it was critical in bringing an end to the terror caused by the Darkness Games." Tobias smirked again and began to draw his card, so Janice followed suit. (TLP: 4000, JLP: 4000)

"Yes, that's correct. But I'll reveal a little bit of secret information to you that I know. The Mitsuhiro Factor is a wavelength of energy that coincides with Darkness Games. In other words, when projected by the right type of device it can shut down a Darkness Game. Or…if used in the opposite way, it can start one. This device you see next to me is a Shangri La Projector, which uses that inverse version of the Mitsuhiro Factor to insight Darkness Games." Janice felt as if her heart stopped when he said it.

Tobias reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote control. "Prepare yourself Janice. You're going to be a test subject for my self-constructed Shangri La Projector. Prepare to experience what a Darkness Game is capable of!"

He pressed a button on the control, and the dish began to pulse. The air around them shimmered, and suddenly they were engulfed by darkness, a black and purple world surrounding them completely. Janice felt cold almost instantly. "Why? Why are you doing this?"

The Osiris Red sneered as he drew a sixth card off his deck and tucked the remote control back into his pocket. "Because I am a genius, because I am Tobias Emerlo of the Emerlo Family who deserves to get his desires. And to get what I desire a Darkness Game is the perfect method. When I win, the rules of these unique games mean that I can force you to comply with whatever I declare as punishment. Why, I can even strip you of your soul!"

Janice felt sick to her stomach and her knees felt weak. She had heard that Darkness Games were intense, but she hadn't expected this. Yet while she was feeling weak, Tobias didn't seem bothered. "How are you unaffected?"

"Ah, that's because when Nobunaga Mitsuhiro created the Shangri La Projector he designed a buffer into it that makes the person who holds the link control completely immune to the negative effects of a Darkness Game. Pretty impressive isn't it?" Janice just felt worse, and didn't know what to think about the fact that such a device existed.

"Here, since you seem to be doing so poorly I'll take the initiative by setting a monster in defense mode. Then I set one card face down behind it and end my turn." He just stared at her, waiting for her to take her move.

Janice took a deep breath and steadied her legs, then drew. She surveyed her hand and began to feel a little bit more confident. "I activate Future Fusion! This lets me send fusion material monsters from my deck to the grave to fusion summon a monster from my deck. Future Fusion is equipped to it, and this first turn it can't attack!"

She held up three cards from her deck, all three of them her Cyber Dragons, and then dumped them into the graveyard. "Now I fusion summon out Cyber End Dragon(4000/2800) to the field!"

The metallic three-headed dragon roared as it spread its wings out wide. Its body was massive, even bigger than when she summoned it in a normal duel. "Now I summon Cyber Fox(1500/1400) in attack mode."

Her next monster was half her size, and was a shiny mechanical fox, with cute little machine ears at the top of its head. "Cyber Fox can be sacrificed to remove floating effects from my field, such as the no attack from Future Fusion."

The mechanical fox faded away, and Cyber End Dragon roared again. "Cyber End Dragon, attack with Ultimate Evolution Burst!" Three waves of pure energy burst from the fusion machine's mouth, shrieking towards Tobias' set monster.

Tobias chuckled as his monster was battered by the energy but not destroyed. "You've attacked Prince of Shields(0/2500) who cannot be flip summoned, and only can be moved face up by an effect or by battle. During the turn that he's flip summoned I take no damage of any sort, including battle damage."

The monster that had survived Cyber End Dragon's attack was a haughty looking monster with white armor that looked like plated shields. Attached to each arm was a heavy looking white shield. "Prince of Shields while face up prevents monsters in defense mode from being destroyed in battle."

Janice frowned, and wondered if Tobias had set up this deck as a counter to hers like he had with Shiro. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Tobias drew, and then pointed to his face down card. "Activate trap card, Resolution to Defend. While I have a face-up defense monster and my opponent has a monster in attack mode I can special summon a monster from my deck of my choice as long as one of its stats is lower than the opponent's."

Again Janice grimaced, knowing that with her mighty Cyber End Dragon in play he could pick and summon essentially any monster in his deck to the field. "Don't feel worried Janice, I don't even need to use my true strategy to defeat you. This deck has been assembled for the purpose of defeating all of my opponents, and this is my true deck which I have finally created after months of work!"

He laughed and threw a card down on his duel disk. Instantly another haughty looking man in white armor appeared, this one with swords strapped to his arms. "Meet my Prince of Blades(2500/0)! As long as he is in face-up attack mode no attack mode monsters on my field can be destroyed in battle. And when together with Prince of Shields he can attack even stronger!"

Prince of Blades gave a bow of respect to Prince of Shields, who in return bowed back. "As long as these two are in play together they add their opposite stats to each other. In other words my Prince of Shields raises to five thousand defense and Prince of Blades to five thousand attack. Ah, but I'm not done yet!"

Tobias selected one card from his hand and placed it onto his duel disk. A man in a royal blue uniform appeared, bowing in obedience to both Princes. He then stood back to his full height and raised a hefty axe. "Elite Guard-Axe Wielder(1800/1500) raises the attack of any monster with a word related to royalty in its name by five hundred, and gains 200 attack himself for each such monster."

Janice felt her knees grow weak as Prince of Blades had its attack increased to fifty-five hundred and Elite Guard rose to twenty-two hundred. "Prince of Blades, destroy her Cyber End Dragon!"

Prince of Blades jumped straight into the air and then came down with his blades pointed at Cyber End Dragon's chest. He plowed straight through her machine's chest, and the mighty fusion monster exploded. "No…" (JLP: 2500)

"Luckily for you my Prince of Shields can never move to attack mode, so I'll simply attack you directly with Elite Guard-Axe Wielder for further damage!" Janice screamed as the guardsman's axe struck her in the stomach. It felt incredibly real, more than she had thought was possible from the game. (JLP: 300)

"Just like I thought, a Darkness Game is too much for you. And of course my deck has also proven to be too strong for you to handle. But I still need you to get up and continue dueling, so I can really defeat you." Janice knew she had little choice so she struggled and forced herself to her feet.

"Good, that's what I wanted. One card face down and then my turn is over." He smirked, cockier than ever as Janice drew for her turn. Even she felt like she had no way to win, and it was only her second turn.

She drew, and then immediately smirked. She knew exactly what to do now. "I play Junk Dealer, which revives two machine monsters from my grave with half their attack points. Cyber Dragon(1050/1600) and another Cyber Dragon(1050/1600) are my choices."

Tobias looked up at the serpentine machine dragons, wondering if she had a fusion planned. It seemed foolish to attempt, but if she did so he wouldn't really be worried. "Go ahead and fuse them if you like. Cyber Twin Dragon would still be too weak to defeat Prince of Blades or Prince of Shields."

"Maybe so, but you're getting ahead of yourself. I activate Photon Generator Unit, sacrificing both of my face-up Cyber Dragons in order to summon out Cyber Laser Dragon(2400/1800)!" The two weakened machines vanished in a flash, only to be replaced by a larger serpentine dragon, this one with what looked like a high-tech laser at the end of its tail.

"Cyber Laser Dragon can destroy monsters stronger than itself without even attacking, so I use its effect and blow away Prince of Blades!" A beam of blue focused light burst from the machine dragon's tail and blew Prince of Blades apart. Instantly the defense points of Prince of Shields fell and the attack of Elite Guard fell as well.

"Cyber Laser Dragon, attack Elite Guard-Axe Wielder!" Another burst of intensely focused light speared out from the dragon's tail. This one struck the guard in the chest and vaporized him instantly. Tobias frowned at seeing his number of monsters reduced, but otherwise didn't seem bothered. (TLP: 3600)

"Hey, if you thought I was done you're greatly mistaken! Reverse card open, Cyber Reshaping! If I've got a monster on my field with Cyber in its name and I've just destroyed another monster then I can special summon a Cyber monster in my grave back to the field!" Tobias' eyes widened in fear as the massive form of Cyber End Dragon reappeared, glaring down at his Prince of Shields.

"Cyber End Dragon(4000/2800), attack Prince of Shields and destroy him! Ultimate Evolution Burst!" Tobias threw up his arms in defense as a massive blast of energy consumed his defensive monster, completely obliterating it. And since Cyber End Dragon had a trample effect he also took damage. (TLP: 2100)

"Now, I set one card face down and end my turn!" She relaxed even though she had just one card left in her hand, because now the advantage was hers again. Yet even as she relaxed she felt a wave of weakness sweep through her, and her knees threatened to drop out from underneath her. The Darkness Game was taking its toll on her.

Tobias sneered and drew. "Well, I'll admit that you're stronger than I thought. But there's no way you can defeat me, especially not while a Darkness Game is under way. And to prove it, I'll summon this next monster. Duke of Shadows(2000/1200)!"

Another regal figure, this one in red armor stepped out onto Tobias' field. The shadows around it seemed to warp and twist. "Duke of Shadows cannot attack, instead once per turn he may remove an opponent's monster from the game. So I banish Cyber End Dragon!"

The shadows reached out and swept over the massive mechanical monstrosity. When the shadows retreated back to the Duke there was no sign left of Janice's trump monster. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Janice drew, feeling weaker by the moment. A Polymerization card stared back at her, and a quick glance at the other card in her hand gave her yet another combo to work with. "I play Steel Salvage. This card lets me pick up two machine sub-type monsters from my grave and add them to my hand."

Two cards slid out of her graveyard slot and she picked them up, proudly showing them to be Cyber Dragons. "Now I activate Polymerization to fuse together my two Cyber Dragons into Cyber Twin Dragon(2800/2100)."

A two headed version of her normal Cyber Dragon appeared beside her Cyber Laser Dragon, adding some extra fire power to her arsenal. "Now, Cyber Laser Dragon attacks Duke of Shadows!"

To her surprise Tobias made no move to stop the strike with either of his two face down cards. Instead his Duke of Shadows was blown away by the laser strike just as the elite guard had been before. "Well that was dull. Surely you can do better, can't you Janice?" (TLP: 1700)

"You're damned right I can! Cyber Twin Dragon attacks you directly for game! Twin Evolution Burst!" Each head of the machine dragon shot a blast of energy out of its mouth, each of which exploded against Tobias, covering him in smoke and fire.

The smoke faded away, revealing Tobias standing behind a shield with a glowing barrier around it. "Draining Shield negates your attack and gives me life points equal to the attack points of your monster. Thank you." (TLP: 4500)

"Don't thank me yet. Remember, Cyber Twin Dragon can attack twice in each turn, so he'll go after your life points again with one more Twin Evolution Burst!" This time the double attack made it through unguarded, burning away the life points Tobias had gained from the previous attack. (TLP: 1700)

Even though her vision was somewhat fuzzy she still felt better. She was totally dominating the field, there was little chance that Tobias could recover and defeat her powerful monsters at this pace. "Turn end."

Tobias shook his head as he drew, and Janice realized he looked almost disappointed. "Really, it's a pity. I had hoped that a Ra Yellow could put up a better fight than this, but I suppose you're not quite in the same caliber as some others in Ra Yellow. With this deck and with the power of a Darkness Game at my beck and call I can't lose to someone like you."

"Jerk…I'll show you that even with these circumstances I can't lose to some stuck up Osiris Red drop-out brat like you!" That declaration seemed to have drained her even further, because she dropped to her knees after finishing it and took several deep breaths.

"Honestly you were never worth my time to begin with, I just need to test my Shangri La Projector. Here, let me show you why. I summon Elite Guard-Archer(1500/1600)." Another warrior in a blue uniform took to the field, this one holding a pitch black bow in its hands. It knocked an arrow and took aim.

"What's that weak monster going to do against my powerful monsters?" Tobias smirked in response to Janice's question and snapped his fingers together. Instantly the tip of his archer's arrow burst into flames, and the archer settled its target on Janice.

"Elite Guard-Archer can attack the opposing player directly for an amount of damage equal to fifty times the level the monsters face-up on their field. You have two level eight monsters, so that's sixteen levels. In other words when he attacks you'll take eight hundred damage. So, attack!" The burning arrow was launched, and it was headed straight for Janice's life points.

"Reveal trap card, Cyber Xerox! This card lets me copy one of your cards, so I'll use Draining Shield to negate the attack and gain an equal number of life points. Since your monster is still technically at its regular attack I'll gain fifteen hundred points!" Her trap card began to change, becoming the shield he had used previously.

Janice's eyes went wide as the flaming arrow slammed into the shield and shattered it into dozens of pieces that flew in all directions. The arrow continued on its way and struck Janice in the chest, making her stumble backwards, screaming and batting at the flames. "Ignorant. My set card was Royal Decree, which negates all trap cards." (JLP: 0)

Janice fell to her hands and knees, panting with the effort needed to remain conscious. She looked up to find Tobias standing above her, looking extremely amused. "So, it's time to test the punishment system. First I want you to tell me what you desire most."

Unbidden the words came to Janice's mouth. "I want to grow stronger, stronger so that I can one day represent my country as a Duel Monsters champion at the Olympics."

"You want to grow stronger for that reason do you? Yet you're unable to match the likes of myself…or Mizuki. Isn't that right?" Janice nodded, still unable to stop herself.

"Then I have my punishment. You're going to do whatever I tell you to for as long as I want. And I'm going to make you stronger so you can bolster my strength. You're going to help me completely crush Mizuki Mitsuhiro and get what I want." The darkness disbanded, and Janice felt as if a heavy weight was lifted off her. Yet at the same time a different but just as dangerous weight was now on her shoulders.

Tobias turned and picked up a silver briefcase that was sitting next to his project and flipped it open. "To that end, I've prepared a few cards you don't have which can enhance your deck greatly. For instance, you don't have this card do you?"

He held out the card, and she took it without thinking. She gasped as she saw the name, and looked up at Tobias with wide eyes. "But this is…it's extremely rare…it's…"

"Power Bond, a card that greatly increases the power of a Cyber Deck like your own. You'll find I have all the cards you need to complete your deck and increase your power. Together we'll surpass those who stand in our way." Janice wasn't sure whether it was the Punishment Game or her own desire that made her swiftly accept the cards he offered her and accept the hand he held out to pull her to her feet. All she knew was that she did.

Tobias smirked and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yes, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

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Author's Note: And a plot begins to appear and thicken at the same time. Also I'd just like to add that this chapter marks the 200 page mark for this story. Just felt like putting that out there.

_Next Time: Secrets are brewing as the semester begins to come to a close. With the last week of the first half of the year arriving tests are beginning, and so are exhibition matches. For an end of semester treat for all of the student body a match is going to be held to showcase the number one rookie student of Obelisk Blue and the man who holds the title of the school's strongest duelist!_

_See it all in, Obelisk Blue Battle! Rookie VS Strongman!_


	17. Obelisk Blue Battle Rookie VS Strongman

Author's Note: It's another Obelisk Blue battle folks, and this one will be good!

**Chapter Seventeen: Obelisk Blue Battle! Rookie VS Strongman**

The semester was almost over and so every student was working feverishly to be ready for the exams that were to come this week. Even the Obelisk Blues were hard at work, determined to maintain their rank instead of having it slip away.

All of the teachers knew that students reached an almost panicked state at this point, and that it was worse at the end of the year. They also had the perfect remedy in mind to keep the students sated and relax them. "A ceremonial duel."

The others nodded in response to the principal's comment. "I believe one of the duelists should be Vlad. Nothing would inspire the rest of the student body more than seeing the strongest of their number in battle."

"Then who will be the person to face him? Certainly it has to be another Obelisk Blue. Perhaps Sanzo?" They all paused to think about it, considering the implications of facing the self-proclaimed Hero Saint of Duelist Academy against the Strongman of Duelist Academy. It would be an excellent duel except…

They all shuddered. "Yes, if we had those two duel each other it would be a pure disaster. The flocking of their fans would cause a veritable riot regardless of who won. And Harrison's personality is such that if he duels it would be more of a war than an exhibition match. Yes, neither of those two is an option."

One of the Ra Yellow professors raised a hand and smirked. "I think I've got the answer. Our number one Obelisk Blue rookie, Enzeru!"

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Enzeru sighed and dropped his uniform jacket onto his bed. The decision to pit him against Vladimir Karishnakov, Strongman of Duelist Academy and top ranked duelist of the entire school. _'You're the strongest rookie of the year as number one exiting the prep-school. You're a potential perfect duelist who is the right person to face Vladimir in this exhibition match.'_

He flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "That's what they said to me, but how can that be true? I'm no more the strongest rookie at this school than I am the strongest physically. Nor am I the smartest."

Enzeru held his right hand over his face, palm open and stared up at it. "I've grown up feeling like the older brother, though my age is merely ten minutes greater than my siblings. I've tried to show a cool and confident front for them at all times, to be the big brother that they always shoot for to surpass. Their inspiration. But…."

His hand curled into a fist which shook from the intensity of his grip. "Here at this school there are people who can be true inspirations to them. Who can show them measures of justice and strength that I can never achieve. And bit by bit they are closing the gap between us."

It had become obvious that this school was steadily improving the triplets. Kane had improved rapidly, now fighting on nearly the same level as Aya. Aya herself had improved, although not as much as Kane. Yet despite how he was supposed to be the elder brother type, the stronger, it was he who was going to fall behind. "The one amongst us who has improved the least…is me."

The hand that he had been gripping into a fist dropped to his side. He closed his eyes and exhaled, trying to find a measure of relaxation. "My first major duel at the academy pitted me against the school's second strongest duelist. I lost so completely to him that I knew I couldn't measure up."

In his mind's eye he saw flashes of his duel with Sanzo, the final attack of Elemental Hero Sailorman striking him and sending him flying. "At this place the person who's the number one rookie, the person who should really be standing in my place…"

He sighed and opened his eyes, seeing a fleeting image of a pretty girl grinning and threading cards through her fingers. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro…she's stronger than I am, I know it. She's the one who should be in this room, not me. She's the one who should stand in Obelisk Blue, who should face Vlad as the number one rookie. I don't deserve this position."

Enzeru was not prone to tantrums or fits of depression. But the prospect of facing the school's strongest duelist and losing terribly weighed on him heavily. Not because of that certain crushing defeat, but rather because he knew if he lost his siblings would lose respect for him. "If they no longer look up to me then…then what? What will I do? I won't be able to be a big brother anymore and I won't know what to do."

With that weighing on his mind, he picked himself up off the bed and grabbed his jacket. Without another word he walked out of the room, needing to escape to the fresh air for a while before he began to prepare for his duel against Vlad.

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Enzeru felt his skin chill in the cool wind that blew past him. It seemed as though even fresh air couldn't help him relax at this point. "This duel will challenge me like no other…I can't win."

"Even if you can't win, shouldn't you go into the duel with your whole heart and give it your all?" Enzeru spun around, and then when he saw no one there he jerked his head up and found the source of the voice. Sitting in a branch of the tree straight ahead of him was none other than Sanzo.

"Sanzo-san! What are you doing here?" The older teen grinned, his teeth shining, and he hopped down from the tree. Sanzo dropped down right in front of Enzeru and then stood and placed his hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"Like any hero I'm in the right place at the right time. Sometimes a hero is just a friendly ear, or sage advice. So I'll say this to you. Fight Vlad as you are and both of you will regret it. Go into the duel with no doubt in your heart and your determination burning and both of you will be happy, no matter what the result is!" Sanzo brought his left arm up and gave Enzeru a thumbs up while grinning.

Enzeru stared blankly at Sanzo for a moment, and then smiled back. "You're right, if I just keep worrying about how strong he is then I'll never enjoy the duel. I should be excited to fight such a strong opponent! Thank you Sanzo, I'm going back to my room to prepare my deck!"

Immediately Enzeru turned and ran back towards the Obelisk Blue dorm, leaving Sanzo standing on his own. But once Enzeru was out of sight a large figure stepped out from behind the tree and placed a massive hand on Sanzo's shoulder. "Thank you Sanzo, I appreciate it."

Sanzo craned his neck up and smiled at the other man. "Heh, no worries Vlad!"

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Mizuki leaned forward in her seat, eagerly awaiting the coming duel. She hadn't seen Vlad duel since she had faced him at the beginning of the year, and she was anticipating a great duel. "Enzeru is good, right Aya?"

The blonde girl nodded, and she too was leaning forward in her seat. She was just as eager as Mizuki to see this battle, but mostly because her brother would be showcasing his talent to the entire school, instead of to just a small portion. "Oh yeah, he'll give Vlad a run for his money."

Janice sat there quietly, occasionally glancing at something out of the corner of her eyes. Shiro watched her, and followed her eyes. What he saw was Tobias, leaning against a railing with Harrison standing a few feet behind him. _'Harrison and Tobias together again huh? But why is Janice watching them?'_

Something about that situation didn't sit right with him, but he didn't have a chance to contemplate it any further as he was slapped on the back by Kane all of a sudden. "Pay attention Shiro, they're coming!"

The doors on the far side of the arena opened wide, billowing mist out. The announcer, one of the Obelisk Blue teachers, swung his right hand towards the door. "In this corner, standing at seven feet and two inches and weighing in at three hundred and fifty-nine pounds is the one, the only, Strongman of Duelist Academy, Vladimir Kharishnikov!"

Vlad's massive shape emerged from the mist; his long white and blue uniform coat billowed out behind him and was stretched tightly across his broad chest. He smiled widely at the audience and thrust his left arm into the air. Immediately the audience roared with applause and cheers.

The announcer motioned for the audience to quiet down, and they did, all of them waiting for the challenger to appear. Just like the first set the opposite set of doors swung open and another person began to emerge from the mist. "In this corner, standing at six feet even and weighing one hundred and sixty-eight pounds, the number one rookie of this year, Obelisk Blue's very own Enzeru Yukio!"

Enzeru's completely blue uniform didn't flare out like Vlad's uniform did, but the tight fit seemed to suit him, and he looked distinctive in it. He looked around at the audience, and then raised his left duel disk clad arm in response to Vlad's action. The crowd's response was similar, but not quite as great.

"Duelists, take your places!" Enzeru and Vlad stepped up onto opposite sides of the circular arena floor and matched gazes. Suddenly Vlad broke into a grin and hefted his left arm, his duel disk clicking into place.

"Little Enzeru, I hope for a wonderful duel between the two of us. Show me your full strength and I shall respond with my own! That is the way a duel should be!" Enzeru nodded and flicked his arm up, his own duel disk sliding into position. The announcer backed away, and then slashed his arm down. Instantly the scoreboard overhead lit up with their images and fields. (VLP: 4000, ELP: 4000)

Enzeru drew six cards, while Vlad drew five. And while Enzeru carefully examined his cards and began to plan his strategy, Vlad refrained from looking at his own cards. Enzeru looked up at his opponent, who smiled in return. "Why don't you look at your cards?"

"I have no reason to yet. I will only determine my actions after I have seen yours, it's pointless to begin to make plans ahead of time when I haven't seen how my opponent plays yet." Enzeru blinked and felt a shiver run up his spine.

_'It's not just that…he's not worried about what's in his hand at all! All he cares about is my own actions, it's like whatever he's drawn is sufficient for him to work with…heh. For this guy, there's no such thing as a bad hand is there? He's too strong to be slowed down by what's in his hand. In that case, I'll go with brutal force and never allow that strength to materialize!'_ He gripped one of his six cards and slapped it down.

"Paladin Xellos(1900/1200) in attack mode! This monster boosts all Paladins in play by one hundred attack points times the number of Paladins in play. For the moment that means he gains one hundred attack points!" An armored knight in shining armor marched out onto the field, his body glowing a faint yellow color as its attack rose to two thousand.

"Following that I'll place two cards face down and end my turn!" Two cards materialized behind Xellos, and then Enzeru looked up at Vlad. The bigger duelist snapped a card off his deck and finally looked at his hand.

"Ah! Just as suspected, not a single monster…of course that's just perfect for me! Since I have no monsters in my hand or on my field I can add my signature monster from my deck to my hand!" A card popped out of his deck and he grabbed it, and then threw it down onto his duel disk.

"Since there are no monsters on my field or in my hand besides this I can now summon my level seven Strongman(1900/1200) to the field without a tribute!" Appearing on the field was a massive form, taller and more muscular than Vlad and dressed in spandex. It was none other than the ultimate beatdown monster, Strongman.

"Now, since Strongman isn't quite strong enough to face your monster I'll play this magic card, Intimidating Brawn! This reduces the attack of all monsters on your field by one hundred times their level!" Strongman flexed and the Paladin backed up, raising its shield and sword in preparation for battle. The yellow aura flickered and weakened as its attack fell to sixteen hundred.

To Vlad's delight Enzeru actually seemed pleased by this turn of events. "I was going to use it later, but this works fine right now. Reverse card open, Card of Last Will! Since my monster lost attack points I now draw five cards!"

In a flash the Obelisk Blue rookie picked up the top five cards of his deck and placed them next to his other three cards. "Thanks for the new cards Vladimir."

"Of course little one, it is my pleasure. Of course your monster is still weakened, so Strongman shall attack!" The muscle man slammed his fists together and then charged headlong at the Paladin. As the Strongman came closer the Paladin's yellow aura began to flare up.

Enzeru pointed to his remaining set card, which flipped up and showed soldiers charging into the fray. "My Reinforcements trap card gives my monster five hundred extra attack points for the turn, so it would lose them at the end of the phase. So Xellos counter attacks!"

The knight dodged Strongman's first punch and then drove its sword into the other warrior's shoulder. Vlad grinned even as his life points fell. "Excellent play little one! I see you planned to use that trap in combination with your other at the end of the turn when your monster lost its attack points." (VLP: 3800)

Vlad's booming chuckle filtered through the room, and Enzeru tensed when he realized that despite the damage Strongman hadn't been destroyed. "What…what's going on?"

"My quick-play magic card is what! It is the magic card Strongman Never Dies, which I can play when Strongman is destroyed in battle, and it revives him with one hundred attack points extra for every level of your monster! And revived with twenty-three hundred attack points, he will finish the job he started!" Strongman rose to his feet and clapped his hands together on the Paladin's helmet, crushing it. Seconds later the monster faded away. (ELP: 3800)

Strongman did a back-flip and landed in front of Vlad, then began to flex for the audience. "Of course Strongman now gains an additional four hundred attack points for having defeated your level four monster, placing him at twenty-seven hundred attack points. Ho-ho…now I place a card face down and conclude my turn."

The younger Obelisk Blue flinched at having his own success used against him. Bu as he drew his card for the turn he remembered that he had a large hand advantage which he could use to turn it all around. "Alright Vladimir, I'm going to defeat Strongman again this turn!"

"Oh? Very well then, show me your strength!" Vlad grinned and slapped a hand against his big chest, eager as ever to see what the opponent had in store for him. The students cheered wildly at this minor display, eager to see what their number one student could do.

"This is it, I summon Paladin Dori(1500/1200)! This is the stand-alone Paladin, who gains fifteen hundred attack points at all times. However, for each filled zone other than his own he loses 300 hundred attack points. So while on his own he has three thousand attack points!" His knight had a painting of a tiger on its chest plate, and was glowing a fierce red color as it sized itself up against Strongman.

Vlad slapped a hand against his chest and laughed loudly. "Your monster is strong, I love it!"

"You won't love it in a moment, because it requires more than power to defeat you! I activate the continuous magic card Chains of Peace! As long as this card is in effect no face down cards, even my own, can be activated!" Vlad quirked an eyebrow as massive black chains erupted from the stadium and covered the entire field, under the feet of their monsters. His own face down could no longer be seen beneath the chains.

Enzeru balled his right hand into a fist and smirked victoriously. "Paladin Dori(3000/1200), attack Strongman and destroy him!"

Dori stabbed its sword deep into Strongman's chest and then wrenched it out. Strongman grunted, and then shattered into a million pieces. Vlad frowned, but otherwise didn't seem worried. "Well played little Enzeru, well played." (VLP: 3500)

"Since setting cards would be pointless I'll end my turn by discarding a card as upkeep for Chains of Peace, thus keeping my hand at the maximum size. All you Vladimir." The audience whispered amongst themselves, suddenly unsure about the outcome of the duel. If you could prevent Vlad from protecting himself and get out monsters much stronger than Strongman could start out, then the chance of victory increased.

To Enzeru's surprise just as his duel disk started to beep a bright glow appeared on Vlad's side of the field, and suddenly Strongman reappeared. "Sorry Little Enzeru, but I can reuse Strongman Never Dies' effect once more by removing it from the grave. Also since he had previously gained attack points he is revived with half of those as a bonus. Meaning Strongman now has twenty-two hundred and fifty attack points."

Vlad slipped a card off his deck, and then smirking he placed it into his duel disk and pressed the activation button. "Even though Strongman currently lacks the power to defeat your monster, he can still harm you. I activate Super Quad Strike, with a cost of eight hundred life points." (VLP: 2700)

"In exchange for those life points my Strongman can now attack directly this turn with his attack points set to half of his base. Now Strongman, attack with Strongman Quad Strike!" Enzeru braced himself as Strongman flew over his only defending monster and came right at him. It then slammed its upper legs right into his head, knocking him onto his back. (ELP: 2850)

The behemoth duelist smiled warmly as his opponent staggered to his feet, and brushed his blue uniform off. "That was a strong attack. But is that all you're going to do?"

To his surprise Vlad just gave him a brief inclination of the head, indicating that his turn was indeed done. Since Vlad was done Enzeru began his own turn. _'Alright, I've got him on the run right now, so I have to keep that up. I can't set cards, and currently I have no useful cards to play. I've got no monsters I can summon anyways, so I suppose I'll just attack for now.'_

"Paladin Dori, destroy Strongman!" For the second time in the duel Enzeru's Paladin skewered Strongman. The mighty warrior struggled, but eventually collapsed and faded away, taking a chunk of Vlad's life points with him. Through it all Vlad just smiled. (VLP: 1950)

"Again I'll simply discard this card from my hand to maintain hand size and as upkeep for Chains of Peace. That's all for my turn Vladimir." Enzeru took a deep breath, making sure he remained calm. He was winning right now, and he couldn't let overexcitement change that.

Vlad drew, and then rapped a knuckle against his head. "Ah, you're strong and holding in there little Enzeru. Of course that should be expected from a strong sibling like yourself, always standing up front so that your brother and sister have something to shoot for. I admire that, and that is why I will defeat you by honoring you with my strength!"

Enzeru drew back, and the audience itself gasped in surprise. Mizuki smiled knowingly, having heard a similar declaration from Vlad. The other duelists in the audience who had also faced him knew he meant it as well. "You want to defeat me? Well I refuse to lose, so bring your strength and I'll crush it!"

"Ho-ho! You're a feisty one, I give you that. But feisty is not enough…your heart isn't strong enough yet to defeat me little one. Until that day when your heart blossoms with an iron will, you will remain unable to beat me. Now, let me show you the iron will of my own heart!" The Strongman of Duelist Academy flipped his drawn card up, giving Enzeru a clear view of what it was.

At the edge of the audience, standing at the railing with his arms folded, Harrison closed his eyes and smirked. "This duel is about to change like the tide. Vlad is satisfied with Enzeru's strength and will show him his own strength."

Tobias looked back at the teenager who was something of a mentor and something of a companion to him, and frowned. "What are you talking about? Are you saying that Vlad was just testing him before?"

Harrison nodded, and his smirk faded away, his lips setting into a thin line. "Yes, that is his style. He only commits himself fully to a duel if he believes that the opponent's heart is willing enough and strong enough to allow him to do so. Vladimir refused the title of Kaiser because that title is intended to be bestowed on the perfect duelist, the absolute supreme and untouchable of Duelist Academy."

Tobias blinked, feeling more confused than when Harrison had started. "I'm not sure I get where you're going. Isn't that just what Vlad is? He's the number one duelist in the school, isn't he?"

"Yes, that's right. However, he isn't perfect, not by a long shot. He refused the title of Kaiser because of that. You see, Vladimir isn't the top ranked duelist of the school because he is necessarily the most skilled duelist, or perfect compared to the rest. So he instead accepted his current title, because it described him so perfectly. He is the number one duelist of this school for a different reason than any previous to him." Tobias' eyes widened, feeling like he was hearing the tale of a legend.

"The reason he is the number one duelist of this school is not talent, it is strength. Strength of heart, of will, of body, and of mind. It is not that it is impossible to surpass his strength, but it is very difficult. Even I…even I have never beaten Vlad. Not a single person at this school has, not even one of the instructors. He is the absolute strongest of this school, without a doubt." Harrison opened his eyes, returning his attention to the duel. Gulping, Tobias followed his gaze to where Vlad was now explaining his card.

"My magic card Strongman's Inner Eye allows me to name one card. If it exists in your deck then it is added to my hand, but if I fail I instead get to draw a card. I will name Monster Reborn!" Enzeru frowned, but complied and searched for the named card, tossing it to Vlad once he found it.

"With this in my grip I will play it, reviving Strongman with half his previous bonus points. Now he has two thousand and seventy-five attack points. Of course, that won't be enough to defeat your Dori, will it? So it seems Strongman must undergo training!" Enzeru gulped as the spaces on his field next to Dori began to be filled by what looked like straw dummies.

"What…what's going on? What is this?" Vlad smirked and revealed another card he had slipped out from his hand. It was yet another magic card, and it showed a group of men in karate uniforms training against similar dummies.

"This is Battle Training Ground, a magic card which generates tokens to all of your free zones. These tokens are dark warriors, with levels equal to that of the highest level monster in your grave. Also their attack points are determined by that level, being that times one hundred. So what are you hiding in your grave?" Enzeru grimaced and wished he could go back to the end of his last turn and change his decision in terms of discards.

"The highest level monster in my grave is Paladin Fielle(1900/2300), a level six monster." The stats of the dummy tokens changed accordingly, becoming six hundred points each. The six hundred applied to both their attack and defense points, though they were in defense mode.

Vlad chuckled in that deep booming manner of his and jerked a thumb at Paladin Dori, whose attack was drastically falling. "I must also mention that this fellow of yours now loses all but three hundred bonus points, since your field is filled with monsters. That means he's weaker than Strongman…but he's not my immediate target."

The strongman took one of the two remaining cards in his hand and held it up. The card showed Strongman attacking an unseen target, its hands a blur of punches. The number thirty-two and the word 'perfect combo' could be seen in the background. "This is my magic card, Strongman 32-Hit Combo! It allows Strongman to attack all opponents' monsters, negating any effects they have upon destruction. So the combo begins, starting with the dummies!"

Enzeru could only stare in horror as Strongman moved just like the card image, his fists pounding away at one straw dummy after another, tearing them to pieces with his brutal force. Finally he was standing in front of a terrified Dori, now back at three thousand attack points. "Since each of your monsters was thought of as a level six, that means Strongman has just gained twenty-four hundred bonus attack points. And now, now he attacks to finish the combo!"

The rookie Obelisk Blue gritted his teeth as a final barrage of punches destroyed his stand-alone monster. And because Strongman's attack power had been boosted to a massive forty-four hundred and seventy-five points, the damage was extensive. "No…my advantage…" (ELP: 1375)

"That isn't all. You supplied me with the perfect catalyst for one of Strongman's other effects. First of all, as you know he gains four hundred attack points from slaying your monster. Then by paying one thousand life points I'll have Strongman absorb Dori's effect." Strongman flexed his biceps and flashed a big grin as his attack points shot straight up, six thousand three hundred and seventy-five.

"For as long as Strongman remains in play he will be just like Dori. He automatically gains fifteen hundred attack points, but loses three hundred points for every other monster zone on my field that is filled. I thank your Dori, little Enzeru." Enzeru felt some of his own determination fading away. His lead had been crushed and Vladimir had showed just why he was the school's top duelist. (VLP: 950)

Vlad shook his head, seeing the way that Enzeru was starting to fall apart. "Your brother and sister are watching Enzeru. This duel isn't finished yet."

Enzeru raised his head, and saw Aya and Kane staring down at him, looks of worry in their eyes. The thought of their worrying about him in this duel brought a smile to his lips, and he stood up to his full height. "Thank you for reminding me Vladimir. Now, it's my turn!"

The rookie Obelisk Blue drew and his eyes widened at what he saw. He moved his gaze over the other six cards in his hand, and a smile blossomed. "I can do this…I see it! Enzeru, I'm far from finished! Activate magic card, Magic Shard Excavation!"

He slid two of his cards into the grave, and then extracted a different one. "This magic card lets me discard two cards to pick up a magic card from the grave, and my choice to bring back and play is Monster Reborn! I'll revive Paladin Fielles(1900/2300)!"

His newest monster was slim for a Paladin, wearing light armor. But its green aura was intensely bright, and its shield and sword had the same green glow to them. "Next I summon Paladin Drevos(0/2500) to the field to join him!"

His summoned Paladin lacked a sword, and replaced it with a heavy shield. As soon as it appeared on the field the green aura linked the two monsters. "When a Paladin is summoned, Paladin Fielles lets me decrease the defense of one Paladin on the field to raise the attack of the summoned monster by that amount. I'll drain Fielles' defense to zero in order to increase Drevos' attack by twenty-three hundred!"

Vlad cocked an eyebrow at this odd play, as it didn't seem to accomplish much. "Also, Fielles gains attack points equal to half the amount of that increase. But this is where Drevos comes into play. As long as he's in play all Paladins gain double of any bonus, so Fielles gains twenty-three hundred attack and Drevos gains another set of twenty-three hundred!"

The crowd took a collective breath, and even the instructors were impressed by the play. Enzeru had just collectively boosted both of his monsters to over four thousand attack points, Fielles with forty-two hundred and Drevos with forty-six hundred. "You truly are strong little Enzeru."

"I'm not little, even standing before you I stand tall! Allow me to show you the conclusion to this combo! I'm going to empty my hand right now, but first to make it succeed I'll play Emergency Provisions, sacrificing Chains of Peace to gain one thousand life points!" His continuous magic card faded away, along with the chains that had covered the field. (ELP: 2375)

"Next I set one card face down, and then I'll conclude my combo! I play Peer Pressure, which lets me force the activation of one card on the field, even my own. So I'll activate my set trap card, Shield of Interception!" His trap was simple, depicting a man crouching behind an iron shield, prepared for an attack.

"Shield of Interception allows me to sacrifice one monster on my field to increase another monster on my field's attack points by its defensive power. So I'll sacrifice Drevos to grant its twenty-five hundred defense points as power for Fielles!" Drevos faded away, and the green aura around the other Paladin flared even more brilliantly, covering the arena with a strange emerald glow.

Vlad laughed a merry sound despite the situation. "Such a brilliant combo at such a tough moment! Truly you are a strong person! You've managed to surpass my Strongman's attack by giving your Fielles sixty-seven hundred attack points!"

Enzeru thrust his right hand out at Strongman, and his Paladin raised its sword, which was blazing with that same green light as the rest of it. "This is it; I'll strike Strongman down right here! Paladin Fielles, attack!"

Fielles swung its blade down and an arc of emerald green energy flew out of it heading straight for Strongman. The audience was completely silent for a few seconds as the attack roared along its course, until it was shattered by one word spoken by the academy's Dark Prince. "Idiot."

The moment that word was spoken Enzeru understand exactly what his error was. But by then it was too late for him to call back the attack, and Vlad was already in action. "Open set card, Iron Abs! When Strongman is attacked the offending monster is destroyed, and is counted as falling in battle to Strongman!"

Strongman flexed its stomach muscles and the arc of energy struck those mighty iron abs and shot right back at the source. The energy sliced Fielles in half, shattering Enzeru's last hopes of victory. As soon as it was gone, Enzeru sighed, and then looked up at Vlad with a smile. "I lost…but thank you for showing me how to trust my own strength. As long as my siblings are looking at me, it doesn't matter if I lose, as long as I do my best."

Vlad returned Enzeru's smile even as he drew for his turn. "You understand. Your heart may not have been quite strong enough yet, but I can see that you'll get there. With your brother and sister at your side, you can accomplish much little Enzeru. And now, I honor you with my strength. Strongman Strike!"

Strongman's punch caught Enzeru in the jaw and sent him stumbling backwards. He nearly tumbled off the edge of the arena, but managed to catch his footing before that happened. Although he rubbed his jaw in pain, Enzeru's look was not one of defeat. "Thank you Vladimir. I didn't win the duel, but to myself, I won something greater. I won my own respect." (ELP: 0)

As the two duelists walked up to each other and shook hands, the audience erupted into applause. The instructors had been right, and this had been just the inspirational duel that they had needed.

As everyone was cheering, Mizuki turned to Aya with a smile on her face, and slapped her roommate on the back. "I admit it, you were right. Enzeru is one tough cookie."

She glanced down at the field, where the two duelists seemed to be talking, though their words were drowned out by the audience. "I wonder…will I get a chance to face him? Or a rematch with Vlad?"

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Author's Note: I feel very excited about this next chapter…

_Next Time: The last day of the semester has come and everyone is brimming with excitement for the break to come. Seeing this as her chance, Mizuki steps up to confront Harrison for the second time, determined to make a better showing of herself. Yet when Harrison unveils a power that nobody was expecting, Mizuki's excitement knows no bounds. Today she will get her desire, today she'll know the nature of a true duel that she's wanted. Today she experiences the power of the darkness for the first time._

_See it all in, Dream Come True; Mizuki's First Darkness Game!_


	18. Dream Come True Mizuki's Darkness Game

Author's Note: Time for some Darkness Game fun.

**Chapter Eighteen: Dream Come True; Mizuki's First Darkness Game!**

Mizuki yawned and sat up in bed, shielding her eyes from the sun with one arm. Despite the sign's bothersome presence she wasn't irritated waking up, but instead felt rather relieved. After all, all of her finals were done.

Yet at the same time she felt a little bit depressed. This was the end of the first semester, so she would be leaving Duelist Academy for nearly a month before the second semester would begin. She'd be leaving behind all her new friends.

Logically she knew that she'd see them again after just a month, but still it was somewhat difficult to swallow. Though she would never admit it to her peers at Duelist Academy she had been mostly disliked in her home district.

People tended to dislike her there either because of her fame, or because of the fact that she was far ahead of all her former peers in school, and even surpassing everyone in her district at Duel Monsters.

Back at home the only thing she had waiting for her was her mother, and it wasn't that they didn't get along, but rather that her mother seemed very distant. Mizuki understood the reason behind it. After what had happened with her father, her mother had been deeply affected, and that was hard to overcome.

She glanced across at the two beds where her roommates would have been, had they not departed on the boat the previous night. Her boat was coming around midday, so she would be one of the last people to leave the school. Of course since class was over, that meant…no more uniform!

With an exaggerated yawn and stretch she hopped out of bed and walked to the shower. She pulled off her night clothes and turned on the shower. Once it was heated up she stepped in and let the hot water run over her body.

A hot shower was a very simple thing, but it usually helped her unwind or relax when she was feeling physically or emotionally stiff. It was also a chance for her to think. _'Standing in front of people and dueling, with the pressure on can be exhilarating but…'_

She began to massage her scalp with liberally applied shampoo, making sure she had enough to clean her long hair. Since she hadn't had a hair cut all semester her hair was now a bit past her shoulder blades, rather than being just above them. _'But that pressure can also take out some of the fun and excitement of a personal duel. So with so many people gone…this is the chance.'_

Fifteen minutes later she exited the shower, towel wrapped tightly around her body. Her chance to think had brought her to a conclusion. "Well, this is absolute. Today, before I have to leave…I'm going to challenge Harrison to a rematch!"

Harrison had defeated her in their previous duel, and now she wanted to give it another try, to test her luck and skill against him in a duel once more. She wanted to win more than anything else, but she would settle for a good duel either way. "Look out Harrison, I'm on my way!"

She pumped one fist into the air, and her towel promptly slipped off and pooled on the ground. She yelped and grabbed it in a rush, and then blushed when she remembered that nobody else was there. "Right…I'll dry and get dressed first."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harrison was calmly leaning his back against a tree, awaiting the arrival of a certain fifteen year old girl. He had received the challenge via his personal organizer just an hour earlier, and had dressed in his own clothing with his DD6 ready just in preparation for this. "This time, I will see what you are really made of Mizuki Mitsuhiro."

His current outfit was much different from his Obelisk Blue uniform. Instead of blue and white he was wearing mostly black, with dark loose fitting pants and a similarly loose fitting black long-sleeved shirt, with a small circle on the left breast in silver. The circle had a sword pointing down on the inside, and it was his family's crest. Draped over his shoulders was a black mantle, similar to the blue one he wore with his uniform.

Casually he tapped his fingers against his forearms, feeling somewhat impatient now that the time had almost come. Oddly he had his hands in white gloves, contrasting greatly to his otherwise dark themed clothing. _'Come Mizuki, rise to the challenge with the strength I know you can unleash.'_

"So, you didn't chicken out…Harrison." Harrison pushed himself away from the tree and turned on his heel, coming face to face with the girl who had challenged him. Instead of wearing her normal Ra Yellow uniform that he was used to she wore black shorts that went past her knees, a blue shirt sporting a pi symbol and the words 'Me Oh My, I Love Pi' underneath it. Over the shirt she had a light jacket colored a dark red shade.

"I wouldn't flee from this, not this and not anything else. I've been eager to face you again, because I promised myself that the second time we faced each other I would test you, and see what lies at the core. You see, you cannot know the measure of a man or a woman until you have held them over the edge of a volcano. On that day you will know them. And so…" He raised his left arm, duel disk moving into active position.

Slowly he raised his right arm, his pointer finger aimed directly at her forehead. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro, I challenge you! Face me and show me your true measure as I hold you over the edge of the volcano! Face me in the dark places of the world, under the power of the ancients!"

Inch by inch he closed his right hand into a fist and brought it to his side, his ice cold eyes burning with pride and something more. "I challenge you to a Darkness Game!"

Mizuki felt her heart skip a beat at those words. Her body trembled slightly at the thought of finally getting the chance she had desired for so long. For years she had been desperately curious about the nature of a Darkness Game, and at long last her dream of feeling the power of Darkness Game first hand would come true.

She dipped her hand down and looked at her hands, which shook almost violently. Harrison sneered and shook his head in disappointment. "How disappointing. I was expecting you to be made of sterner stuff, but it seems your true measure is that of a coward. You shake at the mere mention of a Darkness Game."

Her head snapped up, and he nearly flinched at the intense expression on her face. He couldn't hide his surprise at that look, particularly the happy smirk that was plastered on her face. "Harrison, you don't get it do you?"

He arched an eyebrow, not quite sure what she was getting out. "I'm not shaking out of fear…I'm shaking out of anticipation! Harrison Wilhelm the Third, I Mizuki Mitsuhiro accept your challenge!"

Harrison couldn't help but laugh at that declaration, and instinctively followed what he had been taught years earlier. He imagined a well in his mind, and began drawing water from it. When the bucket of crystal clear water was in he dipped his hands in and delved further, to the bottom of the bucket, where light ceased to exist…and where only darkness remained.

As soon as he completed the process the area around them was flooded by a purple haze, and a dome of black and deep purple formed to cover them. They were suspended in what was seemingly endless darkness, with only the purple fog changing the color scheme. "This…I will enjoy this immensely!" (HLP: 4000)

He felt the cold start to fill his body, but he simply focused his mind on the crystal clear water of that bucket, and imagined it beginning to boil. Then the cold faded away, allowing him to remain untouched for the time being by the powers of darkness he had summoned. _'But she has no such teaching. So now we see how she fares.'_

Mizuki looked around, eyes wider than Harrison would have thought possible as she took in everything. She tilted her head up to stare at the 'ceiling' and then lifted her arms over her head, reaching for that same false ceiling or sky. _'What is she doing?'_

"This is…this is just like my dreams! I feel like…I feel….kind of funny…but like this is…right or something. It tickles…" To Harrison's surprise she rubbed her forearms and giggled, then did a spin on her heel and stopped in something of a ballet pose, hands poised over her head.

"This is wonderful! I've never felt like this before, never felt like the air was so fresh, so clear! I feel like I'm floating on air!" She giggled again and did a little kick in the air, clapping her heels together. Once she landed she hopped up into a handstand, tilting her head up to look at him, a sickeningly big smile on her face.

_'What in the…what is this? I've never seen anyone react to a Darkness Game like this before! How is it that she enjoys it…and why is she acting like this? I don't understand…'_ Slowly Mizuki lifted her left arm up, allowing herself to balance solely on her right arm, still grinning hugely at him.

Harrison was well aware that such balance was extremely difficult, and Mizuki didn't seem as if she could normally accomplish something like that. Everything about this situation was unusual. "What's wrong with you?"

She pushed off of her hand, doing a complete back-flip in the air and landed on the ball of her left foot, still grinning. "Wrong with me? Nothing's wrong with me, I feel better than I ever have before, and I'm up to smacking you around in a duel!" (MLP: 4000)

Giggling she drew five cards and look at him expectantly, so he drew six cards one by one. He didn't know what to make of this situation, but he knew that he still had a duel to win, or else the consequences of the Penalty Game would be upon him. "Fine, if you insist, then I'll crush you just as I said I would. And I believe I'll begin with someone familiar…"

He slapped the monster card down onto his duel disk, and a familiar warrior appeared in front of him. Wearing a red coat over his bear chest and with a sword strapped to his back, pistols in the holster, was none other than Harrison's key monsters. "Legendary Demon Slayer Dante(1500/1200), and as per the norm I now equip him with a card from my deck. My choice is a weapon you should be familiar with, Lightning Broadsword Alastor!"

A broadsword appeared in Dante's hand, and he gave it a few experimental slashes, causing it to crackle with electricity. Harrison smirked and snapped his fingers. Instantly Dante cut the sword through the air, sending lightning striking into Mizuki's body. "Once during each of my turns this card deals you five hundred damage. It also increases Dante's attack power by five hundred."

Instead of flinching in pain like Harrison had expected, she shuddered and then laughed lightly, as if she were being…tickled. "That feels kind of good actually…" (MLP: 3500)

Harrison frowned, not quite sure what to make of her reaction. Either she was serious, or she was toying with him. He didn't like either option. "I place one card face down and conclude my turn!"

Mizuki drew, and then looked down at her cards. Her eyes widened even further and then she placed her right hand over her mouth, suppressing another giggle. "So pretty…"

She raised the card and then placed it gently down onto her duel disk. The space in front of her shimmered, and then her monster formed. Harrison was expecting one of the white robed rune users that she fought with, but this new monster was…different.

Her monster was an attractive looking blonde woman, who instead of white robes wore a white dress with floral patterns up the side. She also held a rose between two fingers of her right hand, and seemed to be perpetually smiling. "What monster is this?"

Mizuki tapped her chin, looking perplexed for a moment, and then finally a light came to her eyes along with the answer. "This lovely woman here is Lady of the Garden-Eve(1500/1400). She's a powerful woman not to be trifled with, and when summoned she removes all magic and trap cards on the opponent's field from the game."

Harrison complied with her monster's effect, taking his equip card and his trap card and placing them in a small pocket in his pants. He wasn't happy about it though. "Very well, but our monsters are still even."

Again Mizuki giggled and lifted up one card from her hand. "Not exactly. By discarding a plant sub-type monster from my hand I can increase her attack points by either seven hundred or by the attack power of one enemy monster. I choose the latter, doubling her attack strength!"

The young girl slid a card from her hand into the grave, grinning like an idiot. Instantly Eve's attack power soared up to double its original, standing at three thousand. "Eve, attack Legendary Demon Slayer Dante!"

Eve raised the rose in her right hand, and instantly a shower of thorns erupted from the blossom itself, spearing into Dante's body and ripping him to pieces. Harrison gritted his teeth and drowned out the biting pain from his monster's death and the damage caused. _'This feels…different. Not just her cards, but her…power?'_ (HLP: 2500)

Mizuki waved at him with that cheery smile on her face, bringing his attention back to her turn. "I'll add a card down just like you did, and then I'll finish it up! Your turn!"

Harrison reached for his next card, still wondering exactly how to respond to this new development. With her strategy being different and one he didn't know he would have to be somewhat more cautious before he could formulate a counter tactic. "I summon Demon Hunter Lucia(1400/900) to the field, and can now equip her with one equip card from my deck!"

His new monster was a red-headed woman wearing leather pants and possibly a leather shirt, though a white mantle covered most of her upper body except her bare stomach. "I equip her with Zambak, which will increase her attack power by one thousand points!"

She crossed her arms over her chest, and in each hand appeared a short but thick blade, which she then placed together in a cross position in front of her. "Since she still isn't strong enough I'll activate Dark Soul Infusion, turning your monster into a demon and reducing its attack by five hundred points!"

Black wings spread out of Eve's body, and horns came from her forehead. At the same time her attack points declined, falling to twenty five hundred points. Mizuki pouted, and placed her hands on her hips, looking disappointed. "Awww….that's mean. But she's still too tough for you."

"Not quite! I'll add the continuous magic card Demon Hunter's Might, which increases the attack of each of my demon hunters by five hundred!" Lucia's body shimmered as her attack points rose, surpassing Eve's by four hundred at last. Now she had the strength needed to win.

"Lucia, attack with Zambak and slay Eve!" Lucia immediately sprang into the air, and then dove down with her twin blades pointed at the other woman. They speared into Eve's chest, and she was blown away. Lucia landed gracefully, and then did a back-flip to return to Harrison's field. (MLP: 3100)

Mizuki giggled and reached for one of the cards in her hand. "When Eve is destroyed in battle I can discard a card from my hand to special summon her back to the field. And she retains her bonus points, meaning Eve is back and your cards are gone!"

The white dressed woman shimmered back into view on the field, her attack power set squarely at three thousand. Zambak and Harrison's continuous magic card shuddered for several seconds and then blew apart. He scowled as he placed them in his removed from play pile. "Silly Harrison, Eve is from paradise, and she can't be slain. She's immortal."

Without another word Harrison slammed one of his two remaining cards into his duel disk, which appeared directly behind Lucia. "Take your damned turn."

Mizuki drew, her hand size returning to three cards. She giggled and pointed at her set card, which flipped up, showing none other than Eve sitting on a grassy knoll. "My trap card is called Peace in the Garden, and if one of two monsters is on the field it lets me remove monsters in your deck from the game for each level of monster on your field. That's four isn't it?"

The older teen slid his deck out of his duel disk and searched through it, finally selecting four different monsters and placing them in his pocket along with his removed magic and trap cards. "Very well, you've removed my cards. Happy?"

"Absolutely! And not just that, but I'll attack Lucia with Eve!" Needles sprayed out of Eve's rose, but Harrison had been waiting for just that moment.

"Let's even this duel out in terms of life points! Open set card, Nightmare Mirror! By discarding one card from your hand I can negate your attack and deal you one thousand damage!" A black mirror with skulls formed in front of the oncoming needles, displaying an image of Mizuki. The needles pierced into the mirror and broke it into tiny pieces. (MLP: 2100)

Mizuki giggled and slipped one of her three hand cards into her disk, causing a magic card to appear on her field. Its picture was one of Eve and a man playing with a group of goats. "Play Time in the Garden works just like Peace in the Garden, except it's a quick-play magic card. And it can allow either named monster a secondary attack this turn. So Eve attacks again!"

Another barrage of needles shot from Eve's rose, and this time there was nothing to stop their assault. Lucia was pummeled by them, and with all that damage she collapsed and began to cough up blood. "Very impressive, you turned my negation into another chance. You're stronger than the last time we dueled." (HLP: 900)

The younger girl blushed, and then nearly stumbled, but caught herself and did a little spin on her heel. When she came up she was grinning like an idiot. "Thanks Harrison, but don't go easy on me just because of that."

The Dark Prince of Duelist Academy had the strange feeling that he was being mocked, and he didn't like it at all. What was worse was that he was currently losing in each aspect of the game. _'This doesn't make sense. Not only has her attitude, mannerisms, and deck changed, but she seems stronger. She has field control, hand advantage, and life point lead. And her eyes are…dilated?'_

Mizuki waved a hand at him as if shooing him away, but smiled the whole time. It took Harrison a moment to understand that she was ending her turn. "Draw!"

He held the drawn card up to his eyes, and then slapped it down onto his DD6. "Demon Hunter Trish(1500/1000)! This converted demon is, as my other demon hunters, automatically equipped with an equip card. I choose Twin Pistols-Luce and Ombra!"

The newest demon hunter was a pale skinned woman with long blonde hair in a ponytail, and wearing a leather outfit that was low cut and revealing. She had a pair of pistols on her hips, which she quickly drew and spun on her fingertips. "Luce and Ombra together raise her attack by five hundred points. But there is another reason for me unleashing her."

She turned back to Harrison, her eyes wide with what appeared to be remorse. A ghostly image of Dante appeared behind Harrison, and a pair of tears slid from the woman's cheeks and dropped to the ground. "When she is summoned and Dante is in the grave not only does she gain five hundred more attack points, but she grants me one thousand life points." (HLP: 1900)

The female demon hunter's attack points continued to rise, finally settling at twenty-five hundred. "Trish is still not quite up to par with Eve; however that's where the effect of Luce and Ombra comes into play. In addition to their five hundred point boost they let her once per turn lower an opposing monster's attack by one thousand."

Trish fired both pistols at once, and a glowing bullet from each gun erupted from the tips, crashing into Eve's waist. Eve grabbed at her stomach and shivered, her attack points dropping to two thousand. "Trish, slay Eve!"

This time the barrage of bullets that shot from the pistols were not glowing, and were mere slugs of heated metal that ripped into Eve's body, destroying her bit by bit. Mizuki sighed with exasperation, and then nearly lost her footing like she had before, catching herself quickly with one hand. "That's…ummm….what's the word?" (MLP: 1600)

Harrison raised an eyebrow, and made a second note of her dilated pupils. The stumbling, the changed attitude, the giggles, it was all making sense now. "I don't know what you were trying to say, so I can't help."

She snapped her fingers, looking pleased with herself. "Mean! That's the word, it was mean all along! Bad Harrison, bad!"

He sighed and shook his head, feeling his temple throbbing with irritation. _'It's definite now. She's somehow become intoxicated by the Darkness Game. But what sort of person reacts that way to the darkness?'_

Again the younger girl giggled and slid one of the two cards she was holding into her graveyard. "I discard this card to special summon Eve back, removing your equip card from the game."

Her pistols vanished, and Harrison placed them in his pockets without comment. "Yes, I knew that was going to happen after I destroyed her, so I timed it appropriately. I saved this card so I could set it after she was summoned, protecting it."

He placed the last card into his hand face down, in order to defend Trish from any attack that Mizuki might make. "Turn end."

Mizuki drew unsteadily, looking almost curious at what she had drawn. Slowly she placed the card into her duel disk, where it appeared face down. "Eve, attack Dante….no…ummm….Lucia?"

"Trish, this one is Trish. Focus." She just giggled, and pointed at the blonde duel monster, which raised her arms in order to defend herself.

"Attack that girl there!" Eve snapped up her rose, and sprayed thorny needles at the weakened demon hunter. Trish appeared to be ready to accept that fate, but Harrison didn't seem to be equally as forgiving in that matter.

"Reverse card open! Demon Hunter's Rage works when I have a demon hunter in play. It negates your attack and destroys the attacking monster!" Trish's eyes suddenly burned bright red and she dodged the thorns, then ran across the field and decked Eve, sending her flying away into the darkness.

"That's just silly…Eve can't just be killed. So I activate my hand magic card, Garden's Sacrifice of Revival. When one of a few monsters is destroyed I get to sacrifice a monster on the opponent's field to revive my monster. Of course the revived monster can't attack for the turn." The victorious Trish screamed as vines reached up from the ground and dragged her into the darkness, and Eve reemerged from the shadows.

Since Mizuki had no more cards in her hand Harrison knew it was his turn, and he slowly reached for his next card. But he felt nervous about it, because now he was top decking, and that was always bad. _'She's pushed me this far into a corner? This is nothing like her normal strength…I have to unleash more of the full power of my deck to defeat this opponent!'_

He drew fiercely, and once he saw the card he carefully set it down onto his field. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Mizuki drew, and then happily placed the card down onto the field. "Introducing the happy little camper that is Eve's partner in life, Lord of the Garden-Adam(1500/1400)! And when he's summoned, your hand would be removed from the game, but I guess you have no hand."

Harrison stared at his set monster, and knew that it all hinged on this single card. He was risking it all on his set monster. "Since your defense monster might have a strong attack power, I'll attack with Eve!"

The set monster flipped up, and briefly appeared as a jar with a face in it before being blown away by the attack. Harrison smirked, looking quite pleased. "You've destroyed Jar of Wealth(500/700) which when flipped while I have zero cards in hand lets me roll a die. For every number on the die I draw one card."

A white die bounced out of thin air, tumbling across the field until it settled on a three. Harrison drew three cards, and felt himself relax slightly, but Mizuki still had another monster. "Adam now attacks directly!"

The dark haired man in black pants and no shirt raised one hand and vines shot out his wrist, pounding into Harrison's stomach and dropping him to his knees, gasping for his breath. "Awww…sorry Harrison, I didn't mean to!" (HLP: 400)

He wiped a trail of blood from his lips and rose to his feet, his eyes meeting hers fiercely. With a steady hand he readjusted his glasses and sneered at her. "I am not so easily felled Mizuki. And shortly, I will show you why!"

Harrison's fingers deftly drew his next card, raising his hand size to four cards total. He scanned them, and smirked. "Just like I was hoping. Allow me to show you Dante's strength! You see, what you have faced so far is merely Dante without any strategy in his combat. I'll introduce you to what happens when he focuses!"

In a quick motion he grabbed one of the four cards and held it over his head, showing an ankh set in a blue background. "Monster Reborn calls Legendary Demon Slayer Dante(1500/1200) back to the field, and I choose to forestall his effect."

The red trench-coated white-haired young man appeared and smirked cockily at Mizuki, right hand set on his right hip. "Now, the power of his focus! Activate magic card, Combat Style-Gunslinger! This requires I sacrifice Dante for it to activate, so farewell Dante."

The demon slayer faded away, becoming light and drifting into the darkness. Then the few cards in Harrison's cemetery slid out and he took them carefully. "First I shuffle up all cards in my cemetery and hand into my deck. Then based on what is mentioned in my Gunslinger card I add cards from my side deck to my deck."

He did so, using the opened side deck slot in his duel disk to pick and choose, replacing those that needed to be. Then he returned his shuffled deck to his disk. "Now I draw cards equal to the number I was previously holding, which is two."

Once he had those two cards in hand, he reached for his deck, which spat a card out for him to catch. He gripped it between two fingers and threw it down onto his duel disk. "Now I special summon Legendary Demon Slayer Dante the Gunslinger(2500/2300) to the field, and get to equip him with a card from my deck!"

The new Dante didn't look much different from the previous one, in fact there appeared to be no differences besides his name and his stats. Mizuki winked at the newly summoned monster, much to Harrison's surprise. "He's tough and cute, but that won't cut it."

"Then just you wait and see! I equip him with Gunslinger Armament-Kalina Ann! This weapon increases his attack power by one thousand points and can only be equipped to Dante the Gunslinger!" The weapon that appeared in Dante's hands was a heavy missile launcher type weapon, which Dante held by the back and using a side-handle at the front left. Attached at the bottom of the barrel was what looked like a serrated knife.

Mizuki whistled in what sounded like an impressed way, but Harrison honestly couldn't tell with the way she was acting. "In addition Dante the Gunslinger's effect comes into play, giving him an additional five hundred attack points for every equip card on him. Which means his current total is four thousand!"

Dante smirked and hefted the weapon, pointing it at Adam. "Dante, fire with Kalina Ann! Obliterate Adam!"

The demon hunter clicked the trigger and a rocket shot from the barrel, flaming towards the lord of the garden. Dante winked at Eve, but was caught off guard when the woman jumped directly into the path of fire. The explosion engulfed Eve completely, but left Adam untouched. "What is this?" (MLP: 600)

"I can choose to block an attack on one or the other with their counterpart. So since the difference in attack between the two was only one thousand, I was able to last. Pretty nice of them isn't it?" Harrison scowled, seeing his chance at a quick victory taken from him. But Dante the Gunslinger was powerful, and wouldn't be easily beaten.

"That's fine; I'll just set these two cards face down and end my turn." He folded his arms over his chest, feeling much more confident now. With Eve disposed of and no cards in Mizuki's hand to immediately revive the woman, he had the advantage.

Mizuki drew, and happily held the magic card out. "I'll play Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" She reached for her deck in order to draw new cards, but before she could Harrison pointed to one of his two set cards.

"Not quite! I reveal my set card, Spirit Mirror! This allows me to transfer that effect to me, so you draw nothing and I draw two cards." In place of her he drew two cards, leaving Mizuki pouting about the lost chance to draw cards.

"I switch Adam to defense mode and end my turn." Harrison chuckled and adjusted his glasses before drawing another card. He was maintaining the advantage, and at this pace he could win for certain. It wouldn't be too hard now.

When he saw the card he was holding he sneered even more, seeing his victory coming this turn. "I activate Opening the Gate to the Demon Realm, and offer the eight star monster Legendary Dark Knight Sparda from my hand in order to summon Legendary Demon Swordsman Vergil(2800/2600)!"

The blue trench-coat wearing spiky haired twin brother of Dante stepped down onto the field and sneered at his brother. "Now, unlike his previous ability of equipping a card by sacrificing I'll discard this card from my hand to equip this card to him from my deck. Yamato Blade to grant him an additional five hundred attack points!"

Vergil reached down to his waist and unsheathed the katana that was there and held it out in front of him as his attack power rose to thirty-three hundred. "I hope you remember that Dante and Vergil each gain one thousand attack points when together on the field. So now Dante the Gunslinger has five thousand attack points and Vergil has forty-three hundred!"

The two powerful warriors shot each other mixed looks, and then refocused on Adam, who appeared nervous. "Vergil, attack and destroy Adam!"

Vergil shot forwards like a bullet from a gun and slashed his blade across Adam's chest. Adam cringed, and then blew apart into pixels. "Now, it looks like it's time to end this! Dante, direct attack!"

"Whoops." Harrison's eyes widened as he realized what was wrong. His eyes wrenched down to the bottom of Mizuki's field, where here so far unused set card was.

_'No!'_

"My set trap card is called Thorns of the Garden, and is activated when I am attacked directly and have a monster with 'garden' in its name in the grave. It negates the attack and lets me special summon either Adam or Eve from the grave!" Dante's blast from Kalina Ann winked out of existence, and he scowled in frustration.

Then rising up from the ground came Eve, her attack power just as great as it had been previously. "And just like all the other times, when Eve is summoned she removes all of the opponent's magic and trap cards on the field from play!"

Each of Harrison's weapons and his set card vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving his monsters weaponless. His fist balled up, realizing what was going to come. "When there is no face-up magic or trap card on the field…Vergil loses eight hundred attack points, falling to two thousand."

He dropped his head, feeling a tinge of despair creeping in. There was nothing left now, nothing he could possibly do. "I…end my turn."

Mizuki drew, and pointed carefully at Dante. "Eve, destroy Dante and end the duel!"

When the barrage of thorns pierced Dante's bare chest Harrison knew without a doubt that it was over. Against all logic, against this strange and somehow intoxicated Mizuki…he had lost. "I…don't understand." (HLP: 0)

The young girl giggled and walked forwards, leaning in close to him and peering up at him through her long lashes. He blushed slightly at the closeness. "Soooo….I get to pick a penalty for you…right?"

Harrison faintly felt himself nod, barely aware of anything else but her closeness. He felt uncomfortable, felt like he should run rather than remain where he was. But there was little to be done. "Y..yes that's right."

She jerked back suddenly and smiled brightly at him, her eyes widen open and pupils dilated. "In that case, once the next semester starts up, you have to be nicer to me and my friends. Okay?"

Harrison blinked, and nodded again, feeling as if he had heard the girl wrong. "Okay…yes."

Mizuki smiled again and gave him a thumbs up, grinning like an idiot. "Okay then, guess that's that, right? End of the game? Kind of a pity, I really liked it."

The dome of darkness faded away, leaving them standing in a forest clearing. Mizuki's eyes suddenly glazed over, and she collapsed. Harrison moved forward and propped her up, trying to figure out what happened. She blinked up at him fuzzily. "What happened Harrison? Did…did I lose and get knocked out like last time?"

Harrison paused, thinking it over. After a few seconds he knew what to say. "Yes, my assault was a bit harsh and when you fell you hit your head. Why, don't you remember the duel?"

She shook her head. "And I don't feel good either. I feel kind of sick, lightheaded and…a bit nauseous."

He helped her to his feet, letting her use him as a support. "That's alright; I'll help you to the boats."

Mizuki leaned against him, grateful for the support. And despite his embarrassment he was deep in thought. _'Her intoxication ended after the Darkness Game did, and now she's acting almost as if she had a hangover. Not only that, but she doesn't remember any of what happened since the Darkness Game started.'_

His icy eyes looked down at her through his glasses and he couldn't help but think one thing. _'Who exactly is this girl?'_

The next semester was bound to be interesting.

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Author's Note: There will a little bit of a break (maybe) as I may focus more on Twilight before starting back with this story. It'll just be wait and see.

_Next Time: Everyone returns to Duelist Academy, but things are not as they were before. Word of supernatural events on the island has reached the ears of the government of Japan, and under special orders a bastion of the Japanese Special Defense Force is dispatched to oversee Duelist Academy. What does this mean for the students?_

_See it all in, Island Quarantine; Paranormal Suppression Squad Appears!_


	19. Paranormal Suppression Squad Appears!

Author's Note: Time for the second semester.

**Chapter Nineteen: Island Quarantine; Paranormal Suppression Squad Appears!**

Ever since the end of the previous semester at Duelist Academy Mizuki had been feeling…different. Not in a bad way, but not in a good way either. Her body would tingle at random moments with seemingly no reason or she would get the smell of ash wafting to her, even though there was nothing burning anywhere nearby.

Even as she came down off the boat and took her steps onto the island in over a month she still didn't feel right. The island had an oppressive air to it, but she couldn't understand why it felt that way. _'The air has felt so thick and clouded everywhere I go since the end of last semester. Maybe I should get a check-up.'_

She patted the duel disk on her arm, letting her hand feel the cold mix of metal and plastic to bring her a little bit of comfort. She stopped and stared out at the bulk of the island and pumped her first into the air. "This time, I'm bound to make it to the top! My deck is all supped up and ready to take on anybody this island can offer!"

"Anybody huh?" Mizuki's face lit up at the sound of the voice and she spun around and looked up at the nearest tree. There sitting in the branch already dressed in his Obelisk Blue uniform was none other than Sanzo Uzumaki.

The silver haired boy jumped down from the tree branch and swept Mizuki into an embrace, both of them smiling brightly. After several seconds they pulled away from each other and Sanzo looked down into her eyes, his smile fading. "Is something wrong? Your eyes look…"

His voice faded off as he stared into her green eyes. There was something different about them, he was sure of that. But what it was he couldn't be sure. "Are you okay Mizuki?"

She looked away, not quite sure how to answer that. "I…I don't know. I've been feeling strange ever since the end of last semester. Everything just seems…duller, I don't know. Something like that. It doesn't make any sense to me."

"I bet you were just anxious to see all your good friends again." Mizuki spun around again and her smile returned at the sight of the three siblings walking up to them. Dressed in their respective red, yellow, and blue uniforms they didn't look anything alike, but still you could tell that Kane, Aya, and Enzeru were related.

Mizuki met her three friends with a hug each, but parted quickly from Enzeru when she realized she barely knew the eldest triplet. She put a hand behind her head and chuckled. "Sorry, guess I got carried away."

Enzeru smiled slightly, and dipped his head slightly in a nod, mostly to keep his slight blush from showing. "There is no problem. No need to worry."

Unfortunately for him, his sister was used to catching anything he did that was a slip up. She nudged him in the side and beamed at him. "Awww, big ol' Enzeru was blushing because he got a hug from a cute girl."

Enzeru shot a glare at his sister, but his fierce gaze did nothing to stop her giggles. Kane was laughing silently at him, and Sanzo was just giving him a knowing grin. Mizuki on the other hand looked a bit confused. "I…have to go to the Obelisk Blue Dorm Meeting. Goodbye."

He turned on his heel and departed as fast as he could go without running. Mizuki stared after him for a moment and nibbled on her bottom lip. "Wow, Obelisk Blue must be tougher than normal if they've got a meeting this soon. The Ra Yellow meeting isn't until tonight."

Sanzo laid a hand on her shoulder and grinned down at her. "As a matter of fact, the Obelisk Blue Dorm Meeting is also tonight. All the dorm meetings are. I'd say he was just a bit embarrassed to be caught blushing."

Kane folded his arms across his chest and nodded in a knowing fashion, his eyes closed. "Of course, Enzeru is uptight about a lot of things because he likes to act like he's older and more mature than me or Aya. Course he's still a fifteen year old guy, so there's little to be done about the hormones involved."

"YO! LOOK WHO'S IN THE HIZ-OUSE!" They all jumped in surprise, save Kane who merely rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder.

"Speaking of hormones…" Running towards them grinning like an idiot and with his Osiris Red jacket unbuttoned was none other than Shiro. Not only was he running full tilt at them, but he was also waving his hand wildly, making everyone he passed look at him like he was crazy.

Shiro realized that he was moving too fast a little bit too late, and by the time he had put on the brakes there was no way for him to stop. He skidded and crashed face first into a tree. Everyone winced at the sound and watched as Shiro fell backwards. "Seriously…ouch."

Kane stared down at his roommate for a second, and then looked up at everyone else. "Anybody here besides me confused as to how he didn't break his nose or something like that?"

Shiro clambered to his feet and shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck to get a crick out. "I'm okay, no need to worry."

Kane jerked his arm up and pointed at the uninjured Osiris Red student, his finger shaking as it pointed at him. "Seriously! How is he not hurt? Doesn't that bother anybody else?"

The group cast glances at each other, and then as one they shook their heads. Shiro then walked up and slapped his roommate upside the head. "Shut up, that's my line of jokes!"

"What? What are you even talking about?" He shoved the other teen, who promptly shoved him back. In seconds they were on top of each other, rolling and punching, kicking up a wave of dust and sand.

Mizuki sweat dropped as she watched the two friends go at it. "Ummm…won't they get hurt like that?"

Aya shrugged and just continued to watch their wrestling match. "Meh, does it really matter?"

"Isn't anybody going to pull them apart?" Silence greeted her. Aya and Sanzo continued to watch the scuffle with amused expressions plastered onto their faces.

Suddenly the two boys jumped away from each other, duel disks clicking into place. Shiro grinned as he slammed his deck into place. "Let's settle this like duelists! Winner is the one who gets rights to that type of joke!"

Kane shoved his own deck into position and clenched his right hand into a fist. "Agreed! And I still don't know what you're talking about!"

Mizuki scratched the side of her head as she watched two friends draw their opening hands. "They're just a little bit too similar…"

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Fifteen minutes later the duel was well under way. Both duelists had no monsters, but Kane's field was entirely empty while Shiro had two face-up trap cards. He smirked and held up one of the cards he was holding. "I play Jar of Avarice! By shuffling five monsters from my grave back into my deck I can draw two cards."

He reached for his cemetery to pick out the monsters he wanted to return to his deck, but was surprised when a crackling sound met his ears and the field vanished instantly. "Wh…what did you do Kane? You don't have any cards in play!"

The other Osiris Red shook his head, looking just as surprised. "I didn't do anything. My duel disk just sort of…shut off."

Sanzo looked over his shoulder and scowled. "It wasn't anything either of you did. It was…an E.M.P."

Mizuki blinked and followed his gaze. "Electro magnetic pulse? But why would there be one….oh."

Aya, Kane, and Shiro also looked in the direction Sanzo and Mizuki were and saw exactly what they were looking at. Three men were marching towards them, solid white duel disks on their left arms. Each man wore what looked like military fatigues; only instead of the greens and browns of camouflage they had blue and black in the same pattern. At their sides were holstered fancy looking pistols. "The hell?"

The man in front, who had three silver triangular patches on his left shoulder, held a white and silver sphere in his hand. It was obviously the device used to generate the E.M.P. that had deactivated their duel disks. "No duels except at scheduled times. Move along to your dorms immediately."

Sanzo stepped out in front of the others, his one visible eye darkened with concealed anger. "Who are you to give order to us on this island? Duel Academy is the sole property of Kaiba Corporation and not under the specific jurisdiction of any police force besides its own island guard. And you certainly aren't part of that guard."

Mizuki stared at the man in awe and to everyone' surprise he snapped a salute to her. "Ma'am. A pleasure to see you again."

Everyone stared at the two, and then to their surprise Mizuki rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the older man's middle. "Uncle Ryouga!"

He patted her on the shoulder and smiled, but then pried her off and snapped a salute to the confused group. "Major Ryouga Satoshi of the Paranormal Suppression Squad. I am issuing a formal notice that this island is currently under quarantine while investigations are carried out regarding the appearance of Darkness Game energy here."

Mizuki looked away at those words a sense of guilt rushing through her. Her desire to participate in a Darkness Game and her battle with Harrison…it was her fault that they were under quarantine. "So we have to go to our dorms then?"

He nodded. "That's correct. Anyone caught out of their dorms during non class hours without an escort will be arrested and questioned. So please, report to your dorms immediately."

With a ring of grumbles all of them headed opposite ways, returning to their dorms. With these new rules in place the rest of the school year was looking rather dull. Mizuki sighed and looked back at her departing friends and whispered so that Aya couldn't hear her. "I'm sorry…"

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Mizuki sighed and placed her chin in her hands, not even paying attention to the professor anymore. She already knew the materiel so it didn't matter. The problem was the guards standing at each exit, watching them like hawks. _'And the guards at every other exit. And the weird guys in Hasmat suits taking readings of the island.'_

As much as she liked Ryouga, and she did, as he had been her very first crush back when she was thirteen, it still felt weird to be under his jurisdiction. _'He thinks of me as his niece and yet he still has no problem ordering me around. What a bummer…'_

She ground her teeth in irritation, and then realized what she was doing and stopped. _'I hate this…I just want a fun duel right now, instead I can't do that unless I'm authorized by one of these soldiers!'_

The lights in the room flickered suddenly, causing everyone in the room to look up. Just as quickly as they had flashed they were back on fully, with no sign that they had ever been shorting. _'Oh look, and now even the electricity is on the fritz. Wonderful!'_

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Mizuki grimaced and kicked a stone across the beaten grass, watching as it skipped along. She was taking the registered path back to her dorm as in accordance with the rules set down by the Paranormal Suppression Squad. "This is so stupid!"

"Oh there you are Mizuki." The dark haired teenager yelped and spun around, her heart pounding in her chest as she searched for the source of the voice. Her heartbeat slowly relaxed when she saw that it was just Janice.

The dark skinned girl stood about ten feet away, her hands on her hips as she eyed Mizuki. "Anybody else around?"

"No…what's with you Janice? You haven't been spending much time with the rest of us so far this semester." Janice frowned and looked over her shoulder, then to each side. Finally satisfied she flipped open her duel disk. (JLP: 4000)

"I've come to an understanding and I'm going to be helping out by bringing you down. Prepare to duel Mizuki, this will be a Darkness Game!" Mizuki stared blankly at her friend, unable to admit that despite the absurdity of the situation she felt her heart start to beat faster at the mere mention of a Darkness Game.

"What? Why do you want to duel me in a Darkness Game of all things? Especially with the Paranormal Suppression Squad on the island!" Janice said nothing in response and merely snapped her fingers. Instantly a sphere of darkness surrounded them.

Mizuki's eyes glazed over as soon as they were covered by the darkness. With a vacant expression on her face she triggered her duel disk and drew her opening hand. Then her blank look turned into a huge grin. "I'm ready for fun!" (MLP: 4000)

Janice drew her first card and tried to ignore the almost stoned look her roommate had. _'Tobias did say that Harrison mentioned some oddities in Mizuki's behavior during a Darkness Game. I guess this is what he was referring to. Still, I must continue.'_

She scanned her hand and then chose specifically what her best option was. "I play Metallic Bonds! At a cost of 800 thousand life points I can special summon two level four or lower machines from my deck! They can't attack." She quickly searched her deck and tossed out the chosen monsters. (JLP: 3200)

Her two monsters were metallic serpents with crude flat noses and wires attached to the base of the neck. "Meet my two Proto Cyber Dragons(1100/600). These monsters are treated as being named 'Cyber Dragon' while face-up on the field."

Next she opened her field card slot and placed another card from her hand into it. "Fusion Gate is my field card, which lets me fuse monsters by removing them from the game. So I'll fuse these two Proto Cyber Dragons together with the Cyber Dragon(2100/1600) in my hand!"

Her two crude machine dragons merged together with her more advanced ones and briefly her field was consumed by light. When the light faded a majestic three headed machine dragon with huge expansive wings floating on Janice's field. "Fusion summon Cyber End Dragon(4000/2800)!"

Since it was the first turn she had no way to attack, so Mizuki had no care in the world despite the power of the summoned monster. "I set one card face down and then I activate Different Dimension Capsule. I get to remove one card from my deck and place it face down out of play. On my second standby phase my capsule breaks and hands me the card. End!"

Mizuki drew her grin still present. "I summon Ent-Warrior of the Garden(2000/1000) in attack mode!" The monster that rose out of the dark ground was at least twenty feet tall, and looked like a tree in vaguely humanoid form, with gnarled legs and arms, as well as a face.

She slipped another card into her duel disk, and black dots began to spread over Cyber End Dragon's body. "I play Touch of Decay; this magic card reduces the attack of all my opponent's monsters by one hundred times their level!"

Janice didn't react vocally or visually when her machine's attack points fell to three thousand. Since she hadn't gotten a reaction Mizuki decided to up it a notch. "Ent attacks Cyber End Dragon!"

This time Janice was caught off guard when the Ent's large hand punched a hole in her dragon's chest and blew it apart. "What….how did that happen? My Cyber End Dragon was clearly stronger!" (JLP: 2200)

Mizuki giggled and wagged her finger back and forth. "Sorry, but Ent guards the garden. When facing against unnatural creatures like beast-warriors, dragons, demons, spellcasters and machines he gains half the original attack power of whatever monster he attacks."

Janice did the math and realized that when Ent had attacked her machine sub-type Cyber End Dragon it had gained two thousand attack points, making it even with Cyber End Dragon's original base attack. But since Cyber End Dragon had lost attack points it wasn't able to win. "I see…"

The hyperactive girl placed a card into her duel disk, watching with delight as it appeared in front of her and behind her monster. "That's my turn!"

As soon as Janice drew a coffin appeared on her field and blew apart. "Since it's my standby phase the effect of the card I removed from the game activates. Treasure from the Different Dimension is added from out of play to my hand and we both then draw two cards."

Mizuki and Janice both drew two cards, putting their hands at five cards each. She glanced at the card and then immediately slapped it down. "I summon Proto Cyber Dragon(1100/600), the third and final of them!"

Another of the block machine serpents appeared, hissing at Mizuki's more powerful monster. "Your tree doesn't get its bonus when it's attacked, so I'll bring it down with this magic card. Total Upgrade!"

Proto Cyber Dragon's body shimmered and began to grow its body refining and become sleeker. When it was finished it was larger than a normal Cyber Dragon and had a spine of spikes coming out of its back. "Introducing Advanced Cyber Dragon(2700/2400)!"

Janice's right hand clenched into a fist and suddenly Proto Cyber Dragon reappeared. "When summoned Advanced Cyber Dragon allows me to special summon a level four or lower machine type from my cemetery. In addition once per turn he lets me destroy a magic or trap card!"

Mizuki continued to grin manically as her face down card blew apart, leaving her monster defenseless. "Advanced Cyber Dragon, attack with Evolution Burst 2.0!"

A wave of blue energy erupted from its mouth and swept over the tree monster, burning it to ash. Mizuki was still grinning despite the destruction of her monster. "That felt nice." (MLP: 3300)

"You're really weird like this, but that's not the point! Proto Cyber Dragon attacks your life points directly!" A smaller burst of blue flame rushed across the field and swallowed up Mizuki, but when the flames faded she was still smiling and just fanned her face. (MLP: 2200)

She took one of the remaining cards in her hand and placed it face down. Then she held up one of her other two remaining cards. "Activate Time Fusion! As a cost I remove one card in my hand from the game, so obviously I choose Treasure from the Different Dimension."

A glowing light appeared above her head and hovered there, not doing anything. "During my next turn I can special summon any fusion monster from my cemetery, ignoring any summoning requirements. End!"

Mizuki continued to smile as she drew, and then placed one of her cards down onto her duel disk. "I set a monster. And then I activate this magic card, Poisoned Wrath of the Garden!"

A blob of purple goo shot across the field and slammed into Proto Cyber Dragon's chest. The machine shrieked as the goo slid around its body and eventually covered it completely. "This magic card destroys one monster at random on your field and deals its attack as damage to your life points!"

The machine dragon shattered, spraying goo all over the place. Some hot chunks of it struck Janice, causing the girl to wince and brush it away as quickly as possible. "Lucky me it wasn't my Advanced Cyber Dragon." (JLP: 1100)

"Maybe so. I set two cards face down and end." To Janice's surprise her roommate winked at her, and then plopped down on her butt in a cross-legged position.

Janice drew harshly, her fingers gripping the next card of her deck as tightly as she could. "First, Time Fusion lets me special summon Cyber End Dragon(4000/2800) back into play!"

The monstrous three-headed machine dragon reappeared and roared, shaking the ground with the sheer force of the sound. "Next my removed from play Treasure from the Different Dimension returns to my hand and lets us both draw two cards!"

Again they drew; this time Janice finished first, and fanned out her new cards. "Now that I've done that I'll use Advanced Cyber Dragon's effect and eliminate your face down card on the left!"

The name card blew apart, but obviously Mizuki showed no reaction other than to smile brightly as if it were the best thing in the world. Janice frowned and grabbed one of her cards. "Fusion Supplementation activates! By sacrificing one card on my field I can search for a fusion related card and add it to my hand."

Fusion Gate suddenly blew apart, so Janice picked it up off her disk and slid it into her graveyard slot. Then she flipped through her deck until she picked out the monster she wanted. "Activate magic card, Burial from a Different Dimension! This sends all monsters in my removed from play pile back to my graveyard!"

She fanned out her two Proto Cyber Dragons and her one Cyber Dragon and inserted them into her grave. "Now, Advanced Cyber Dragon attacks the set monster!"

The blue flame literally tore whatever monster Mizuki had set completely apart, not even letting it appear. Mizuki smiled and placed it into her grave. "Since you destroyed Seed of Knowledge(0/1800) I get to draw three cards."

Janice ignored the draw and merely snapped her fingers on her right hand. Cyber End Dragon opened its three jaws wide and powered up. "Cyber End Dragon, direct attack with Eternal Evolution Burst!"

The huge waves of energy engulfed Mizuki's sitting form. She was out of sight for several seconds, and when the light faded she was still sitting there, seemingly unharmed. "So powerful…" (MLP: 2200)

Janice frowned and made note of the disappearance of Mizuki's set card. "What was your face down card?"

"My trap was Healing Light of the Garden, which grants me two thousand life points for every monster on your field if I've got none on the field. So thanks to that I basically nullified all damage to my life points." Janice frowned, but knew there was nothing she could do about it. She had to wait for the opportune moment or this whole thing would be a bust.

When Janice made no move to continue Mizuki literally did a back flip from a sitting position and landed on her tip-toes, drawing a card even as she did so. "Yahoo! Time to take the fight to you!"

"I summon Matariel, Angel of Rain(1700/1500)!" A glowing form appeared above Mizuki's head, its features blurred by the raw light pulsing from its body. But it was clearly angelic as wide wings swept out behind it.

The angel flapped its wings and a light drizzle rained down upon Mizuki's head, coating her with a blue light. "Once per turn Matariel increases my life points by the attack or defense power of one monster on your field. Thanks for the boost!" (MLP: 6200)

"Next I play Light of Evermore, which lets me pay 500 life points to place a counter on a monster on my field. For every counter I sacrifice I can activate that monster's effect another time. So I pay six thousand life points." Janice's eyes widened as far as they could go as she figured out the combo. (MLP: 200)

"Now I sacrifice all twelve counters on Matariel to activate his effect twelve more times! And if you did the math that means I gain forty-eight thousand life points. Cool neh?" Janice gulped as she saw Mizuki's life points soar higher than she had ever seen anybody's life points go. (MLP: 48200)

"Yes…very cool. Is that all the cool for this turn?" Mizuki bobbed her head, grinning like a little kid who had suddenly learned they would get their birthday presents twice that year.

Despite what she had said Mizuki still slid three cards face down onto her duel disk. "I'm waiting…"

Janice drew and let out a sigh of relief when she saw what it was. "Its time, let's bring this duel to its close! Activate magic card, Defusion! I'll separate Cyber End Dragon into the two Proto Cyber Dragons and Cyber Dragon!"

The massive machine broke down, forming into two of the crude machines and one of the larger sleeker versions. Mizuki raised an eyebrow, curious as to what her roommate was planning. "I bet you're going for something big now!"

"That's right; it's time to put the card I searched for to good use. The magic card that significantly magnifies the strength of any Cyber Deck! The machine fusion support card, Power Bond!" Glowing lines of red light connected the three newly summoned monsters together and began drawing them in closer until they merged in a brand new light, reforming as Cyber End Dragon.

"Power Bond functions as a fusion card for machines and machines only. But not only does it work like that, but the fusion summoned monster also has its attack set at double the original. Meaning my Cyber End Dragon now has eight thousand attack points!" Mizuki whistled under her breath, impressed and happy as those huge attack points showed proudly.

Janice closed her eyes and shivered. "There is however one drawback to this card's impressive effect. During the end phase of my turn, should my monster still be in play, I take its original attack score as damage."

She opened her eyes and smirked. "That means that everything is about to come crashing down, as I have the method of ending this duel exactly as it needs to end right in my grasp."

Janice let out a deep breath and folded up her hand of cards. "End turn." Cyber End Dragon shrieked and Mizuki stared blankly at Janice as the other girl's life points trickled away. (JLP: 0)

The darkness faded away, and with a smile Janice collapsed onto her back. Mizuki gulped and ran forwards, hovering over her roommate's body. "Janice?"

"That's the one sir! I saw her start the Darkness Game!" Mizuki's eyes widened in horror as she looked up and saw none other than Tobias leading a group of soldiers of the Paranormal Suppression Squad coming towards her.

Mizuki gasped as she was grabbed roughly by the shoulders and turned around, her hands were then forcefully yanked behind her. She felt cold steel close around her hands and she knew she had been handcuffed. "What…what's going on?"

The soldier who held her wrists shoved her forwards and she would have fallen on her face if not for his grip. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro, you're under arrest under International Paranormal Law Code 13A, for use of a Darkness Game against another human being."

"But…but I…I didn't! She challenged me!" Suddenly her entire body stiffened and she went black. Moments later as she swam back to consciousness she realized that she had been tasered, and her body felt limp in the soldier's grasp.

As they dragged her away she saw Tobias standing and watching, a smug little smirk on his face, his arms folded over his chest. Finally it all came crashing down and she understood. _'It was all him…Janice was helping him and lost to set this up…'_

She thrashed in their grip, struggling to break free so she could reach Tobias. "Bastard! You did this, it was you! Why? Why did you do it? WHY!"

He watched, smirking the whole time as they dragged her away. Although she couldn't hear him, he still felt the need to respond. "Because, I always get what I want."

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Author's Note: Back in action yo.

_Next Time: Student protests have started with Mizuki's arrest, and a small handful of the students are just plain unable to stand for it. Banding together these students demand Mizuki's release and the departure of the Paranormal Suppression Squad from the island. The squad refuses, and the first battle begins._

_See it all in, Vlad the Impaler!_


	20. Vlad the Impaler

Author's Note: Here we go! Enjoy some Vlad action.

**Chapter Twenty: Vlad the Impaler**

_The darkness faded away, and with a smile Janice collapsed onto her back. Mizuki gulped and ran forwards, hovering over her roommate's body. "Janice?"_

_"That's the one sir! I saw her start the Darkness Game!" Mizuki's eyes widened in horror as she looked up and saw none other than Tobias leading a group of soldiers of the Paranormal Suppression Squad coming towards her._

_Mizuki gasped as she was grabbed roughly by the shoulders and turned around, her hands were then forcefully yanked behind her. She felt cold steel close around her hands and she knew she had been handcuffed. "What…what's going on?"_

_The soldier who held her wrists shoved her forwards and she would have fallen on her face if not for his grip. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro, you're under arrest under International Paranormal Law Code 13A, for use of a Darkness Game against another human being."_

_"But…but I…I didn't! She challenged me!" Suddenly her entire body stiffened and she went black. Moments later as she swam back to consciousness she realized that she had been tasered, and her body felt limp in the soldier's grasp._

_As they dragged her away she saw Tobias standing and watching, a smug little smirk on his face, his arms folded over his chest. Finally it all came crashing down and she understood. 'It was all him…Janice was helping him and lost to set this up…'_

_She thrashed in their grip, struggling to break free so she could reach Tobias. "Bastard! You did this, it was you! Why? Why did you do it? WHY!"_

_He watched, smirking the whole time as they dragged her away. Although she couldn't hear him, he still felt the need to respond. "Because, I always get what I want."_

The entire campus was in an uproar. The bulk of the student body didn't know Mizuki Mitsuhiro, at least not personally. But they knew that she was a student of their Academy, and the thought of her being arrested so suddenly by military officers who they didn't want on the island to begin with made them angry.

The Paranormal Suppression Squad had set up a temporary office in the Gauntlet Chambers, a special building set up on the island specifically for sponsored tournaments. It was a series of arenas, and at the end was a much larger arena, which only a few duelists on the island had ever even seen. That was where the Paranormal Suppression Squad had set up their equipment.

And right now almost the entire student body was standing at the doors of the Gauntlet Chambers, signs held up above their heads as they protested the arrest of one of their students. One of the few students not protesting was Tobias Emerlo, who was personally responsible for the arrest. "If they think this sort of stupidity will ever get them into the building or get back Mizuki they've got another thing coming."

He snapped his fingers and almost instantly Janice appeared at his side, not looking directly at him, but instead facing the building like they were watching the crowd. "Go get the others; I'm going to take care of things in the Gauntlet Chambers myself. After all, I can't let the Paranormal Suppression Squad get all the glory."

Janice nodded and departed, running through the crowd and finding the duelists that he had been speaking about. Smiling confidently he pushed away from the tree he had been leaning against and began to walk around the edge of the building, looking for what he knew was hidden. "If I were a secret hidden entrance where would I be?"

On the opposite end of the Gauntlet Chambers another student was standing in the trees, away from the demonstration. It was none other than Vlad, the Strongman of Duelist Academy. "Tobias acted faster than I could have guessed, and struck with greater force. His plan was clever, but I don't know what he intends to do now."

Standing in the shadow of a tree was another young man, this one much shorter but still taller than average. When the young man spoke it was in a cold and confident voice. "Regardless of his intents we do know that the Paranormal Suppression Squad will run tests on her, trying to analyze as they always do the ability of a single person to generate a Darkness Game. We can't allow them to conduct experiments on her, it goes against our cause."

"I understand that, but what do you expect me to do? The Paranormal Suppression Squad will never release her, and even if I were to somehow enter the building and defeat each member of the squad, which I cannot, it wouldn't fix anything. We would simply be on the run." His comments were met by silence for nearly a full minute. Finally the man in the shadows replied.

"From my current position I can't undo the damage, but I will make sure that Beatrix deals with the situation from a legal point of view. The Paranormal Suppression Squad will be dealt with, that just leaves you to get her out of there before they cut her open or anything equally gruesome. Understood?" Vlad bowed his head to the shorter man and then backed away, allowing the other man to slip away.

"On my own, I can't get her out of there. If I'm to succeed then I need assistance. And I know just where to turn…"

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It was later that night when they struck. They had all gathered at the front of the Gauntlet Chambers and were prepared. It had taken almost no convincing on Vlad's part to get them to agree, which surprised him in one case.

Now the four of them were standing at the front door of the darkened building, silently praising the work of the Yukio siblings in shutting off the cameras and making sure they were shut off. It meant that they could enter through the front door with no fear of detection and work from there.

Vlad was the first to the door and he pushed it open, holding it out so that the other three could pass through it. Once they were through he stepped in and shut the door carefully not making any noise. "It's quiet, good."

They were in a darkened hallway, which would lead to the first arena. They could tell from here that the arena was also blacked out; meaning that they had been right in guessing that only the largest and final room was being occupied by the squad. "Alright, let's move quickly but quietly. We'll pass through the first four arenas and make our way to the final one. Once there we'll give the signal and the triplets will black out that room, letting us take her out of there."

The other three nodded and they marched silently forwards, crossing into the arena. However, the silence and darkness was shattered the moment Vlad placed his first foot down on the arena floor. Instantly the entire room lit up, blanketing them in light. "Glad you could make it, I was worried that he was wrong and that I wouldn't get to do anything."

Standing at the opposite end of the arena was a young man, probably sixteen or seventeen, with close cut black hair and stony features. He was also wearing an upperclassman's Obelisk Blue uniform, just like Vlad. "So, I really wasn't expecting the Strongman to be amongst those that came. This is quite the treat."

The teenager scanned the other three, smirking at what he saw. "And more treats! The Hero Saint and the Dark Prince are here as well. Of course I guess it's balanced by the presence of the no-title Shiro Akugi."

Shiro's left eye twitched at that reference to him, but when he started to stomp forwards he was stopped by a big hand on his chest. He looked up at Vlad questioningly. "What's wrong? Why can't I just go kick his ass?"

Vlad shook his head and then looked directly at the other Obelisk Blue. "Corben, what are you doing here? Who told you that we would be coming?"

Corben smirked confidently and planted his boots hard against the metallic surface. "Tobias gave me instructions to lay in wait for whoever came looking to get Mizuki out. And he gave me the method needed to stop whoever entered. And I'll be glad to use that method to stomp down the Strongman of Duelist Academy!"

He raised his left arm into the air, revealing his DD5 which clinked into place. There was something odd about it however, because when it connected together a small hemisphere was attached to where the life point counter would be, though it displayed the points. "Are you ready to be beaten at last Strongman?" (CLP: 4000)

Vlad sighed and pressed the button to activate his own DD5, feeling the negligible weight on his meaty left arm. "Normally I like to enjoy duels against fiery spirited individual such as you, but this is a serious time. I'll crush you and move on if I must." (VLP: 4000)

Corben tapped the side of his head with a finger, grinning broadly. "Normally I bet you could beat me, but I've had some serious upgrades done to my deck, and I've been given an extra advantage by Tobias. The power of the Shangri La Generator!"

The field crackled and hummed, and then suddenly purple fog began to roll in around their feet. Harrison, Sanzo, and Shiro backed away, surprised at the sudden appearance of a Darkness Game. Shiro in particular was shocked. "What the heck? What's wrong with you, pulling out such a dangerous thing at a time like this?"

The older duelist just smirked, appearing totally confident. "The advantage of the Darkness Game will give me the edge I need to defeat Vlad. And of course the door to the next room is locked based on my life point counter. It only opens when they hit zero. So Strongman, let's begin!"

He drew five cards in quick succession, smirking at Vlad as he did so. The muscular duelist scowled and drew five of his own, ready to begin a duel he didn't want to be part of. "Believe it or not but this method won't work on me. This is your last mistake Corben!"

"Let's see about that, shall we Strongman? Draw!" Corben snapped up a card off his deck and added it to his hand. Then he fanned out his cards and plucked one free.

"You may be the highest ranked duelist in the school but I'm Obelisk Blue for a reason, and I'll show you what that reason is! I summon this monster, Antique Gear Cannon(500/500)!" The monster that appeared looked like a rusted metal cannon, although surprisingly it still hummed to life, its gears churning.

Vlad didn't react, since he knew the strategy that Corben used. The same was true of Sanzo and Harrison, each of whom knew Corben. Shiro however eyed the little gear monster with uncertainty. "What's that thing do?"

Corben heard the comment and smirked. "Watch and learn little Osiris Red nobody! First though, because its attack is five hundred I can activate this magic card, Machine Duplication!"

His field hummed and the little cannon monster split apart, forming into three versions of itself instead of just one. "Machine Duplication can let me special summon copies of any machine with five hundred or less attack points. But the best part is that now I sacrifice all three of my monsters!"

The three cannons fired, sending cannonballs flying at Vlad. But because of their older nature the three cannons also exploded after successfully firing. Vlad frowned and raised an arm in front of his face as the cannonballs exploded around him. "When I sacrifice an Antique Gear Cannon not only can neither of us play traps this turn but you also take five hundred damage!" (VLP: 2500)

Shiro blinked and tapped his chin, thinking the move through. "Okay, so he did fifteen hundred damage first turn, but he no longer has a monster to defend himself. Against Vlad that's not a good idea, so he's not that great I guess."

To his left Harrison stared coldly across the field and adjusted his glasses with one finger. "To an amateur like yourself that move was wasteful, but to a real strategist such as me or Corben, then it is all part of his plan. When he plays his next magic card you'll see what I mean."

Corben reached down to his hand of cards and took one from them, flipping it up to show it off. "Next up is the magic card Renewal of Triplets! This rare card can only be activated when there are three monsters in the cemetery with the same name. All three are special summoned to the field!"

Once again his field was filled by little antique cannons, each ready to fire on command. Shiro gulped, realizing that Corben had another chance to fire off those three cannons and eliminate another chunk of Vlad's life points. "Looks like Vlad is about to take another hit."

This time Harrison snorted, sounding annoyed by Shiro. "You really don't understand his strategy do you? You don't even know the deck type he's playing. Or am I wrong?"

"Well…okay, so I don't know what deck type it is. Machines, but I don't really know the actual machine strategy." Harrison continued adjusting his glasses, his eyes closed as he spoke in a know-it-all tone of voice.

"The strategy that Corben uses is much like Janice's Cyber Civilization Deck, it is a sub-group of machines that work best together. Corben's is an Antique Gear Deck, which revolves around that group of machines. Corben intends to unleash the greatest monster of the deck next turn by offering his two remaining Antique Gear Cannons." Shiro frowned and shot a look from the three cannons to Vlad.

"What makes you so sure that Corben will have monsters to sacrifice next turn? Heck, what makes Corben so sure?" Again Harrison spoke as if he knew everything and was explaining it to an idiot.

"Because my addle brained _friend_….Vlad's Strongman Deck almost never has more than one monster out. That is its weakness, an inability to perform direct attacks. So next turn he'll summon his Strongman and kill one, leaving the other two as tributes. Just watch." The turned back to watch the duel, which already had Corben surveying his hand again to make his decision for the turn.

"Looks like that's all I have for now, so my turn is over. Bring on your Strongman big old Strongman!" Vlad nodded and drew, giving himself six cards. He reached down for one of them and slapped it onto his duel disk.

The muscular wrestler formed on the field and flexed, showing off his bulging muscles. "Since I have no other monsters on the field or in my hand I was able to summon Strongman(1900/1200) without a tribute."

Corben smirked, looking at one card in his hand as Strongman continued to flex his muscles. _'That's right, go ahead and smash one of my little cannons. In my turn I'll just bring out this guy and smash down the Strongman!'_

Vlad, unaware of Corben's confident thoughts, was busy pushing one of his other cards into his duel disk. "Corben, because of your arrogance that you knew how I would perform you neglected to deal with potential damage by laying traps. In other words, your Antique Gear Cannons are defenseless against Strongman's equip card!"

The other Obelisk Blue frowned when a barbell appeared in Strongman's right hand. But it was unusual for a barbell in that the end of it was tipped by a spike which looked quite sharp. "What the heck is that thing?"

"This is Spear Barbell, an equip card that increases Strongman's power by three hundred and grants him a trample ability. Strongman, attack and destroy an Antique Gear Cannon!" Corben gulped as Strongman rushed forwards and punched the barbell into a cannon, destroying it completely. And since it had trample, his life points took a serious hit. (CLP: 2300)

Strongman flexed its muscles again, all of them rippling as it absorbed power from the Antique Gear Cannon. "Since Strongman destroyed your monster in battle it now gains two hundred attack points from the total level of your monster."

Although it was absent its normal happy look, Vlad's face still had a slight bit of amusement to it. Despite his seriousness, he couldn't help but enjoy a good duel. "I place one card face down and pass on my turn."

Corben snarled as he drew, and almost instantly his two remaining Antique Gear Cannons burst apart. "I sacrifice both of my Antique Gear Cannons in order to summon my key monster, Antique Gear Golem(3000/3000)!"

Shiro gasped in surprise as a tall humanoid monster made of rusted metal with gears inside formed on the field. Its arms and legs were longer than average and its one glowing red eye seemed focused on Strongman. "Three thousand attack and defense? That thing's a beast!"

Sanzo frowned, rubbing his chin in thought. "That's not all. Outside of brutal attack and defense points, Antique Gear Golem has two devastating effects. Both are equally deadly. The first is that he has a trample ability, just like Strongman does right now."

The Osiris Red kept his eyes focused on that towering machine even as Sanzo spoke. "And the second effect?"

"When Antique Gear Golem attacks the opposing player cannot activate magic or trap cards until the damage step. In other words, negating its attack is nearly impossible. It's the combination of those two effects that makes Antique Gear Golem so amazingly powerful." Shiro stared at the machine and gulped, shooting a look over at the weaker Strongman.

Corben raised one clenched fist and thrust it out at Strongman. "Antique Gear Golem, attack that puny little Strongman! Smash it into the ground!"

The antique machine's right arm shot out, extending at great speed until it slammed into Strongman and blew the monster apart. But the fist didn't stop there. No, instead it continued onwards and hit Vlad in the chest, slamming him backwards. "Take that Strongman!" (VLP: 1900)

Vlad shook himself off and pointed to his face down card, which flipped up. "You made a mistake Corben in not realizing that I understood that Strongman couldn't win a battle against your Antique Gear Golem. That's why I set this, my quick-play magic card Strongman's Last Gasp!"

The younger Obelisk Blue gulped when his Antique Gear Golem shook and then shattered into a million pieces. "How…how did you do that?"

"Simple little one. Strongman's Last Gaps activates during the turn that Strongman goes to the cemetery. All other cards in play are sent to the cemetery as well." Corben gulped and dropped his eyes to his hand of cards, trying to rethink his plan.

"I set one card face down and end my turn." He breathed out heavily, obviously not as confident as he had been at the start of his turn. Then again, seeing your strongest monster biting the dust that quickly tended to do that to you.

Vlad drew and eagerly accepted a card that shot out of his deck. "Since I have no monsters on my field or in my hand I get to add Strongman to my hand. And now I normal summon it to the field. Strongman(1900/1200) returns!"

An identical wrestler to the previous one formed and pounded his fists together. "Next I activate the continuous magic card Strongman Regimen! Once per turn I can increase the attack of any Strongman in play by one hundred. Then next turn it will be two hundred, and so on."

The strongman's attack rose up to two thousand, making it nearly even with Corben's life points. "Strongman attacks directly with Strongman Punch!"

Corben didn't have time to even react before Strongman's fist slammed into his face, hurling him backwards and to the ground. He hit the metal arena floor hard and rolling onto his side, coughing violently. "This duel is almost over." (CLP: 300)

Slowly Corben recovered and picked his head up, glaring at both Strongman and Vlad. "Bastard…I'll get you for that attack. Especially now that it triggers my trap card, Damage Condenser!"

A spot on his field started glowing and slowly formed into a smaller version of Antique Gear Golem. The primary differences were the size and the fact that its arm was a gun instead of a fist. "Damage Condenser lets me special summon a monster from my deck with equal or less attack to what I just suffered. So I was able to special summon Antique Gear Soldier(1300/1300) to the field."

Vlad nodded, obviously not worried by the creature. "I place one card face down. That ends my turn."

Shiro proceeded to slap Sanzo and Harrison on the back, grinning like an idiot. "See! You guys were worried for nothing! Vlad's the biggest bad on campus and he's got this duel in the bag. Nobody here can beat him."

Both Harrison and Sanzo glared at him, causing him to shrink back. Harrison slapped Shiro's hand off his shoulder and sneered at him. "Vlad is powerful, and most likely Corben will lose. But a Darkness Game does give the duelist who started it an edge, particularly when a Shangri La Projector is used. And don't underestimate Corben or his deck. The Antique Gears are powerful."

Sanzo nodded sagely, keeping one eye on Corben as the Obelisk Blue student drew. "That's right Shiro. You should never think that a duel is 'in the bag' until it's already over. This duel isn't done yet, no matter who has the current advantage."

Corben looked down at his drawn card and smirked. He flipped it up and a grinning jar appeared on the field. "Pot of Greed now lets me draw twice!"

As soon as he had drawn the second card the jar shattered, completing the transaction. "Perfect, now I've got everything I could need to take down your Strongman. First of all, this continuous magic card will do!"

The moment it was in his disk a huge shape appeared behind him. It was a castle with chains and cannons all over it, made of stone. It was imposing, but Vlad didn't appear worried. "This is Antique Gear Castle, and as long as it's in play each of my Antique monsters gain three hundred attack points."

Antique Gear Soldier powered up to sixteen hundred attack points, but it was still short of reaching the level of Strongman. "Next I equip Antique Gear Soldier with Antique Gear Tank, increasing its attack power by six hundred!"

The object that appeared in front of the soldier was less of a tank and more of a motorcycle with treads and a small cannon in front. The soldier seated itself in the gear tank and its attack points rose up to twenty-two hundred. "Now that he's strong enough Antique Gear Soldier will attack Strongman!"

Vlad did nothing as the soldier fired a cannonball out of the cannon, striking his Strongman head on. The Strongman's stomach blew open, and then the rest of him followed moments afterwards. "Impressive to defeat Strongman like that." (VLP: 1700)

"You'd better believe it. I throw a card face down and end! Go ahead Strongman, show me if you've got what it takes to defeat me now!" Vlad nodded and reached for his deck, drawing swiftly and powerfully.

When Vlad saw what he had drawn he frowned briefly. Then after a moment of pause he placed the card onto his duel disk and a horizontal card appeared in front of him. "I set one monster in defense mode. End turn."

Harrison and Sanzo exchanged glances, realizing what had happened. "This is bad, such a thing rarely happens to Vlad and this is hardly the situation where that's worth the risk."

Sanzo nodded in agreement. "But it's not like he controls his draws, so there's nothing to be done. We just have to trust that Vlad can take care of this like always."

Shiro glared at the two older duelists and scuffed a boot against the metal floor. "Okay, is either of you going to explain what just happened? So Vlad set a monster, what's the big deal?"

The Hero Saint rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance, not happy at having to explain again. "Look, Vlad has just six monsters in his deck. This means he rarely draws one. That's why he's always able to use Strongman's ability. But this time he drew a monster, so he had to set it. Without Strongman, I'm not sure what Vlad can do now."

Corben drew and looked down at his two cards, grinning as he did so. "I can't attack well, but these can certainly add to my forces. Come on out, Antique Gear(100/800)!"

His new monster was just a simple floating gear with arms, an eye, and no legs. "When Antique Gear is in play I can special summon another Antique Gear(100/800) from my hand!"

A second one formed next to the first, giving him two weak little monsters. "Their attack points are almost nothing, but they get a boost from Antique Gear Castle, making them slightly stronger."

He reached out and pointed to the set monster. Antique Gear Soldier cranked the tank and moved its cannon to aim at the set monster. "To avoid your trap, my Antique Gear Soldier will attack!"

It fired a cannonball which hit the defense monster and blew it into millions of tiny little pieces. When Vlad made no motion of activating a card, Corben smirked and snapped his fingers. "Antique Gears, attack him directly!"

Both little monsters flew forwards and crashed into Vlad's chest. He grimaced and shoved them away, barely feeling the damage from them. Yet still it was deadly damage with his life points on the low side. "You have grown stronger Corben, I must admit that. It makes this duel quite enjoyable." (VLP: 900)

"You'd better believe I'm strong Strongman! It won't take me more than one or two more turns at most to finish you off. At this point, even your precious Strongman can't win the day." He chuckled, folding his arms over his chest. He was absolutely confident that victory was his.

Vlad placed two fingers on the top card of his deck and sighed. "You are strong Corben, I admit it. This has been enjoyable, I admit that as well. Did you know that I always seek out the ultimate duel, where both duelists are pushed to their utmost limits?"

Corben smirked broadly when he heard that. "It looks like you've found it then haven't you? A duel where you're pushed into a corner and threatened, maybe not even able to win. It'd take a miracle draw for you to beat me now! That makes this the ultimate duel, doesn't it?"

The Strongman plucked the card off his deck and carefully tucked it into his hand. "You misunderstand the nature of an ultimate duel. Neither of us has been pushed to our utmost limits, and even if you were pushed to your highest limit I would not be. This duel ended last turn, you just didn't know it."

"What are you getting at? If the duel had ended last turn then I would have known it. The duel is still going, so obviously it didn't end." Vlad responded by reaching for his deck which spat a card out for him to take. He held it up, showing it to be his third Strongman.

"The reason I didn't finish it last turn was because I drew Ultimate Trainer(0/0), the monster which I had set. That prevented me from placing Strongman into my hand and immediately ending the duel, but I already had what I needed." Corben's eyes widened as Vlad slapped Strongman down onto his duel disk, causing it to jump onto the field.

Corben took a step back without thinking, and then stopped himself from moving any farther backwards. "If you think that you can just attack and end it by killing one of my gears you're dead wrong. Or did you think that my set card was a bluff?"

"I didn't think anything of the sort. I don't intend to attack; instead I intend to eliminate you and your cards in one fell swoop with this magic card. Go, Super Suplex!" Strongman's body started glowing red as he powered up, and Corben gulped at the sight.

"By sacrificing Strongman I can destroy all magic and trap cards on your field, that is, all three of your cards!" Strongman jumped into the air and became a giant fireball which shot down and crashed into Corben's field. The impact destroyed Antique Gear Castle, the set card, and Antique Gear Tank.

Even as his cards went to the cemetery Corben seemed fairly confident, and he snapped his fingers, causing a bright light to surround Vlad. "You just wasted your Strongman! You sacrificed him to destroy my cards, and you succeeded in triggering Antique Gear Tank's second effect, which deals you six hundred damage when destroyed!" (VLP: 300)

Vlad laughed deeply and Corben could only stare in surprise. "What's so funny Strongman? You finally snap because you're going to lose or something?"

"No, I laugh because I'm happy to know you managed to make my life points reach yours just before the duel ended. You see, Super Suplex has a magic and trap destruction effect with quite a cost. In return for that cost however, there is an added benefit." Corben raised an eyebrow, not sure if he understood.

Vlad thumped a meaty fist against his chest, still grinning. "You see, when Super Suplex destroys your cards, for each one lost you take five hundred damage. So for the three lost, you take a grand total of fifteen hundred damage!"

Corben fell to his knees as his life points began to trickle away. "No…I was sure that I had won. And with a Darkness Game, that means there's a punishment for losing…" (CLP: 0)

All four of them walked across the field, reaching Corben in no time at all. Vlad stood over him and patted him in the head, looking quite happy because of the duel. "You proved to be strong, and it's likely that you'll get stronger. So instead of some terrible punishment I'll just say that your punishment is to keep trying to get stronger, and keep trying to defeat me."

Corben stared up at him, and then passed out, falling face first into the metal floor. Vlad laughed and gestured to the door which had swung open. His three companions stepped over Corben's unconscious form and walked to the door, Vlad following.

Shiro looked back at Vlad and gave him a grin, stopping him from walking as the other two walked through the door. "You know, you're quite the duelist. I'd love to duel you sometime, even if I doubt I could beat you."

Vlad smiled down at the smaller teen and patted him on the shoulder. "Then you'll have your wish. I'd enjoy dueling you just as much. Now, after you."

Shiro grinned and stepped through the open doorway after Harrison and Sanzo. Vlad walked after him but was stopped when the door suddenly swung shut. There was a click as the door automatically locked, trapping Vlad on the other side. "Vlad!"

The speakers in the room crackled and Tobias' voice came on. "I hope you four have enjoyed the festivities so far. I can't let you keep progressing, so I'm going to be blocking your way. Of course most likely next time you'll step across at the same time, but it doesn't matter. The threat of the strongest of your group is out of the way the earliest. That means I can take care of things in my style, without worry about big bad Vlad the Impaler!"

Tobias laughed over the speakers and then the lights went out, plunging Vlad into the darkness. "Enjoy your stay Vladimir. None of you can stop me now and that's the way it should be. Because I always get what I want. Good luck and goodnight."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: After quite the break I return with a chapter featuring Vlad, and I hope you enjoyed it. It was fun to write once I figured out what deck I wanted Vlad to face.

_Next Time: Vlad has broken past the first guard and allowed the others to move on, but he himself has been captured. In the next room a new threat awaits, and Sanzo steps forward to play the hero once again. To win Mizuki's freedom he will fight hard, but should he fail the results will be disastrous._

_See it all in, Heroic Efforts!_


	21. Heroic Efforts

Author's Note: This time it's Sanzo's turn to save the day.

**Chapter Twenty-One: Heroic Efforts**

_Vlad thumped a meaty fist against his chest, still grinning. "You see, when Super Suplex destroys your cards, for each one lost you take five hundred damage. So for the three lost, you take a grand total of fifteen hundred damage!"_

_Corben fell to his knees as his life points began to trickle away. "No…I was sure that I had won. And with a Darkness Game, that means there's a punishment for losing…" (CLP: 0)_

_All four of them walked across the field, reaching Corben in no time at all. Vlad stood over him and patted him in the head, looking quite happy because of the duel. "You proved to be strong, and it's likely that you'll get stronger. So instead of some terrible punishment I'll just say that your punishment is to keep trying to get stronger, and keep trying to defeat me."_

_Corben stared up at him, and then passed out, falling face first into the metal floor. Vlad laughed and gestured to the door which had swung open. His three companions stepped over Corben's unconscious form and walked to the door, Vlad following. _

_Shiro looked back at Vlad and gave him a grin, stopping him from walking as the other two walked through the door. "You know, you're quite the duelist. I'd love to duel you sometime, even if I doubt I could beat you."_

_Vlad smiled down at the smaller teen and patted him on the shoulder. "Then you'll have your wish. I'd enjoy dueling you just as much. Now, after you."_

_Shiro grinned and stepped through the open doorway after Harrison and Sanzo. Vlad walked after him but was stopped when the door suddenly swung shut. There was a click as the door automatically locked, trapping Vlad on the other side. "Vlad!"_

_The speakers in the room crackled and Tobias' voice came on. "I hope you four have enjoyed the festivities so far. I can't let you keep progressing, so I'm going to be blocking your way. Of course most likely next time you'll step across at the same time, but it doesn't matter. The threat of the strongest of your group is out of the way the earliest. That means I can take care of things in my style, without worry about big bad Vlad the Impaler!"_

_Tobias laughed over the speakers and then the lights went out, plunging Vlad into the darkness. "Enjoy your stay Vladimir. None of you can stop me now and that's the way it should be. Because I always get what I want. Good luck and goodnight."_

The three remaining duelists moved forwards through the hallway and stopped almost immediately when here as well the lights turned on, revealing the arena. It was larger than the previous one, with more available seats. "I'm so glad you three got here!"

When they saw who was standing on the arena floor Shiro gasped and shock and pointed. "What the heck's with the midget!"

Both Harrison and Sanzo punched Shiro in the back of the head, sending him to the ground. Sanzo shook his head in irritation as he looked up at the tiny person across the field. Standing no more than four and a half feet in height and wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform was a girl with brown hair that went straight down to her mid-back. "Don't be an idiot, that's Chihara, and she's ranked number fifteen in the entire school."

Chihara grinned and snapped a faux-salute, then dropped her arm to her side and raised her DD5 on the left arm. "That's right, and I'm gonna bump my rank up right here and now by defeat you Sanzo, just like before." (CLP: 4000)

Shiro craned his neck up from his position on the ground and stared incredulously at the tiny girl. "No way! She beat Sanzo before? If that's the case then how is she the fifteenth best and he's second?"

Harrison sighed and planted his foot in the middle of Shiro's back, leaning forward to watch as Sanzo jumped up onto the field. "She's a year ahead of us and during our first year, when Sanzo was still Ra Yellow, she was already Blue. She beat him in several duels that year, but after a while he improved and began the winning streak that brought him to this level."

The Osiris Red student nodded as best he could with so little room to move his head. Then he put his hands in front of his face to support his chin and watched as Sanzo slid his deck into his duel disk. "So she's good then. What sort of dueling style does she have?"

The Obelisk Blue frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not entirely sure. I've only seen her duel three times and only dueled her once myself. But I haven't seen her duel or dueled her this entire year. Which means for all I know she could be playing an entirely different style."

Sanzo and Chihara drew five cards, and then Chihara drew a sixth card for the start of the duel. "I'm glad that we'll get to duel again Chihara, but why are you working for Tobias? He's just an arrogant Osiris Red. He's nothing but a villain." (SLP: 4000)

"Maybe he is, but that's up to heroes like you to decide. I'm with him so that I can get support from his family when entering the Pro League at the end of the year. Now, it's time to activate the Shangri La Projector!" Darkness sprang up around them, their feet blanketed by the purple fog of darkness games.

The Hero Saint felt his body grow cold under the effects of the game and he took a deep breath, making sure he would be focused. _'I'll have to be at the top of my game to beat her. She's no slouch at dueling and this is my first experience with a Darkness Game. What I can tell though…this is a low strength one, because others I've seen occur have full domes. Meaning Tobias is limiting power to his Shangri La Projector. So he's saving the bulk of the power for later…'_

Chihara fanned out her hand and then immediately tossed down one of her cards. "I summon Moke Moke(300/100) in defense mode and place two cards face down behind it. End turn!"

Shiro's left eye twitched at the sight of Chihara's monster. It was about a foot tall, pink, a rectangle with closed eyes, and had tiny wings. Not to mention its abysmal scores and the fact that it had no effect. "What the…why would she use a worthless monster like that? Any thoughts Harrison?"

Harrison briefly adjusted his glasses as he looked at Moke Moke, which looked either adorable or ridiculous depending on the point of view. "So, she really is still using that deck. This will be a difficult duel for Sanzo."

"Wait a second…a difficult duel for Sanzo? From a girl that tiny who runs monsters that tiny and pathetic? Am I missing something here?" Harrison responded by pushing his foot a bit down on Shiro's back, effectively shutting the Osiris Red up.

"You're missing the big picture, which is why you're an Osiris Red. Your dueling skills are there, but you lack tactical ability and knowledge of opposing strategies. If you had those you'd at least be Yellow and know that a Moke Moke Deck can be devastating if used right. And Chihara is very good at using it." Shiro went silent and stared at the monster, shocked that such a tiny pathetic monster could make Harrison worry about Sanzo's chances.

Sanzo drew and slapped down his card. "Elemental Hero Sparkman(1600/1400) is my first choice of monster!"

The blue and yellow armored hero took to the field and struck a pose, ready for action. Once it was in play Sanzo took another card out of his hand and slipped it into his duel disk. "Meet the newest upgrade to my deck, Spark Battle Rifle!"

A black rifle with a blade at the bottom formed and Sparkman grabbed it up, placing the stock against his shoulder and aiming at Moke Moke. Chihara blinked at the new weapon in surprise. "Spark Battle Rifle? What happened to Spark Gun?"

"That equip is outdated and Sparkman is ready to move on, so that's where Spark Battle Rifle comes in. It grants Sparkman a bonus of five hundred attack points as well as letting him change a monster's mode five times before being destroyed. So, Spark Shift!"

Sparkman pressed a button on the side of the gun and lightning jumped from the bottom blade, striking the little pink angel. The angel shrieked and opened its eyes, switching into attack mode. "That's an impressive equip…"

"It is indeed. Sparkman, attack with Spark Assault!" Sparkman squeezed the trigger and a barrage of bullets shot from the gun. They peppered the pink rectangle and blew him apart, the particles flying all in Chihara's face. (CLP: 2200)

Once the dust settled Chihara snapped her little left arm out and over one of her two set cards which flipped up, dispelling the dust. "Continuous trap card activates, Human Wave Tactics! During my end phase I get to special summon a number of level two or lower normal monsters from my deck equal to the number of the same type that were destroyed during this turn."

Sanzo narrowed his eyes and looked down at the card on the right. If his guess was right then he was going to be in trouble shortly. "Is that all?"

"Not quite, I also get to activate my other set card, Instant Replay which works as the last card I played. In other words for this turn it's counted as being Human Wave Tactics!" Sanzo grimaced, realizing that he had guessed right. During her end phase she'd get two new monsters, just as he had feared.

"I set one card face down and end my turn." A card appeared behind Sparkman, and then Chihara's deck whined as it spat out two new cards. She picked them up and then slapped them down onto her duel disk.

"Using my Human Wave Tactics and my Instant Replay I special summon two Moke Moke(300/100) to the field!" Two of the pink rectangular angels appeared, hovering in mid-air over her field.

Chihara reached for her deck and drew, putting her hand at four cards. "I summon Venus, Angel of Creation(1600/0)!"

A blue skinned angel descended onto the field, her wings extended outwards. Floating in a circle around her were three little glowing spheres. Shiro frowned, recognizing the monster for once. "Now I pay a thousand life points according to its effect to special summon two Holy Shine Spheres(500/500) to the field!" (CLP: 1200)

Next she snapped up one of the other three cards in her hand and Venus began to sing in an angelic voice. "Song of Angels increases my life points by fifteen hundred provided I have an angel sub-type monster in play." (CLP: 2700)

Moving along she placed one of her two remaining cards into her duel disk and an image of a puffed up and angry looking Moke Moke appeared. "Continuous magic card, Moke Moke Smackdown activates! And now, Venus attacks Sparkman!"

Shiro blinked in surprise and opened his mouth to ask the obvious question but was silenced when Harrison bent down and clamped his hand over Shiro's mouth. "Before you ask, it's because of that continuous magic card. If an angel sub-type is destroyed all Moke Moke in play are set at three thousand attack points."

Sanzo grimaced as his Sparkman fired a few rounds into Venus' chest, blasting her apart. Even as the damage was taken out of Chihara's life points Sanzo knew what was coming. "Not good." (CLP: 2200)

"Now, both of my Moke Mokes reach three thousand attack points. Moke Moke, attack his Sparkman!" Both of them puffed up, growing to a much larger size and looking positively furious. Then the one on the left charged forwards, only to be stopped by a crackling barrier.

"Hero Barrier negates one attack as long as I have a hero in play, which I do. Your attack is canceled." Looking miffed the little angel floated back to Chihara's side of the field, and then the other angry Moke Moke charged.

"My second Moke Moke will crush your Sparkman!" Moke Moke smashed directly into Sparkman, plowing him over and sending him flying into the bottom section of the stands. (SLP: 3100)

"Now that the path is cleared, both of my Holy Shine Spheres will attack your life points directly!" The two shining spheres spun in a circle and blue light shot out of the middle of their flying circle, striking Sanzo in the chest and making him take two steps backwards. Smoke rose from his slightly burnt Obelisk Blue blazer. (SLP: 2100)

As the two sphere stopped spinning her two Moke Mokes shrank down in size, returning to a much more normal position and to their original pathetic attack points. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Sanzo drew and then reached for a different card. "Go, Warrior Returning Alive! This magic card lets me pick up one warrior sub-type monster from my cemetery and add it to my hand, and I choose Sparkman!"

He took the Sparkman that his grave offered up and then placed it onto his duel disk, causing the familiar light hero to appear. "That's not all, because I just drew a magic card that will grant Sparkman all new powers. Go, Metamorphosis!"

As soon as he plugged the card into his deck his Sparkman started glowing and when the bubble of light that formed around it shattered an all new monster had appeared. It wore almost the exact same suit as Sparkman, but its fists were covered by heavy gauntlets with what looked like blasters attached at the wrist, and it was much more muscular. "Special summoned from my fusion deck only by Metamorphosis, this is Elemental Hero Spark Soldier(2100/1400)!"

Shiro whistled, impressed with the brand new upgraded super hero. "I didn't know his monsters could evolve like that. So he can fuse new heroes and upgrade all of his heroes. That's pretty cool."

Harrison nodded, experienced in facing the Elemental Heroes. "Yes, they are versatile, but not without weaknesses. For instance the fact that individually the Elemental Heroes tend to be weak, and without support they are nothing. It is a rare duelist who can use them effectively like Sanzo does."

Sanzo smiled, his teeth glinting as he brushed that lock of hair out of his eyesight. "Spark Soldier, attack and destroy Chihara's Holy Shine Sphere!"

Spark Soldier raised his right arm and fired a bolt of lightning out of the barrels on his hand. But Chihara was ready, and she triggered her set card, causing a shield to appear on her arm and absorb the hit. "Draining Shield negates your attack and increases my life points by the attack power of your monster." (CLP: 4300)

Despite the negation and her gain of life points Sanzo didn't seem worried; in fact he seemed to be enjoying himself. "You're as good as ever, but for your Moke Moke Smackdown to work you have to have one of your angels destroyed, and you can only do that while I have an attack mode monster. So…Spark Soldier activates his effect!"

Electricity crackled over the soldier's body and he knelt down to one knee, crossing his arms over his chest. "Spark Soldier can change the mode of any monster in play, but he can only do it to an individual monster once per turn. So I just used it on him to put him in defense mode."

Grinning he placed one of his two hand cards into his duel disk and then folded his own arms over his chest. "Turn End."

Chihara drew and frowned, realizing exactly the sort of situation she was in. _'Sanzo is an excellent duelist. He knows that I can't break through his defense and is counting on that. And because his monster can switch my monster's modes…'_

"I have to pass this turn. End." Sanzo smirked, satisfied that his plan had worked out perfectly. He drew and his smirk broadened at the sight.

"Perfect. Elemental Hero Clayman(800/2000) in attack mode!" A brown warrior made out of clay appeared, its body parts shaped like circles and its bulk much greater than that of Spark Soldier.

"Next I'll throw in his upgraded equip card, Mud Max Tank, which boosts his attack by four hundred and his defense by eight hundred!" Clayman jumped into the air and then landed in what looked like a go-cart with a big cannon strapped to the front. He grabbed the wheel and the tires began to squeal.

"Manually I switch Spark Soldier into attack mode, and then he'll take out Holy Shine Sphere!" Spark Soldier stood up straight and then fired a blast of lightning from his gun-gauntlet, shattering the tiny little sphere and moving on to strike Chihara. (CLP: 1700)

"Now, Clayman attacks the remaining Holy Shine Sphere!" Clayman hit the peddle and zoomed across the field, crashing into the sphere and sending it flying back into Chihara's chest where it promptly exploded, taking away another chunk of her life points. (CLP: 1000)

Confidently Sanzo snapped his arm out to the side and Spark Soldier aimed its gun-gauntlet at Clayman. "Spark Soldier activates his effect, switching Clayman and himself into defense mode!"

Both Elemental Heroes moved into defense, the biggest difference for Clayman being that he couldn't crouch down so merely placed his hands over his broad chest. "End Turn!"

Chihara drew and then held up her drawn card. "Pot of Greed now lets me draw two cards."

She drew twice and then slipped one of them into her duel disk. "Go, Awakening from the Floor of Death! This magic card lets me pick up a monster from my cemetery and add it to my hand at a cost of letting you draw two cards. So the first Moke Moke returns to me."

While she picked up her chosen monster Sanzo reached for his deck and drew twice, restoring his empty size to at least a usable size. "Go, Polymerization! I fuse the two Moke Moke on my field with the Moke Moke in my hand to create King Moke Moke(300/100)!"

The new monster was a humongous blue Moke Moke which filled up most of Chihara's half of the arena field. As soon as it was in play Chihara held up her remaining card. "Angelic Sacrifice lets me tribute one angel sub-type on my field to draw one card for every two of its levels. Despite looks King Moke Moke is a level six, so I sacrifice him to draw three cards."

The huge monster blew apart and Chihara drew three times. But then one by one the pink little Moke Moke appeared on her field until all three were there. "When King Moke Moke is removed from my field, any Moke Moke in my cemetery is special summoned into play."

She grinned at the sight of one of the cards she had just drawn and gave Sanzo a good look at it. "Touch of the Mystic gives me four hundred life points for every monster in play, which just so happens to be five!" (CLP: 3000)

Again she placed a card into her duel disk and all of a sudden her Moke Moke began to grow stronger until each one had an attack strength of nine hundred. "Moke Moke Heart gives each of my Moke Moke two hundred attack points for every angel sub-type on the field."

Sanzo didn't seem worried, since both of his monsters had greater defense and she couldn't break through that. "So, what now?"

"Now? Now I activate Mighty Guard Swap, which moves all monsters on the field with more than a thousand attack points into attack mode and lets the opposing player of the controller draw one card for each." Sanzo frowned as both of his monsters returned to attack mode and Chihara drew twice.

Grinning she slapped a new card onto her duel disk and an orange sphere with big eyes and wings appeared. "Happy Lover(800/500) comes out and attacks Clayman!"

The little orange ball with wings flapped its way over to Clayman only to get swatted out of the sky by one big fist. It crashed to the ground and blew apart. "Now all three of my Moke Moke reach three thousand attack points, and then gain an additional six hundred!" (CLP: 2600)

All three Moke Moke puffed up into extra large size, their attack points shooting up to thirty-six hundred across the board. Shiro nearly choked on his tongue at the sight of those three tiny monsters now so powerful. "Moke Moke, attack Spark Soldier!"

The behemoth angel slammed its rectangular bulk into Spark Soldier, squashing him flat and ripping through Sanzo's life points. He felt a sharp pain in his side and winced, finally feeling the effects of the Darkness Game. "Lucky choice for me…" (SLP: 600)

Moke Moke number two charged and flopped down on Clayman, squishing him just like Spark Soldier had been squashed. It hopped backwards and Chihara flashed a victory sign. "The win this time is on me!" (SLP: 300)

She blinked when she saw that his life points weren't at zero, and then noticed that his set card was now gone. "What did you do?"

"I used my trap card, Soul Union, which granted Clayman the attack power of one E-Hero in the cemetery. In this case I gave it the 2100 attack points of Spark Soldier. So when it was killed it had thirty-three hundred attack." Chihara scowled, realizing that she had missed her kill, but brightened when she realized she had one more monster.

"Moke Moke the third, attack and destroy his life points! Win me the duel!" It loomed above Sanzo, ready to drop, but then suddenly a blue armored hero jumped out of nowhere and the Moke Moke flopped down on it.

"Sorry Chihara, but when you killed Clayman you activated the effect of Mud Max Tank. When it goes to the cemetery while equipped I get to special summon a hero from my hand, so before you attacked I special summoned Elemental Hero Bubbleman(800/1200) in defense mode."

Chihara snapped her fingers, disappointed at missing out on the kill. Sanzo wasn't done however, as he was reaching for his deck. "Because my field was empty when Bubbleman was summoned I get to draw two cards from my deck."

With a sigh Chihara slid one of her two remaining cards into her duel disk, letting it appear face down behind her three Moke Moke which now reduced to nine hundred a piece. "I end my turn, and then using Human Wave Tactics I special summon another Happy Lover(800/500) this one in defense mode."

Sanzo drew a card for the start of his turn, giving him four total in hand. Yet there was no telling if that was going to be enough, as he was in a bad position with far fewer life points than his opponent. "Chihara, this duel is just as fun as always. You're a deadly opponent and I enjoy it whenever we meet on the field. But sorry, you've sided with the villain so that makes you a villain yourself!"

He grabbed two of his cards and placed them into his duel disk, causing them to go face down. Then he slapped one of his two remaining ones onto his duel disk. "Elemental Hero Featherman(1000/1000) in attack mode!"

The avian green suited hero appeared and flapped his wings, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "Next I activate my last magic card, Coins From Heaven! We now both draw until we're holding six cards!"

Both of them reached for their decks and began drawing. Chihara drew five cards while Sanzo himself drew six. From his spot on the ground Shiro crossed his fingers, hoping for the best. _'Come on Sanzo, I know you can beat this guy! You beat me even when I was using a professional level deck, so you can take down this shrimp who runs shrimps!'_

Harrison watched the duel calmly, considering what he could think of for Sanzo's options. He wasn't worried at all though. _'Our wins and losses against each other stand currently even, and I know I can beat her. So if I can, then you can defeat her as well. Lose and you're far from a hero Sanzo Uzumaki.'_

Once he had all six of his cards Sanzo pointed to one of his face down cards, causing it to flip up. "Since it was a normal magic card I set I can now use it. And my card is Magic Shard Excavation, which allows me to discard two cards from my hand to pick up a magic card from my cemetery!"

He took two cards from his hand and shoved them into his cemetery slot. Then he accepted the card that slid right back out for him. He held it out for Chihara to see, revealing it. "Once again I activate Metamorphosis; this time my target is Featherman. And by sacrificing him I can special summon his enhanced self!"

Featherman gave a battle cry and smooth reflective armor closed over his wings and his chest, then strapped over his arms giving him extended claws. Then finally a helmet snapped tight over his head, giving him optic vision. "Meet Elemental Hero Feather Avenger(1000/1000)!"

Chihara blinked, surprised at the stats she saw. Although it looked impressive its stats weren't. "So you sacrificed your Featherman for a monster with some spiffy power armor and the same stats? I don't follow."

Sanzo smirked and held up another card from his hand. "Let's take care of that face down threat, with my Right Justice magic card! Since I have one E-Hero on the field I can take out one magic or trap card, and my choice is that set card!"

Her face down card shook and then blew apart; she grimaced and picked it up and out of her duel disk. _'Well there goes another Draining Shield.'_

Once her card was completely gone he flipped over one of his next cards, which showed an image of an ankh on it. "This card is a familiar one to all duelists, it's Monster Reborn! And thanks to it I can call back a monster in my graveyard, and my choice is the monster I just discarded!"

The monster that appeared on his field was a short kid with purple hair wearing what looked like a space suit. "Meet Hero Kid(300/600), who when special summoned lets me special summon all copies of him in my deck to the field. So meet the other two!"

Two more identical monsters formed next to the little purple haired hero. "And what's the point of multiplying their numbers? They can't beat any of my monsters at all."

"The point is just to boost the number of monsters on my field. I reveal my set card, another normal magic card called Feather Shot! For every monster on my field at activation one Featherman on my field can attack once, though he can't attack directly any of those times." Chihara scratched the back of her head, one eyebrow lifted.

"I hate to break it to you, but not only is that monster too weak to do anything even with four attacks, but he's also not Featherman so he doesn't qualify for your magic card." In response to that Sanzo smirked and watched as Feather Avenger readied his metal claws, which began to superheat.

"Guess again, because Feather Avenger is counted as Featherman and its special effect is that it can attack directly under any circumstance. Meaning it now gets four direct attacks! Feather Vengeance Strike!" Chihara screamed as Feather Avenger flew right past her four monsters and slashed across the chest once, twice, and then finished it with one strong third strike. She fell to the ground, unconscious. (CLP: 0)

Sanzo felt his body relax as the holograms faded and the Darkness Game came to an end. Across the room the door swung open, granting them entrance to the next room. "Chihara, when you wake up your Punishment Game is that you're going to have to do a karaoke in front of the entire school when you graduate. Till then, have a nice nap."

He picked up his cards from his disk and his graveyard then shuffled them together with his deck before placing it into his pocket and deactivating his duel disk. "Let's get going you guys."

As they walked through the door the lights behind them dimmed, and suddenly Sanzo fell to one knee, grabbing his chest and coughing violently. Shiro rushed to his side and put a hand on his back. "You okay man?"

The Hero Saint shook his head, his entire body shaking. "That duel took more out of me than I guessed. It didn't seem that physically draining, but now that it's done I feel like I've got no energy left."

Harrison stopped at their side and continued to look into the next room. "Shiro, help Sanzo walk. I have experience in Darkness Games, so I'll take the next one, and then if as I suspect there's one more before the final room you can take that one. That will allow Sanzo to recover; meaning one of the two of us will be ready for whoever is in the last room."

Shiro looped an arm around Sanzo's shoulders and helped him stand, then gave Harrison a nod. "Don't worry; I'll beat whoever they set me up with. But uh…how's Tobias doing this? I thought the Paranormal Suppression Squad controlled the building."

The Dark Prince frowned, adjusting his glasses absently. "I've been considering that myself, and honestly I have no answer. All I can say is that I think I know what Tobias is trying to do. He's trying to stall us so he can get his hands on the Xanadu Equation from Mizuki."

Shiro and Sanzo gave him a blank look, which he didn't return. When he started walking Sanzo reached out weakling and spoke. "What's the Xanadu Equation?"

Harrison stopped at the end of the hall and then looked back over his shoulder. "There's no time to explain. We have to get through here and the next room as quickly as possible, or there's no telling what Tobias will do."

Together they began to walk into the room, moving slightly slower because of Sanzo. Shiro clenched his free right hand and felt it shake, whether from fear or determination he couldn't tell. _'Mizuki…don't worry, I won't lose. I'll help the best I can to save you!'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: That was fun. I'd like to thank Agent of the Divine One for providing the idea for a karaoke Punishment Game, which I found particularly amusing.

_Next Time: He has come this far even without knowing why. The others knew their reasons for coming, but Harrison has questioned his own. Perhaps it is pure dislike of those that have taken over Duelist Academy, or maybe it is something deeper. One way or another Harrison will show the fools who stand in his way that he is an avenger!_

_See it all in, The Avenger's Reason!_


	22. The Avenger's Reason

Author's Note: Let's let Harrison mix it up next!

**Chapter Twenty-Two: The Avenger's Reason**

_The monster that appeared on his field was a short kid with purple hair wearing what looked like a space suit. "Meet Hero Kid(300/600), who when special summoned lets me special summon all copies of him in my deck to the field. So meet the other two!"_

_Two more identical monsters formed next to the little purple haired hero. "And what's the point of multiplying their numbers? They can't beat any of my monsters at all."_

_"The point is just to boost the number of monsters on my field. I reveal my set card, another normal magic card called Feather Shot! For every monster on my field at activation one Featherman on my field can attack once, though he can't attack directly any of those times." Chihara scratched the back of her head, one eyebrow lifted._

_"I hate to break it to you, but not only is that monster too weak to do anything even with four attacks, but he's also not Featherman so he doesn't qualify for your magic card." In response to that Sanzo smirked and watched as Feather Avenger readied his metal claws, which began to superheat._

_"Guess again, because Feather Avenger is counted as Featherman and its special effect is that it can attack directly under any circumstance. Meaning it now gets four direct attacks! Feather Vengeance Strike!" Chihara screamed as Feather Avenger flew right past her four monsters and slashed across the chest once, twice, and then finished it with one strong third strike. She fell to the ground, unconscious. (CLP: 0)_

_Sanzo felt his body relax as the holograms faded and the Darkness Game came to an end. Across the room the door swung open, granting them entrance to the next room. "Chihara, when you wake up your Punishment Game is that you're going to have to do a karaoke in front of the entire school when you graduate. Till then, have a nice nap."_

_He picked up his cards from his disk and his graveyard then shuffled them together with his deck before placing it into his pocket and deactivating his duel disk. "Let's get going you guys."_

_As they walked through the door the lights behind them dimmed, and suddenly Sanzo fell to one knee, grabbing his chest and coughing violently. Shiro rushed to his side and put a hand on his back. "You okay man?"_

_The Hero Saint shook his head, his entire body shaking. "That duel took more out of me than I guessed. It didn't seem that physically draining, but now that it's done I feel like I've got no energy left."_

_Harrison stopped at their side and continued to look into the next room. "Shiro, help Sanzo walk. I have experience in Darkness Games, so I'll take the next one, and then if as I suspect there's one more before the final room you can take that one. That will allow Sanzo to recover; meaning one of the two of us will be ready for whoever is in the last room."_

_Shiro looped an arm around Sanzo's shoulders and helped him stand then gave Harrison a nod. "Don't worry; I'll beat whoever they set me up with. But uh…how's Tobias doing this? I thought the Paranormal Suppression Squad controlled the building."_

_The Dark Prince frowned, adjusting his glasses absently. "I've been considering that myself, and honestly I have no answer. All I can say is that I think I know what Tobias is trying to do. He's trying to stall us so he can get his hands on the Xanadu Equation from Mizuki."_

_Shiro and Sanzo gave him a blank look, which he didn't return. When he started walking Sanzo reached out weakling and spoke. "What's the Xanadu Equation?"_

_Harrison stopped at the end of the hall and then looked back over his shoulder. "There's no time to explain. We have to get through here and the next room as quickly as possible, or there's no telling what Tobias will do."_

_Together they began to walk into the room, moving slightly slower because of Sanzo. Shiro clenched his free right hand and felt it shake, whether from fear or determination he couldn't tell. 'Mizuki…don't worry, I won't lose. I'll help the best I can to save you!'_

Harrison stopped at the edge of the arena and didn't flinch when the lights came on, revealing his opponent. "Perhaps some new style is in order, this is getting old. Now let's get this over with." (HLP: 4000)

Across the field was another Obelisk Blue, this one roughly Harrison's height but with black hair that was spiked backwards. His duel disk was already activated, and his brown eyes shimmered in the light. "The Dark Prince is my opponent, now that's just perfect. Even your darkness will be reflected by the light, and you'll be burned to ash by it!"

As soon as he spoke the fog rose up around their legs, indicating that the Darkness Game had begun. Harrison didn't even flinch under the presence of the darkness.

Ignoring his opponent Harrison drew six cards, and then finally looked up. "You were saying something Renzoku? I don't tend to listen to worthless idiots rambling."

The Obelisk Blue, identified as Renzoku, scowled and raised his left arm, duel disk activated. "Just you wait Dark Prince, I'll show you exactly what your own darkness is worth and destroy you with it!" (RLP: 4000)

Harrison fanned out his cards and then picked up one, holding it out with a relaxed look on his face. "Of course, we get it; you talk about your dueling style as if it were real. Now let me show you my darkness. Opening the Gate to the Demon World!"

A huge gate rose up onto the field and began to suck everything within range into it. Without pause Harrison slid two cards from his hand into his graveyard. "This ritual magic card requires eight stars, so I give it eight. And next, I can summon this monster!"

He slapped down the required monster and it took shape, revealing a man with spiky white hair and a blue fancy coat, a sword was at his side. "Meet Legendary Demon Swordsman Vergil(2800/2600). And now I activate one of his effects, discarding a card from my hand to equip him with Yamato Blade which increases his attack by five hundred."

After sliding a card into his grave his swordsman grabbed the katana at his side and drew it, admiring the sheen of it. His attack points climbed up to thirty-three hundred, making him stronger than most monsters in the game. "Is this darkness satisfactory?"

Renzoku nodded, smirking the whole time. "That it is. I'll take down your demon swordsman and turn his darkness against you. Your black soul will be burned to ash."

Harrison rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking irritated. "Fine, that's just fine. End turn."

Renzoku reached for his deck and drew. "Prepare to face the reflection of your darkness in the first form I have ready for you. Come on out, Reflect Bounder(1700/1000)!"

The summoned monster had a body made almost completely of mirrors, even its hands were mirrors pointed right at Vergil and Harrison. Shiro blinked at the sight of the monster and bit back a laugh. "That is pretty lame, blabbering about reflecting crap and then whipping out that monster."

The Obelisk Blue's left eye twitched when he heard this and he swung his arm around to point at Shiro. "Hey! I don't see you up here dueling, so shut up and don't make commentary!"

Shiro's right eye twitched in irritation and he took one big step forward, planting his right foot on the field and glared at Renzoku. His right arm pointed directly at the Obelisk Blue. "Oi! Shut the hell up! You don't have a right to tell me when I can and can't make commentary, Obelisk Blue or not!"

Forgotten by Shiro Sanzo was now lying flat on the ground, his left eye twitching at the stupid comments that were flying and the fact that he was stuck face first on the floor. "Damn those two…"

Renzoku slammed his right foot against the field, both of his eyes now twitching rather violently. "You stupid Osiris Red drop-out! You can't talk to me like that, I'm your superior!"

"Superior? Ha! Come over here and say that, or better yet, let me up there to duel you so that I can prove that the superior one is me you arrogant prick!" Shiro finished his sentence in a mature fashion by sticking his tongue out at his verbal opponent.

"Bull! There's no way you could beat me, all of your attacks would be shot right back at you, and no Osiris Red could stand up against their own reflection! You'd run in fear of the truth I'd show you about yourself!" Renzoku responded in kind, sticking his tongue out at Shiro.

Shiro smirked and flicked his duel disk open and slammed his deck into it. "I'll prove it fair and square, you versus me! Come on and bring it, and I'll smash back any stupid reflections you make!"

All of a sudden Shiro and Renzoku went down, hit in the head by white objects that had been hurled. They lay flat on the ground, their heads spinning from the impact, barely able to realize what had happened. Even Sanzo wasn't sure.

Harrison took a deep breath and spoke, sounding as if he was barely containing his anger. "Both of you shut up, there's already a duel going on, and we'll continue it. Now, act like mature duelists and give me back my shoes so we can continue."

He caught both shoes that were hurled back at him and calmly started to put them back on. He ignored the furious looks he got from Shiro and Renzoku, both of whom were pointing at him angrily.

Shiro spoke first, looking ready to kill. "Dark Prince or not, when this duel is done you're all mine! I'll kick your ass from here to next week!"

Renzoku snapped at that, grabbing one of his cards and slamming it into his duel disk. "No way in hell! I'll beat him first, just you wait! End turn!"

Shaking his head to clear it of the stupidity that had gathered in the room like a fog Harrison made his move. "Obviously you're hoping to prevent me from attacking with your Reflect Bounder; however I have a different option in mind."

Taking his drawn card he casually placed it onto his duel disk. A female samurai appeared in front of him in red armor and drew her sword, putting herself at the ready. "Getsu Fuhma(1700/1200) will deal with your Reflect Bounder."

He pointed at Reflect Bounder which responded by readying its mirrors. "Getsu Fuhma, attack his Reflect Bounder immediately!"

The samurai charged forwards and slammed her katana into the first available mirror. Renzoku smirked when that happened. "First of all, both of our monsters will be destroyed. And second, you've triggered Reflect Bounder's special ability!"

The machine monster blew apart, shards of its mirrors slicing through the samurai as well as several flying through the air and cutting into Harrison's shoulders and sides, making small superficial cuts. "Whatever monster attacks it has its attack dealt as damage to the controller's life points." (HLP: 2300)

Harrison didn't seem bothered by the damage at all. Instead he was already motioning to Vergil. "Vergil, attack Renzoku's life points directly!"

Renzoku snapped his fingers and immediately his trap was sprung. "Since I'm about to take more than two thousand damage I get to activate Nutrient Z, which gives me four thousand life points before the damage." (RLP: 8000)

As soon as his life points were already in place Vergil slashed his katana right across Renzoku's chest. The Obelisk Blue grimaced and put a hand to his chest, feeling the pain from the impact. "Heh…I still have more life points than I started with." (RLP: 4700)

"Maybe so, but I'm not worried. End turn." He cast one final look at the two cards remaining in his hand that he hadn't looked. Then he folded his arms over his chest and waited for Renzoku to make his move.

Renzoku drew and smirked at whatever he saw. "Prepare for the second reflection, the true reflection of your evil demon swordsman! This monster will take your creature's power and turn it against itself!"

"Yes, your monsters reflect things, they're like mirrors, and we get it. Move on." Renzoku's left eye started twitching again, but he suppressed it and slammed his monster down onto his duel disk.

"Meet Copycat(0/0)! Initially this little bugger has no attack or defense points, but I get to select a monster on your field and make my monster's stats the same as your monster's base scores!" His monster proved to look exactly like Vergil, only its score was the same as Vergil's original, without the aid of the Yamato Blade.

"Despite similar appearance and attack points, your monster is the weaker one. Merely a pale imitation to the true Vergil. Or did you plan on reflecting his power in any other way?" Renzoku nodded and played his next card.

"In order to overcome the difference in their attack points I'll use Mirror of Energy! This magic card increases the attack of one of my monsters by one hundred points per level of a monster on your field. What's Vergil?" Harrison responded by holding up eight fingers.

Renzoku grinned as his monster's attack points began to rise, soaring upwards until they even surpassed the original Vergil's. "With a bonus of eight hundred attack points my Copycat Vergil now has thirty-six hundred attack points!"

Harrison calmly adjusted his glasses, looking amused. "Thank you. Because I obviously am unable to perform basic math myself. I appreciate the aid, really I do."

Renzoku clenched his right hand into a fist, biting back his fury. "Arrogant bastard…I'll cut you down and make you respect me! Copycat Vergil, attack the real thing!"

His copycat slashed his katana right through Vergil's stomach, and the demon swordsman collapsed and shattered into a million pieces. Harrison smirked despite the loss of his monster. "Just in case you were wondering, I managed to figure out that I take three hundred points of damage. No need to assist." (HLP: 2000)

"You…stop mocking me you prick! One card face down, and end!" He was breathing heavily by now, his raw anger making it more difficult for him to catch his breath.

Harrison drew once and then placed the card onto his disk. It appeared as a horizontal card face down on his field. "One monster in defense. That's all."

_'Despite how angry I have him the advantage is far from mine. My hand is poor and my draws have also been unimpressive. Unless I draw something better this duel could go poorly for me.'_

Renzoku's anger turned to amusement when he saw that Harrison was able to do so little. He drew and placed the card down. "So, all your talk is nothing but effort to piss me off. I admit it was working, but it's over. Mirror Golem(1900/1600) in attack mode."

His new monster was a bulky monster with a reflective body; it also had mirror sheen horns extending out of its head. It was also at least fifteen feet tall. "Mirror Golem, attack the set monster!"

The golem punched through the monster, blasting it into thousands of pieces. "You destroy Demon Slayer Apprentice(1000/1000) so now I special summon Legendary Demon Slayer Dante(1500/1200) in defense mode. I forego his effect."

The red-coated demon slayer appeared, his arms crossed over his chest and head to provide defense as he crouched down. "Hahaha! Perfect, Copycat Vergil now attacks Dante!"

The mirror clone of Dante's brother cut him perfectly in half with one stroke of his sword, ending their joint time in play. "So, you've managed to defeat both brothers by now."

"Not just that, but your monsters are going to reflect their power unto me! Reverse card open, Reflection of the Fallen! The attack power of all destroyed monsters this turn is added to my life points!" He took in a deep breath as power flowed into him, pumping his life points up. (RLP: 7200)

Renzoku smirked and placed a card into his duel disk to replace the one he had just used. "I'll throw that card down and conclude my turn there."

Harrison drew and then scowled as he immediately slid the drawn card into his duel disk. "I can't do anything other than that. The power of mirrors and reflections truly is to be feared."

Without skipping a beat Renzoku drew and held up the card. "If you thought a reflection was bad, meet the real thing! Monster Reborn calls Legendary Demon Swordsman Vergil(2800/2600) back to my field!"

Now two Vergils were staring Harrison down, each one holding their katanas in preparation of cutting him down. "You may be controlling him but you don't understand him. While there are no face-up magic or trap cards in play Vergil loses eight hundred attack points."

Renzoku chuckled even as Vergil fell to two thousand attack points. "That may be so, but it doesn't matter at all since I have three monsters to your none. And I think I'm going to attack right now with Vergil!"

Vergil jumped into the air and dove back down, katana pointed straight at Harrison's chest. Shiro bit his bottom lip, fearing the worst, but was able to breathe again when Harrison's set card activated. "Reveal trap, Mirror Force!"

The reflective force sent Vergil flying backwards into Renzoku's two other monsters, causing them to shatter like so much glass. "You see. Just as I said, the power of mirror and reflections is to be feared."

Renzoku smirked and suddenly his own set card opened. "You're right, it is to be feared. And I know mirrors and reflections better than anyone else, so I prepared this card. Mirror of the Past, which restores all monsters destroyed this turn!"

The flying shards of the three monsters stopped spinning and then zipped back together, reforming into their true shapes. Harrison scowled, seeing one of his best traps wasted. "Lucky you the returned monsters can't attack this turn."

"Yes…lucky me." Despite his outward calm Harrison was somewhat worried. That had been his best draw so far, and it hadn't worked out. If he didn't start getting better draws the duel was as good as over.

The Obelisk Blue slid one of his two leftover cards into his duel disk, replacing the trap he had just used. "End turn."

Harrison drew and stopped himself from sighing in relief. "I activate the continuous magic card Swords of Revealing Light. Then I end my turn."

His opponent drew for his turn, and folded his hand up. "Well I can't do anything this turn but pass. Not that it really matters, because as pathetic you've been its no challenge at all."

When Harrison reached for his deck Renzoku spoke up again. "Although, I can't help but wonder why you're here at all. I mean, Tobias was certain you wouldn't come along, since you're irritated by these people and by Mizuki. So why are you even here?"

Moving on Harrison drew his card for the turn and frowned. "My reasons are my own. What makes you believe that I would tell you?"

"Well that's just mean. Here I am making small talk and you refuse to even share anything with me. And here I thought we were friends." Renzoku laughed at his joke, ignoring Harrison's death glare.

_'He's an annoying little brat, but he's right. What am I doing here? I shouldn't be here at all; I don't care about any of these people.'_ He stared at the three cards in his hand blankly, barely seeing them at all. Instead he thought about his reasons.

_'Mizuki's punishment game makes me being kinder to her friends, which I have been to a degree. But that's no reason to just help out. Am I here because I don't want Tobias to get the Xanadu Equation, or because I really honestly want to help?'_ It was a question that at the moment he wasn't sure if he had an answer for.

He turned to look back at Sanzo and Shiro who were watching the duel intently. _'Those two both care about Mizuki as they have romantic feelings for her. I hold no such feelings, so that is ruled out.'_

His eyes strayed to the door where beyond it Vlad was likely pacing, eagerly awaiting to find out how things had gone. _'Even Vlad came because he refused to see someone with potential like Mizuki be dealt with by scientists in such a crude manner. But that's not my reasoning either.'_

With no answer readily available Harrison could only see one thing to do for the time being. "End turn."

Renzoku drew and confidently placed the card into his duel disk. "Even with you cowering away for another turn I've now got a way to drain your life points and win the duel. My Mirror of Pain!"

A plain mirror with black edges appeared in the middle of the field, both sides as mirrors each one aiming at a different duelist. "During our standby phases the Mirror of Pain will inflict five hundred damage to us. I've got life points to spare, but you don't. Means in a few turns I win, so I'm done here."

Harrison drew and was immediately covered in a black aura as the Mirror of Pain reflected his image. He bit back the pain, ignoring it in favor of seeing what he had drawn. _'On its own this card is useless. I don't even have any monsters…'_ (HLP: 1500)

"I pass."

Renzoku grimaced as the Mirror of Pain now reflected his image, inflicting damage on him just as it had damaged Harrison the turn before. "Not much longer, this is the last turn for your pathetic swords." (RLP: 6700)

He looked down at his hand and held up two cards, looking cocky. "I play these two cards in combo. The first is called Mirror of False Greed, which discards one card from your deck for every card I draw this turn."

Harrison saw the second one and started reaching for his deck to discard. "The second in my combo is Pot of Greed which lets me draw two cards. And since I'm drawing two cards you have to discard that many."

As Renzoku restored two cards to his hand Harrison discarded the top two cards of his deck. "These cards are useful, but not that great. So I'll activate my set card, Mirror Flash! This reveals the top card of your deck, and I can choose to replace it or place it at the bottom of your deck."

Harrison picked up it up and showed it to Renzoku, who stared at it for a few seconds before deciding. "Place it at the bottom of your deck; I don't want to see that again this duel."

Before placing it at the bottom of his deck Harrison looked at the card and stopped when he saw what it was. _'Avenger of Fallen Souls...'_

"Now that I've gotten that out of the way I'll just set one card face down and summon Reflective Zombie(1300/0). Whenever either of us special summons a monster he lets me draw one card." The monster was just a rotted corpse with bits of mirror sticking out of its flesh at random places, giving it a disfigured look.

"My turn is over, and your swords are gone. Next turn I'll finish you off, or in a few more turns Mirror of Pain will. Either way you're too weak to beat me, let alone to make it to the next room! Who would have thought that the Dark Prince was such a weakling?" Harrison's eyes widened at that remark and then narrowed to mere lines, his body shaking.

_'Weak…he calls me weak when I know for certain that I am stronger than he is. Yet here I am, faltering at this minor obstacle. Mother…father….how can I be an avenger if I cannot even surpass such a pathetic barrier?'_ He placed two fingers on the top card of his deck and glared at Renzoku.

"Weak you say? Strong…I am strong, for I am an avenger! I will grow stronger and stronger and stronger; I must continue to grow stronger! I will surpass every obstacle that stands in my way in order to gain my vengeance, in order to prove worthy as an avenger! Let me show you the strength that being an avenger grants me!" He drew and instantly the purple fog flared out around them, whipping into a frenzy.

Renzoku jerked his head from side to side, staring in horror at the way the purple fog was acting. "What in the world is going on?"

"You wanted to know why I was here, why I am trying to save Mizuki. What possible reason could I, who doesn't even like Mizuki, have for coming to her aid?" The fog of darkness spun around them like a cyclone, reaching their mid-waist and Renzoku realized that the darkness was spinning out of his control.

Without stopping Harrison slammed his drawn card into his duel disk, tossing another card from his hand into the grave. "Double Spell lets me discard a magic card to copy the effect of one magic card in your grave. I choose Monster Reborn!"

The form of Legendary Demon Slayer Dante(1500/1200) formed on the field, looking as cocky as ever. But he also looked quite serious and determined, reflecting his master. "My reason for coming here, my reason for fighting my way through someone like you, is that Mizuki has potential. The potential to push me to my limits, to make me surpass them and grow stronger! And I will use any means necessary to grow stronger, even her!"

A card popped out of his deck and he held it up in front of him, showing Renzoku that it was crackling with purple lightning. "This card sleeps in my deck, always ready to be unleashed. A card cursed with darkness, born from the flesh of a demon, its power in a Darkness Game is beyond what you could imagine! A weapon of living flesh, of pure evil!"

Without looking at them he tucked two of his other cards into his graveyard, leaving him with just one card in hand besides the crackling dark card. "A weapon so powerful it requires that I discard two equips in order to activate it!"

Finally he slammed the card into his duel disk and his eyes lit up red. Shiro, Sanzo, and Renzoku all stared at him as purple lightning crackled all around his body. "Prepare to be annihilated!"

Dante grabbed his right arm, grimacing in pain as the veins on that arm began to bulge and bubble. Black marks formed on it, growing outwards. He screamed as huge black tendrils leapt from his arm and began to wrap around it, taking the shape of what looked like an angular black skull with red eyes and spiked fins on top. "Prepare to face your worst nightmare Renzoku!"

The red eyes lit up and Dante suddenly leveled it at Reflective Zombie, his attack meter shooting upwards all the way to three thousand. "Devil Cannon Nightmare Beta is perhaps the most dangerous weapon in my deck as it grants Dante fifteen hundred attack points. And he's directing them at Reflective Zombie!"

A huge ray of red energy erupted from the tip of the cannon, firing straight at the zombie. Renzoku freaked out and activated his set card. "Open set card, Negate Attack!"

The blast rippled against the negative force, but Harrison wasn't going to be stopped. He slammed his last card into his duel disk. "Renewed Efforts activates when a monster has its attack negated and lets that monster attack again, its attack strength increased by one thousand!"

The negative force faded as the immensely powerful beam of red light grew in strength and struck the Reflective Zombie, vaporizing it instantly. Renzoku was nearly blown off his feet by the force. "What incredible power!" (RLP: 4000)

Harrison sneered, his eyes still flaring and purple lightning still flaring around him. "That's not all, Nightmare Beta also allows Dante to attack every monster you have in play! Annihilate Mirror Golem!"

Nightmare Beta's heavy beam of energy swept to the right, catching Mirror Golem in the chest and incinerating it in mere seconds. Renzoku was forced nearly to the edge of the ring by the power. "No…" (RLP: 1900)

"Nightmare Beta, now annihilate Copycat Vergil!" The attack turned on the clone of Dante's elder brother. He tried to raise his sword to defend but it was melted in the path of the attack and he too was blown away. (RLP: 1500)

All of a sudden Dante's face turned dark and a red aura sprang up around him. His muscles also rippled and grew as power flowed out of his body. "When he's destroyed three monsters in battle Dante's devil blood gains power, and he Devil Triggers! In this state he gains an additional one thousand attack and defense points!"

Renzoku's eyes were as wide as they could go as the beam of red light grew in size yet again and swung towards Vergil. It hit the demon swordsman head on and punched through his head, not even stopping long enough to vaporize him. Instead the attack barreled on and hit Renzoku in the chest. The Obelisk Blue screamed in pain.

The beam sent him flying through the air and then slammed him into the bottom of the seating. His head crashed against the metal and then it drooped as he was knocked out. Harrison sneered as the beam of red light crackled and faded. "And you were my obstacle? Pathetic." (RLP: 0)

Slowly the purple lightning around Harrison's body faded as the Darkness Game came to an end. The door at the far end swung open, making way for them to continue. Harrison fell to his knees, breathing heavily. "For my Punishment Game…I'll imbue the darkest part of your soul into one of my weapons, just as before."

Renzoku's limp body twitched from its prone position as a wisp of black wind exited his mouth and floated over to Harrison, who held out a card. The dark wind flowed into his card and then was gone. "I win again."

Without speaking a word he returned to his feet and shuffled his deck back together, including the card that had just absorbed the darkness. Then he began walking towards the door. He paused only long enough to shoot a glare over his shoulder. "Are you coming or not? You were going to deal with the next one if I remember right."

Shiro stared blankly at Harrison, and then blurted out what he had been thinking. "What the hell was that crap? How did you do that? What are you?"

Harrison stared at Shiro for a moment, and then answered as he turned around and walked through the door. "That was power, and I did it by being strong. As for what I am, I think that should be obvious."

"I am an avenger."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: I am seriously on a role here, that's all I've got to say.

_Next Time: Although he's the only one remaining to duel it feels right for Shiro to have made it this far. His moment of triumph however is shattered when he stands face to face with his next foe, a dangerous opponent who he isn't sure he can beat. Even so Shiro will throw everything he has into this duel and he's willing to place a bet on himself!_

_See it all in, His Bet; Wake Up Mizuki!_


	23. His Bet Wake Up Mizuki!

Author's Note: Shiro's turn to step up to bat.

**Chapter Twenty-Three: His Bet; Wake Up Mizuki!**

_Harrison sneered, his eyes still flaring and purple lightning still flaring around him. "That's not all, Nightmare Beta also allows Dante to attack every monster you have in play! Annihilate Mirror Golem!" _

_Nightmare Beta's heavy beam of energy swept to the right, catching Mirror Golem in the chest and incinerating it in mere seconds. Renzoku was forced nearly to the edge of the ring by the power. "No…" (RLP: 1900)_

_"Nightmare Beta, now annihilate Copycat Vergil!" The attack turned on the clone of Dante's elder brother. He tried to raise his sword to defend but it was melted in the path of the attack and he too was blown away. (RLP: 1500) _

_All of a sudden Dante's face turned dark and a red aura sprang up around him. His muscles also rippled and grew as power flowed out of his body. "When he's destroyed three monsters in battle Dante's devil blood gains power, and he Devil Triggers! In this state he gains an additional one thousand attack and defense points!"_

_Renzoku's eyes were as wide as they could go as the beam of red light grew in size yet again and swung towards Vergil. It hit the demon swordsman head on and punched through his head, not even stopping long enough to vaporize him. Instead the attack barreled on and hit Renzoku in the chest. The Obelisk Blue screamed in pain. _

_The beam sent him flying through the air and then slammed him into the bottom of the seating. His head crashed against the metal and then it drooped as he was knocked out. Harrison sneered as the beam of red light crackled and faded. "And you were my obstacle? Pathetic." (RLP: 0)_

_Slowly the purple lightning around Harrison's body faded as the Darkness Game came to an end. The door at the far end swung open, making way for them to continue. Harrison fell to his knees, breathing heavily. "For my Punishment Game…I'll imbue the darkest part of your soul into one of my weapons, just as before."_

_Renzoku's limp body twitched from its prone position as a wisp of black wind exited his mouth and floated over to Harrison, who held out a card. The dark wind flowed into his card and then was gone. "I win again." _

_Without speaking a word he returned to his feet and shuffled his deck back together, including the card that had just absorbed the darkness. Then he began walking towards the door. He paused only long enough to shoot a glare over his shoulder. "Are you coming or not? You were going to deal with the next one if I remember right."_

_Shiro stared blankly at Harrison, and then blurted out what he had been thinking. "What the hell was that crap? How did you do that? What are you?"_

_Harrison stared at Shiro for a moment, and then answered as he turned around and walked through the door. "That was power, and I did it by being strong. As for what I am, I think that should be obvious."_

_"I am an avenger."_

Shiro followed, helping Sanzo along. As he walked his heart was pounding in his chest, desperately trying not to think about what was going to happen. _'A Darkness Game…I'm about to duel in a Darkness Game…'_

But that wasn't it either. It was more than that. _'Look at who has been dueling so far. The top three duelists in the school and their duels were close. If that's how it is, can I actually win this duel?'_

Gulping he stepped past Harrison and passed off Sanzo to the older student. Then he took one big step and went up onto the arena floor. As soon as he was in place a spotlight fell down upon him, lighting him up. "Damn…so bright." (SLP: 4000)

One by one the lights in the arena lit up, revealing the room to be the biggest yet. But the thing that surprised Shiro the most was what the lights fell upon on the opposite side of the arena. "No…no way!"

Standing across from him, wearing a Ra Yellow blazer, was none other than Janice. She stared across the field at him and placed her deck into her duel disk. "Yes way. Do you think you're ready to face someone of my caliber and win?" (JLP: 4000)

Shiro felt his stomach churn at the sight of Janice standing in his way, prepared to face him in a Darkness Game. "So…you've gone over to helping out Tobias have you? Janice…why?"

The dark skinned girl drew five cards, not flinching under his stare. "Because this is what Tobias wanted. He told me to come and face you personally, to be the last one here since with my enhanced deck the strongest of those standing at Tobias' side…is me."

Shiro gritted his teeth, trying to push the anger down below the surface. "That's not an answer at all! You're Mizuki's roommate, why are you doing whatever Tobias wants?"

Again Janice refused to look away from him and met him stare for stare. "Because Tobias defeated me in a Darkness Game, and my punishment was to serve him for power. Now I have that power, and I'll demonstrate it by crushing you in a duel, and then the other two."

Grimacing the Osiris Red student drew his own opening hand, his hand shaking as he did so. _'She was strong before hand, not quite as strong as Mizuki, but strong enough. Mizuki said once that she figured Janice and I were at about the same level in dueling skill, but if her deck has improved I'm not sure how I'll handle it.'_

Suddenly something occurred to him. "Janice…what's happening to Mizuki right now? Is she at least okay? They aren't hurting her, are they?"

Janice finally flinched, looking down at the ground. Then she reached into her blazer and pulled out a remote. With one click a holographic display appeared in front of them. "Take a look yourself."

The projection was of the final arena, and to the trio's surprise the entire Paranormal Suppression Squad were lying around unconscious on the ground. Walking around them between the equipment and the bodies were students, and in the center of the room was Mizuki, strapped to a table. "Mizuki!"

They could only watch as Tobias sat next to the table, a laptop open on his lap. He typed away furiously at it, occasionally checking wires that seemed to be strapped to Mizuki. "Experimenting…he's experimenting on her! MIZUKI! Wake up!"

Sanzo stared at the image; unable to speak he was so shocked. From his position holding up the Hero Saint, Harrison frowned up at the projection. _'How sickening. I wanted the Xanadu Equation, but I wouldn't take it like this.'_

Shiro's hands shook and he looked down at them, simply staring blankly. Then he straightened up and stared across the field at Janice with his face filled with determination. Janice stepped back and the image vanished. "What…what's with that look?"

"This look, it's me determined to make a promise and keep it. I learned it from a favorite old show of mine, and it's called Nice Guy Rules. First up, you strike the Nice Guy pose!" He grinned and stuck his right arm out, giving her the thumbs up.

"Then you declare what you'll do, and what the results will be. You place a limit on yourself to make yourself work harder. And here's my promise that if I win this duel Mizuki will wake up and get out of there!" He grinned, and Sanzo stared in shock as Shiro's teeth glinted.

_'He…he managed the glint? Incredible…'_

Shiro's grin was maintained as he reached down to his duel disk and drew his top card. "And if I lose, I'll forever give up on Mizuki and move on! Now, let's duel!"

Keeping his grin on he took one of his cards and tossed it down onto his disk. "I'll start things off heavy with Action Warrior-Brawler(2000/800)!"

A muscular but handsome man in a karate gi jumped out of the card and did a flexing pose, smirking as he did so. "See that? It means Brawler is just as confident in victory as I am!"

"I'll throw in some back up for Brawler in the form of one face down card, and then I'll end my turn there, giving control to you. Do your best, Janice!" The black girl blinked and unsteadily drew her next card, not sure what to make of Shiro's attitude.

Harrison shook his head, the corner of his mouth almost curled up in a smile. "That idiot…he's enjoying such a tense situation as if it were a normal duel. He's the easiest going idiot drop-out I've ever met."

Sanzo truly did smile, enjoying the look on Shiro's face as he waited for Janice to make her move. "Yet honestly, that's Shiro's strength. He's a good duelist, but unlike us he doesn't get his strongest in moments of seriousness. He's only at his best if he's enjoying the duel."

As soon as Janice's turn started the dark fog rolled in around their feet, indicating that the Darkness Game had just begun.

Janice took a different card than the one she had drawn and tossed it down. "I know you were confident about your monster's strength, but in this case it just won't be enough. I start off with a brutal monster, Cyber Goblin(2300/0)!"

Shiro bit his lip as a group of small metallic goblins appeared on the field, all of them wielding crude weapons like metal clubs and metal planks with spikes sticking out. "Those look a bit too much like Goblin Attack Force."

"You're right; this is Goblin Attack Force after a cybernetic upgrade. And they're just as strong as ever, so they attack!" The cybernetic goblins charged in and mobbed Brawler, beating him brutally with their crude weapons until he was no more. (SLP: 3700)

Janice pointed to her monster and their eyes dulled, their bodies going limp. "These guys have a limited charge, so after they attack and damage calculation has been done they switch into defense mode."

Finally she selected two cards from her hand and slid them into her duel disk. "I'll place those two cards face down and end."

Shiro tugged at his deck and pulled the top card up and off of it, then held it up to his eyes. "As weak a defense as your monster has its easy prey for even my weakest monsters. And this is my perfect monster to capitalize over that weakness, my Action Warrior-Katana Master(1400/1000)!"

A kung fu uniform wearing monster wielding twin katanas did a front flip out of the holographic card and landed in front of Shiro. Then the movie star monster stood and struck a pose, one blade pointed threateningly at the sleeping machine goblins. "Action Warrior-Katana Master can attack twice a turn, so he'll use the first to slay Cyber Goblin!"

Katana Master jumped into the air and did a skydive down onto the cybernetic goblins, slashing his sword wildly and cutting each of them in half one by one. Finally the pieces collapsed onto the ground and there was nothing left. "Ha, and now Katana Master attacks again!"

Janice smirked darkly and one of her two set cards flipped up just as Katana Master began to level the second sword at her. "My first continuous trap card is called Cyber Production Line! Whenever a machine sub-type is destroyed I can special summon a monster of equal or lesser level from my deck to the field!"

Her field shimmered and then in place of the destroyed goblins there appeared a streamlined robotic looking fox. "This is Cyber Fox(1500/1400) and his introduction lets me show you the second card in my two card combo!"

The second of her two face down cards flipped up and then fluctuated. It changed from a card to a giant machine with what looked like a radar dish pointed at Shiro in just a few seconds. "This is my continuous trap card Cyber Summon Blaster. Whenever a machine is special summoned you take 300 damage!"

Shiro screamed as a ray of red light shot out of the radar and hit him head on. He shivered when the ray faded and then shook himself off. "That's an impressive combo…so I'll call back Katana Master and end." (SLP: 3400)

Janice drew and pointed at Katana Master immediately. "Let's cut down those life points of yours even further. Cyber Fox attacks your Katana Master!"

The mechanical fox lunged across the field and bit into Katana Master's throat. With one rip he destroyed the action warrior and damaged Shiro's life points. "The damage isn't much, but it's still there. Now I place one card down and end." (SLP: 3300)

As soon as Shiro registered the card he had drawn he slapped it onto his duel disk. "Your monster is tough, but not tough enough for this guy. Action Warrior-Gunner(1800/1000) come on out to play!"

Shiro's new monster wore a black trench coat and had a cocky smirk on his face. He reached into his trench coat and pulled out a pistol which he trained on the Cyber Fox. "Gunner, unload and take down Cyber Fox!"

Just as Shiro commanded the action warrior did, firing off his full clip into Cyber Fox. The monster shuddered under the gunfire and then was blown apart. Janice just laughed. "That was a risk you took in more ways than one. Before I get to use my combo I get to trigger Super Charge, which activates when a machine is attacked. It lets me draw twice!" (JLP: 3700)

She drew two cards, putting her up at five in hand even before the start of her next turn. "Next, Cyber Production Line special summons Cyber Berserker(1900/1500) into play!"

Her monster was a humanoid machine with extra long arms and claws, which glared at Shiro with red eyes. "And now, Cyber Summon Blaster hits you for three hundred damage!"

Once more Shiro was struck full force by the blast of red light from the towering machine, draining him down farther in life points. "It was risky, but it was something I had to do Janice. End turn!" (SLP: 3000)

The turned Ra Yellow girl flipped over one of the cards she was holding and Cyber Berserker started to crackle as if malfunctioning. "Cyber Substitute lets me tribute one machine sub-type on my field to summon another from my hand that has other special summon costs."

The berserker broke apart, only to reform together in the shape of a massive machine dragon with a tail that appeared to be set up as a laser. "Meet Cyber Laser Dragon(2400/1800)! More specifically Gunner meets Cyber Laser Dragon!"

Cyber Laser Dragon fired a beam of plasma from the tip of its tail, piercing through Action Warrior-Gunner and hitting Shiro in the side. He fell to one knee, grimacing in pain. "Nice hit Janice…" (SLP: 2400)

With a small but confident smile on her face Janice placed one of the two cards she had drawn from Super Charge into her duel disk. "I'll set that and finish there."

Shiro drew and then grinned at what he saw. "This has to be the perfect draw for the situation. A monster that can take out your Cyber Laser Dragon, my Action Warrior-Knife Flinger(1300/1600)!"

The gi wearing martial artist jumped out onto the field and immediately flicked his wrist, sending five small knives flying. The knives struck Cyber Laser Dragon and the machine monster exploded. "When summoned Knife Flinger lets me nuke one monster in play, so your Cyber Laser Dragon is a goner."

Janice snapped her fingers and the bulky metallic serpentine form of Cyber Laser Dragon was replaced by a similar but slimmer monster. "Did you forget my combo? Cyber Dragon(2100/1600) is summoned!" (SLP: 2100)

The Osiris Red frowned and slid one of his remaining cards into his duel disk. "I end my turn there."

Harrison stared stonily at the field, beginning to feel frustrated that he had given the duel to Shiro. _'That idiot is going to lose at this pace. He's completely outmatched here.'_

When he stopped considering Shiro's options he noticed that Janice had just placed a card onto her disk. "Proto Cyber Dragon(1100/600) is my next monster choice. While in play it counts as a Cyber Dragon. And speaking of which, the real thing attacks! Evolution Burst!"

Shiro threw up his arms in a meager defense as the attack of Cyber Dragon blew straight through his Knife Flinger, destroying it without even the slightest bit of effort. "Well that sucked…" (SLP: 1300)

The crude and weaker version of Cyber Dragon opened its mouth and sprayed out blue flames, ready to engulf Shiro. "Hold it right there, no direct attack for you! Scapegoat triggers, creating four goat tokens(0/0) in play!"

Four different colored sleeping goats appeared on the field, only for one to be instantly flash fried by Proto Cyber Dragon's attack. "You're running out of dodging room Shiro. This duel won't continue for much longer."

"Wanna bet? So far you've met four of my Action Warriors and now I'll let you meet a fifth one. This one is Action Warrior-Cyclist(1700/1300), and he'll demolish Proto Cyber Dragon!" The motorcyclist zoomed onto the field and crashed into the machine dragon, sending it flying to the ground. It hit and was blown apart. (JLP: 3100)

Janice's field flickered and a brand new Proto Cyber Dragon took the place of the old one. "Cyber Production Line gives me another, and then Cyber Summon Blaster hits you!"

Shiro flinched and nearly fell to one knee, the returning pain of the Cyber Summon Blaster really getting to him. "Damn…the things I do for a duel and for a girl…" (SLP: 1000)

The Ra Yellow student placed her drawn card onto her duel disk, which formed into a female cyborg, one half of her face human the other half machine. She was holding a black book in one hand. "Cyber Librarian(100/1500) in defense mode. Next, Cyber Dragon attacks Cyclist!"

The energy attack completely engulfed Cyclist and his motorcycle, consuming him. Shiro grimaced as his life points fell once again, leaving him with hardly anything to work with. "Your goats won't protect you much longer Shiro!" (SLP: 600)

Suddenly Shiro's grimace burst into a huge smile and Janice blinked in surprise at his reaction. "You've been dueling me for eleven turns now and you still haven't noticed the card I had set on my first turn?"

Janice turned her head and stared at the card which had been quiet and inactive the whole time that she had been working on burning away his life points. "Why just let it sit there if it was worth something?"

"Because it takes a bit of a wait, and that wait is now my reward! Recycling Cannon gains a counter whenever a monster on my field is sent to the cemetery, and it now has five. Upon activation it then blows up one card on the field per counter on it!" Janice gulped as a huge cannon made of junk parts formed and Shiro wrapped his arm around and put his finger on the trigger.

"Bang!" As soon as he pulled the trigger it sent a massive bolt of red energy out of it, which crashed into Janice's field and blew up, nearly hurling her off the arena.

The smoke faded, revealing her field to be completely clear except for her face down card. It was all she had managed to save since she had six cards in play and he could only destroy five. "That was really impressive, but I've still got the advantage. And now since Cyber Librarian was destroyed I get to add a permanent magic card to my hand, though it can't be activated this turn."

She reached for her deck and searched through it until she found the card she wanted. Then she placed it into her hand and gave Shiro a nod of the head. "End turn Shiro."

Shiro took a deep breath and then drew. As soon as he did Harrison and Sanzo both twitched, feeling a pulse. A change in the flow of Shiro's energy through the Darkness Game. _'Interesting…'_

"Alright, now I've got my groove going! Jar of Avarice activates, letting me shuffle five monsters from my cemetery into my deck in order to draw two cards!" He holds up the five monsters previously destroyed and shuffles them quickly into his deck. Then once he's finished he draws the top two cards of his deck.

Gripping one of the brand new drawn cards Shiro slams it into his duel disk. "Grave Life lets me send five monsters from my deck to the grave in order to gain two thousand life points." (SLP: 2600)

The next card came up almost instantly afterwards. "Since I don't want my grave to be bogged down with monsters I play Grave Reload, which lets me shuffle my cemetery and then add one card from it back into my deck. I pick Recycling Cannon."

"Now, I play Stage Select! This lets me shuffle up my opponent's deck and then place one card from my deck on top of it." He ran over to her and took her deck, then started shuffle as fast as he could. Once he was satisfied he plucked a card out of his deck and placed it on top.

"Here's an entirely new warrior for you, my Action Warrior-Flame Runner(1200/1000)! And he's going to attack your life points directly!" The monster, a man in black armor with a flame thrower in hand, smirked and sprayed flames all over Janice. She shrunk back, feeling her life points take a serious hit. The first for her for the duel. (JLP: 1900)

Shiro smirked and suddenly Flame Runner shot another smaller stream of fire at Janice from the flame thrower on his arm. "When Flame Runner does life point damage to you through battle he gets to deal you three hundred life points of effect damage." (JLP: 1600)

With nothing else to do Shiro took the final card in his hand and placed it behind Flame Runner. With a grin he tapped his nose with one finger, his eyes meeting Janice's. "The Nice Guy rules are getting closer to paying off, since I've got the lead now. End!"

"During your end phase I activate Cyber Xerox, copying Jar of Avarice to shuffle five monsters from my grave into my deck to draw two." Shiro frowned at seeing his shuffling job on her deck go to waste, but it wasn't that big a deal so he didn't complain.

Janice drew and then took a different card and placed it onto her field. "I activate the continuous magic card Cyber Blueprints. As long as it's active it can count as a Cyber Dragon for fusion."

Without another thought Janice flipped around one of the other cards she was holding. "Go magic card, Fleeting Fusion! This magic cards requires a double cost, the first is that I remove a magic card from my hand and a monster on my field. Cyber Blueprints counts as the monster, so my cost is fulfilled."

She tucked the continuous card and one other card from her hand into a pocket of her Ra Yellow blazer. "Next I get to special summon a fusion monster from my fusion deck who includes the removed monster as a component, though it returns to my fusion deck during the end phase."

Her field started glowing and Shiro gulped as the humongous three-headed form of one of Janice's mightiest monsters emerged. "Meet my all-powerful Cyber End Dragon(4000/2800)!

Shiro bit his bottom lip as the three heads charged up their powerful attack. "Cyber End Dragon, attack Flame Runner and vaporize him!"

"Not so fast, I activate Negate Attack!" The mechanical dragon's attack fizzled in the mouth, negated before it managed to make it far. Shiro flashed her a grin, knowing her super fusion would be gone in a turn.

"Don't be so cocky. I sacrifice Cyber End Dragon in order to summon Cyber Nuclear Dragon(4000/4000) in attack mode!" Shiro developed a tick in his left eye as the big three-headed dragon faded and was almost immediately replaced by a single headed Cyber Dragon with a massive missile sticking out of its back.

"Holy…now that thing is a beast!" Janice smirked and slid one of her remaining cards into her duel disk.

"I'm done for now Shiro. But be warned, when Cyber Nuclear Dragon is destroyed it takes everything in play with it and deals its attack points as damage to each of our life points. Which would make the duel a tie at this point." Shiro grimaced and drew, knowing full well what he was about to get.

The Osiris Red held his drawn card out and his cemetery began to spit cards out to him. "I activate the magic card Scrounging For Supplies, which lets me shuffle any number of cards from my cemetery into my deck. For every four shuffled I draw one card."

He held up twelve cards and proceeded to shuffle them up into his deck. Once he was finished with that he drew three times. _'Damn it…I drew Knife Flinger. But if I summon him now it'll end up as a tie.'_

"I set one card face down and one monster. Then I end my turn." As soon as he was finished a smirking Janice drew for her own turn.

"During my standby phase Treasure from the Different Dimension returns to my hand since it was out of play thanks to Fleeting Fusion. And when it returns to my hand it lets both players draw two cards." In unison both duelists drew once, and then a second time.

"I'll follow that up by playing Time Fusion! By removing one card from my hand, namely Treasure from the Different Dimension, I can special summon a fusion monster from my cemetery to the field during my next turn." Without losing her momentum she placed one of her other cards into her duel disk.

"I play Emergency Provisions, sacrificing my face down Wonder Garage to gain a thousand life points. And when Wonder Garage goes to the cemetery from the field I get to special summon a level four or lower machine from my hand." Casually she placed a card from her hand onto her disk. Instantly a mechanical looking demon with wings appeared. (JLP: 2600)

"Cyber Demon(1000/2000) is my special summon, but he'll be gone in just a second since I sacrifice him to normal summon Cyber Dragon(2100/1600) to the field!" The demon was quickly replaced by the serpentine machine dragon, which twisted its body so that its head was facing Shiro's Flame Runner.

Janice pointed to Flame Runner and the Cyber Dragon began to spray blue flame from its jaws. "Evolution Burst!"

Shiro smirked and snapped his fingers, causing his set card to flip up. "I activate my trap card, Riryoku Reversal! This increases the attack of my monster by half the attack of yours!"

Suddenly Flame Runner's power shot up to twenty-three fifty, which was barely higher than Cyber Dragon's. Yet still the flames that Flame Runner shot out was enough to burn away Cyber Dragon. "Oh yeah! And you take three hundred damage from Flame Runner's effect!" (JLP: 2050)

Janice frowned and waved her hand, looking irritated. "End turn."

Shiro drew and frowned at his hand again. "I set a monster and another magic or trap card. Then I guess I'll shift Flame Runner into defense and end."

Once Janice started up her turn her magic card Treasure from the Different Dimension returned to her hand. "Time for us both to draw two cards, and for me to special summon Cyber End Dragon(4000/2800) back into play."

Her three-headed machine fusion emerged, roaring and matching itself up against Cyber Nuclear Dragon. "Cyber End Dragon, attack and destroy Flame Runner!"

It unleashed hell upon the action warrior, completely and utterly destroying him. However when the light faded Shiro was covered by a glowing barrier. "I'm sure you recognize Spirit Barrier, which protects my life points as long as I've got monsters in play."

"You're right; I recognize it and reject it! Go, Defusion! Since only two of its fusion components are in the grave I special summon them out. And then, both Cyber Dragons attack your set monsters!" A double blast of Evolution Burst struck Shiro's two defense monsters, blowing their card representations apart.

"Moving on to my second main phase I play Complete the Trinity, which works when I have two monsters of the same name in play. I get to special summon the third into play." Forming next to the other two machine dragons was the third of the set, giving Janice a heavy fighting force of four powerful monsters. Of course her Cyber Nuclear Dragon couldn't attack, but it was still deadly.

Shiro drew and then blinked at the card. He looked at it, then at another card in his hand. Then he started to snicker. "Oh, this is gonna be totally badass! First I set a monster…"

The holographic representation appeared. "Next I activate Mass Driver, which gives me the ability to sacrifice monsters in order to inflict four hundred damage to my opponent's life points."

Still grinning like a maniac Shiro played his next card for his combo. "Now to complete my bitchin ass combo I play Soul Exchange, which lets me use your monsters for tributes. In other words, say goodbye to your four monsters and my one for a grand total of two thousand damage!"

As a wave of pure power came sweeping towards Janice she reached for her duel disk and triggered her set card. "Go trap, Damage Paralyzer! This negates effect damage to me for this turn and lets me draw one card!"

Shiro grimaced at seeing his combo shot down like that. "Well, I still managed to beat your monsters and your big nuke dragon. So I'll call it a satisfying turn and end it with a facedown."

Janice took a deep breath, feeling weary from the intensity of the duel. _'What is this? At first I was having a definite advantage, but ever since that one turn he's been playing even with me and the duel could go either way. Is it really because of his 'Nice Guy Rules' or whatever?'_

She drew and saw what it was. _'Power Bond…one of the key cards that Tobias gave to me. Tobias…who makes me duel for him. I accept that I have no choice, but I also accept that I really did want the power. But I'm dueling for him for power and because of a punishment but…how is Shiro this strong on his own?'_

With renewed vigor she held up two of the cards she was holding, one from Damage Paralyzer and the other for this turn. "I play Power Bond, and in order for it to work I play Cybernetic Fusion Support! This magic card costs half my life points, but lets me remove machines from my cemetery for a fusion." (JLP: 1025)

In mere seconds the towering form of Cyber End Dragon reformed, this time looking even more dominating over a nearly empty field. "This time you have no monsters to protect you, and Power Bond doubles the attack power of Cyber End Dragon. So, Genocide Evolution Burst!"

The huge dragon sprayed out a ten foot wide stream of pure energy, hoping to engulf Shiro. Even Harrison seemed slightly nervous as the powerful attack rolled right over the duelist. _'Did he lose?'_

The light faded bit by bit, revealing a grinning Shiro. "All you scorched was a big dummy, because I got to use my trap card Bait and Switch. It lets me sacrifice a card from my field to negate an attack and then when it goes to the grave it gets shuffled into my deck. I sacrificed it."

Janice frowned, frustrated at having her attack halted once again. "I summon Cyber Giraffe(300/800) and then sacrifice it, reducing all damage to my life points this turn to zero. Then I'm done."

_'This is getting ridiculous. He's fending me off again and again, yet I should be the clear winner here! I'm already a higher dorm than he is, and now I've got the assistance of Tobias to help me out. And it's a Darkness Game where only I'm affected. So how is he holding me off?'_

"I set a monster in defense mode. That's all I've got on my end Janice, so I guess its back to you." Janice nodded, drawing for her turn.

Barely biting back a snarl she snapped her fingers and instantly Cyber End Dragon launched its attack and flash fried the set monster. However, because of Spirit Barrier her dragon's trample ability was a moot point. "Since he destroyed a monster I get to play Evolution Shockwave, which deals the slain monster's attack as damage to your life points!"

A heavy shockwave erupted from the area of impact, forcing Shiro backwards. He squinted, dust flying all around him as his life points were drained. "Nice shot…that was my Action Warrior-Brawler(2000/800) as well." (SLP: 600)

Shiro drew and then began to grin again. He winked at Janice and then gave both Sanzo and Harrison a thumbs up. "This duel is about to go out with a bang, because in this case the Nice Guy is gonna finish it up!"

Harrison sighed and shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "He's really just nothing but a big idiot, isn't he?"

Sanzo smiled, used to Harrison's attitude about other people. "Maybe he is…or maybe he's a real hero even if he doesn't know it yet."

The Osiris Red smirked and flipped around one of the cards he was holding. "Graceful Charity lets me draw three cards as long as I discard two. But hey, I'm just looking for the discard."

He drew fast and then deposited two of the drawn cards into his graveyard. "Janice, you've played a good game, but you're in between me and Mizuki, and she's just way too cute to have something bad happen to her. And you know what…I'm not the kind of guy who would idly sit by and do nothing anyways."

As soon as he placed one of his cards onto his disk a man in a martial arts outfit appeared, moving terribly slowing onto the field. "Action Warrior-Slow Mo.(1600/1400) is going to end this the nice guy way, with a big flashy show that makes us look good!"

He proceeded to slam his next card into his duel disk, and Slow Mo. began to blur across the field, only it seemed as if he was now going fast, since everything was moving slowly. "Let me show you how, with Action Stunt-Bullet Time! This lets Slow Mo. during this turn take no battle damage, but instead drain his attack from a monster!"

Slow Mo. struck Cyber End Dragon with a stop motion punch and its attack began dropping until it reached sixty-four hundred. Janice just stared. "Well, that's effective I guess, but it'd take you three more turns at this rate just to put them at even points. How does this help?"

"It helps thanks to my next card, Reload Cannon! During this turn one monster on my field gets to attack one extra time for every two cards in my grave I can shuffle back into my deck. And let's start with two!" He picked up the top two cards of his grave and returned them to his deck. Then Slow Mo. punched Cyber End Dragon again, draining its attack points to forty-eight hundred.

Another two cards slid out of his cemetery and he put them into his deck. "Yet again, here goes the attack!"

The third attack dropped Cyber End Dragon to a nearly manageable thirty-two hundred attack points, although that was still higher than most monsters. Janice just stared at the combat with her eyes as wide as they would go. "No way…"

"I shuffle up two more cards again, and then attack!" This attack punched Cyber End Dragon to sixteen hundred, putting it even with Slow Mo., just as Janice had mentioned.

"You said three turns, well this is just one and that's all the way!" He picked up two more cards, leaving him with three more cards in his cemetery. But that attack succeeded in dropping Cyber End Dragon to zero attack points.

Janice couldn't do anything but stare as Action Warrior-Slow Mo. jumped straight up into the air, performing a slow motion jump kick to Cyber End Dragon's head. Shiro just grinned like an idiot. "Mizuki's about to wake up! I shuffle the last two cards I can into my deck and attack one final time! This is the coup de grace!"

As soon as Slow Mo.'s kick made contact the dragon exploded, the detonation knocked Janice flat on her back and nearly hurling Shiro out of the arena. Janice stared up at the ceiling for a moment, and then felt her consciousness slip away. Her last thoughts before passing out were simple. _'That guy has potential…'_

When the Darkness Game faded Shiro fell to his hands and knees, grinning even while he tried to gain back the breath that the game had taken from him. "Janice…for my Punishment Game…how's about you give me advice on getting Mizuki when I ask, okay?"

Even though there was no response, he knew she'd be held to it. He tilted his head up to look as the final door slid open. "Come on guys, just through there we can get Mizuki back. And if anything, she's gonna wake up thanks to those Nice Guy Rules."

Within the final room a pair of fiery green eyes snapped open. At that very moment the lights throughout the entire building flickered and then went out, plunging it all into darkness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: The roll continues!

_Next Time: Awakened at last to the world around her, Mizuki demands answers of the only person capable of giving her them. Tobias is her target and the arrogant boy genius seems assured of victory, despite his previous defeat at Mizuki's hands. Can Mizuki win, or will Tobias gain what he wants in the form of the mysterious Xanadu Equation?_

_See it all in, Her Bet; Xanadu Equation!_


	24. Her Bet Xanadu Equation!

Author's Note: It's time at last! Mizuki versus Tobias once again!

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Her Bet; Xanadu Equation!**

Tobias jumped to his feet in surprise, nearly knocking his laptop to the ground as the room was plunged into darkness. Even all of the computers went off at the same time. "Somebody check the circuit breakers, I want this operation back up and running! Those idiots just broke through Janice, so I want to be ready for them!"

"What idiots?" Tobias' eyes widened and he turned towards the table where the voice had come from. He recognized that distinctive voice, only this time it had a slight edge to it, the edge of a rare anger.

"M…Mizuki! You're awake?" He fumbled for his pocket, trying so far unsuccessfully to find something. In the darkness it was much more difficult.

"That's right, I am. And I want some answers Tobias, like what's happened to me and what you're doing here. Why was I strapped down like that?" Tobias gulped, feeling fear for the first time since he had gotten his Shangri La Projector up and running. He could feel Mizuki standing close, but he couldn't tell where she was.

"Oh…you were arrested and shocked unconscious by the Paranormal Suppression Squad. I and a few other students just succeeded in breaking in and taking out the squad. We were just about to release you when the lights went out and you woke up." Mizuki snorted and he felt a cool dainty hand placed on his chest. He shivered, feeling as if he was growing colder.

The room flickered and the lights came on, revealing Mizuki to be standing less than a foot away from him, her hand on his chest. Her Ra Yellow blazer was lying a few feet away, and she was dressed merely in her skirt and a black tank top. But most of all the thing that Tobias noticed was how intense her green eyes seemed. "You can't lie to me Tobias. I don't know why, but I know that it's not true at all. Maybe it's because I remember that you're to blame for me being arrested."

She paused and glanced down at the hand that was on his chest. Her face was calm as she stared at her hand, but she seemed different. "Or maybe it's the feeling that I've had going through me since I woke up just a minute ago. I feel…powerful."

Tobias' eyes lit up as he finally found the object he had been searching for and jammed the button. "Set it for full power now!"

The room was filled with a heavy humming and just as Shiro, Sanzo, and Harrison entered the arena the sphere not far away from the two duelists began to perform its job. A black dome expanded from it, engulfing the room and everyone in it. "Perfect, the Shangri La Projector is working at maximum capacity!"

He stumbled away from her, surprised that she didn't make a move to stop him as a he put distance between the two. She turned her head to calmly look over at the three that had entered the room and smiled slowly. "So you three came for me? I'm glad to know that you all care, though you surprise me Harrison."

The Dark Prince sneered and adjusted his glasses. "Don't let it go to your head Rising Star. I came for my own reasons, not out of concern for you."

Shiro grinned and pushed the Obelisk Blue out of the way, pointing a thumb at himself. "I came to rescue you though Mizuki! And I beat my way through four tough duelists to do it!"

Sanzo proceeded to punch him in the back of the head, knocking the other boy down. "Idiot, don't go taking credit for what our group did together!"

Mizuki smiled even brighter, looking a bit more like herself. "Thanks for coming for me guys, but I have to settle this here and now. I'm going to deal with Tobias, and find out why he did this to me."

Harrison frowned, casting his gaze over at Tobias. The genius boy glared at him, feeling almost betrayed that Harrison was helping when it was he who had first requested Harrison's aid. "Tobias is after the mythical Xanadu Equation, which only you know."

Mizuki's eyes narrowed as she turned her attention back to Tobias who had finally strapped a duel disk onto his arm and was proceeding to put his deck into it. "Is that the case Tobias? You want to know what all those scientists couldn't get from me. The truth about my father's will which everyone said contained the Xanadu Equation."

Tobias nodded, smirking as his duel disk turned on. "That's exactly right, and I've analyzed you enough to know that I can't just take the information from your brain like I would have hoped. But I did figure out that you have a very rare energy within you, like nothing I've ever seen before."

At these words Harrison focused in intently, just as curious as anyone else. _'Is that energy the reason for her bizarre reaction to that Darkness Game? Come to think of it, this is a Darkness Game so why hasn't she had that reaction yet?'_

"It turns out that this energy doesn't even exist on any records I could find, but it seems to warp Darkness Game energy. However it works, I don't know. But it has the potential from what I've seen to negate the effects of a Darkness Game on whoever has it, or to alter them." Mizuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes they were completely calm.

"In other words this rare energy within myself lets me bend the power of a Darkness Game to my will when it pertains to me, at least within limits. That feels right to me…and I think I'm confident in a duel with you, to determine what happens to the Xanadu Equation." She held out her hand and without even seeming to think about it her DD2, which had been sitting on a table across the room, flew over to her. She strapped it on, the deck already in place.

There was a cough and they all turned, finding Shiro holding up his arm. "Ummm…would someone mind explaining to the layman what the Xanadu Equation is?"

Tobias smirked and began to tap the top of his deck. "Darkness Games have Punishment Games which can be inflicted by the winner. It can do seemingly anything to the loser. How is that possible? How can a strange energy create a game with rules that forces the loser to do whatever the winner wants? Even strip them of their soul."

Shiro blinked and scratched the back of his head. "You know…I never thought about it. I always just assumed it was magic or something."

Tobias shook his head, looking almost manic as he thought about it. "No, not magic, that's merely an idiot's explanation. The strange and unique energy that powers Darkness Games has the ability to bend reality somehow, and is virtually unlimited. Meaning that is what the Xanadu Equation is!"

Shiro continued rubbing the back of his head, looking a bit sheepish. "Yeah…I still don't follow."

Mizuki smiled and activated her duel disk. "Don't worry Shiro, its simple. According to everyone who believes in it the Xanadu Equation was the last creation of my father before his death, an equation that could harness the power of a Darkness Game without the drawbacks. In other words, unlimited energy and the ability to force reality to bend to your will. A god equation capable of creating anything you wanted."

As soon as she finished explaining it Tobias let out a laugh and his duel disk hummed to life. "Yes, and that's why it's called the Xanadu Equation, after Kublai Khan's pleasure city of Xanadu. Whoever can utilize the equation can create everything they want and live in a paradise of their own creation. And that's why I want it!" (TLP: 4000)

Mizuki gave him a cool look as she too finished her preparations. "I'll make you a bet under the terms of the Darkness Game. If you win, I'll tell you everything you want to know about my father's will and what's contained within. If I win, then you stop coming after me for the Xanadu Equation for good. How's that for a deal?" (MLP: 4000)

Tobias smirked and drew his opening hand. "That's perfect, and just what I had in mind. Once I had come in here and gassed the squad unconscious I thought I had already succeeded, but all I learned is that the answers can only come from you. And I'm absolutely one hundred percent certain that I can beat you!"

Suddenly the darkness shifted and the bodies of everyone except the two of them turned grey. "Sorry Mizuki, but if we're going to be doing this then I won't let them interfere. They're still there, but they're out of tune with us now so they can't interact with you, though they can see us duel. Now, why don't you start us off?"

Mizuki drew her own opening hand and then a sixth card. She looked down at them and was about to make her move when Tobias made his. "I'm sorry; before we really get started I have a card to activate. The deck magic card, Ultimate Ante!"

Her eyes narrowed as she remembered Shiro's duel with Tobias during the day of the duel review. "So you're going to try and destroy my deck if you win, and risk your own? Does that mean this deck you're using is designed to beat just me?"

Tobias shook his head, looking amused and cocky. "Of course not, this is my true deck which is designed to crush any opponent. But I think the use of Ultimate Ante spices up a duel just as much as a Darkness Game, so adding it to a Darkness Game makes it even more interesting."

"That's fine, that just gives me even more reason to defeat you. So let me start us off by activating this quick-play magic card, Rune Symbol-Fehu! This lets me draw two cards!" She drew twice, putting her at seven cards in hand.

With her graceful fingers she placed her next two cards onto her duel disk, one going on top of the plate and other going into one of the slots at the back. "I summon Rune Fighter (1650/1200) and place a card face down."

Her monster was an attractive blonde man wearing white robes and with glowing gauntlets on his fists. "End turn."

Tobias drew and then smiled slyly. "Your monster is fairly tough, but not tough enough. I summon Elite Guard-Swordsman(1900/1100)."

A man wearing a royal blue uniform appeared, holding a straight sword in his right hand. He gave Tobias a brief bow and then turned to face Fighter. "I'm well aware of your Fighter's effect so I'll get rid of him right here and now and not worry about it later. Swordsman attacks!"

The guard charged forwards and slashed its sword through Fighter's middle, cleaving him in half. The two halves drifted away from each other for several seconds before bursting into pixels. "When Fighter is destroyed all damage to my life points for the turn is reduced to zero."

Tobias yawned, patting his right hand over his mouth. Mizuki narrowed her eyes, realizing just how fake the yawn was. "Oh please Mizuki, that's a stale move. Don't you have anything new for me?"

Mizuki suddenly smirked and pressed a button on her disk, causing her set card to flip. "As a matter of fact I do! Reveal trap card, Rune Curse-Degradation! This activates when a Rune monster is destroyed and discards cards from your deck equal to the level of the destroyed monster."

Tobias scowled and picked up the top four cards of his deck. After taking a good look at each of them he sent them to the grave. "Fine, you managed to burn away part of my deck. One card down and I end."

After taking a deep breath Mizuki reached for her deck and drew. Tobias flinched when he saw the Shangri La Projector shake as the shadows all around them wavered as if there was an intense heat in the air. _'Does her will really manifest itself this much in a Darkness Game? Incredible…'_

Smirking Mizuki threaded the drawn card through her fingers a few times, and then slammed it down onto her duel disk. "You want new tricks Tobias, and then this move will knock you for a loop! Rune Merchant (1000/1000) come out to play!"

Her newest monster wore the traditional white robes of a Rune monster, but it was pushing a cart filled to the top with junk in front of it. "Next up I play Rune Symbol-Sowilo! This is a bit different than Fehu, but just as useful. I draw one card and then gain five hundred life points." (MLP: 4500)

Tobias started to make a comment but was shocked out of it when Mizuki immediately slammed a card from her hand into her duel disk. "Don't think I'll let up there! Rune Symbol-Raidho lets me sacrifice Sowilo just before it resolves in order to let Rune Merchant attack directly this turn!"

The merchant reached into his pile of junk and pulled out a rusty sword. He made a swing with it and the end broke off and ended up flying across the field to hit Tobias in the arm. "Watch it you brat…I'll get tetanus!" (TLP: 3000)

Mizuki grinned and a card popped out of her cemetery. "Gee that'd be a shame wouldn't it? When Rune Merchant deals life point damage I get to pick up a Rune Symbol from the grave, so I get to pick up and play Rune Symbol-Fehu again!"

Tobias' frown deepened as she drew two new cards, effectively restoring her hand to its beginning size. _'She's a bit combo crazy this turn. Intense and powerful…I love it!'_

"Okay, looks like I'm all done for this turn. So I set one card face down and leave it at that." As soon as she declared the end of her turn the single face down card on Tobias' field began to flip up and reveal itself.

"Thank you, by dealing me a thousand damage you let me activate Damage Condenser. This trap card lets me special summon a monster from my deck with attack points equal to the amount of damage I received this turn." A card shot out of his deck and he placed it horizontally onto his duel plate.

His monster wore drab clothes with a mark on the left breast of his leather jerkin that showed a sword piercing through a snake. "This is Page of Fear (1000/1000) who I place in defense mode. And now, now it's my turn!"

Tobias pointed at his two monsters and they shattered. "I sacrifice both of my creatures in order to special summon Elite Guard-General (2400/2000)! This monster boosts all of my warriors by 600 points."

The General wore the same blue uniform as the first Elite Guard, the only difference being that he had a red coat over it, and had a bright and new sword in one hand and a shield in the other. His attack quickly rose to three thousand. "That's a bit low of a base attack for a level seven don't you think?"

"Maybe, but it has the same stats as another famous level seven, the infamous Red Eyes Black Dragon. You've had experience with it before I think." Mizuki grinned, remembering her battle with Ensui and his Red Eyes Black Dragon Deck. That had been one of her toughest duels.

"So, you going to attack or are you going to wimp out Tobias? Because all I have yet to be impressed. Why don't _you_ show _me_ something new for once?" Tobias snarled, barely able to hold back the anger he felt just seeing the smug look on her face.

"I'll show you! General, attack and destroy Rune Merchant!" The General raised his sword above his head and then slashed it down. From out of nowhere a hail of arrows came flying through the air. They pelted Rune Merchant, tearing him apart. (MLP: 2500)

Mizuki smirked and her own face down began to reveal itself, showing a purple border. "How about another new trick from myself? Rune Blessing-Rebirth! This activates when a Rune monster is destroyed, and special summons Rune monsters equal to half the level of my slain monster."

Rune Merchant and Rune Fighter both reappeared on her field, each one in a crouched position to defend themselves. "How'd you like that Tobias? Good enough for you? I hope so, because you're not doing so great on your own."

"Oh just shut up! General lets me add a warrior sub-type monster to my hand since he dealt damage. And now I activate Trap Well, which lets me add a trap from my deck to my hand though it can't be set or activated this turn." He searched through his deck for nearly a minute until he found the two cards he wanted. Then he shuffled and returned his deck to its holder.

Tobias then took one of his other cards and put it behind his General. "Even a deadly General needs defense, so I set a face down card and end."

Mizuki drew then her two monsters started to turn into motes of light. "I brought these two back in order to make them a sacrifice. So I offer them and summon Rune Paladin (2600/2400)!"

Different from other Rune monsters this attractive blonde man wore white armor rather than a robe, and had a mirror sheen sword in his right hand and a similar shield in his left. "And since Rune Paladin isn't quite strong enough yet I'll play Rune Symbol-Uruz, boosting his attack by one thousand."

Despite the sudden increase in power Tobias didn't seem all that worried. Mizuki filed that away and made her declaration. "Rune Paladin attacks Elite Guard-General!"

Rune Paladin made a sweeping motion across the ground with his sword and a wave of pure blue energy raced across the field. General tried to guard with his shield, but it cracked apart and then so did the General. "And Rune Paladin wins the fight." (TLP: 2400)

The boy genius reached for his deck and drew, looking quite cocky. "When General is destroyed I can draw one card for every warrior he's let me add to my hand. That's just one, but it is helpful."

"It won't help in the long run Tobias. I'll defend myself with a single face down card. Let's see if you can beat Rune Paladin." Tobias smirked and confidently drew again, putting his hand at six cards.

With a cursory glance over his hand Tobias seemed satisfied. "I'll play Graceful Charity. Don't make me bother to tell you its effect."

By the effect of his magic card he drew three times and then took two cards from his hand and placed them into his cemetery. "According to the effects of the two traps I discarded, one of which I searched for, I get to special summon a level four or lower monster from my deck to the field. One for each Luring Lantern LV4 that I discarded!"

Two cards slid out of his deck and he slammed them onto the field one after the other. Mizuki felt a strange twist in the darkness as the two monsters began to appear. "I can tell, you were hoping to summon these monsters. After all, you searched for Luring Lantern LV4 for just this purpose."

"That's right Mizuki, you're about to meet two of the three cornerstones of my deck! Considering with the Xanadu Equation I'll rule over any I like with the power of an oppressive king I find using these to be fitting and ironic. Come out my first monster, People Running About (600/600)!"

A mob of what looked like peasants appeared on the field and began to run around in a panic, screaming. Mizuki stared at them blankly, not quite sure what to make of it. "That's part of the cornerstone of your deck?"

"That's exactly right, and here's part two! Oppressed People (400/2000) also in attack mode!" The next large group of peasants wasn't panicked; instead they stood around and milled aimlessly, their heads to the ground.

Something about the situation didn't feel right, so Mizuki moved her hand to her duel disk, ready to activate her set card at a moment's notice. "Prepare yourself Mizuki, I'm already prepared! So you wanted something new, I'll show you. The third piece which I searched for with General. United Resistance (1000/400)!"

A third mob of peasants appeared, this group holding pitchforks above their heads and shouting angrily at Mizuki. She gulped, seeing how the three mobs seemed to be drawing energy from each other. "Something about this is familiar…"

"It should be, you're a genius after all. When people are oppressed, when people are panicked, and when they become united to resist corruption, what happens?" Mizuki gulped, suddenly feeling afraid. She recognized the sort of thing he was talking about.

"When those things are true, a revolution occurs." Tobias laughed as soon as he heard her say it, and he motioned to his set card which flipped face up.

"That's exactly right! When these three monsters are in play I can activate Huge Revolution! All cards on your field and in your hand are immediately obliterated!" Pitchforks and torches were passed amongst every member of the mob and they charged, pummeling Rune Paladin mercilessly as well as stomping Mizuki's set card into the ground.

The mob, still not quite satisfied, all turned their eyes on Mizuki. Tobias laughed darkly and raised his arms into the air and over his head. "That's right all of you! She's your oppressor, now attack her and beat her into the ground!"

The massive mob of peasants swarmed over her, striking at her with their crude weapons. She was completely engulfed by the press of bodies as they continued to bludgeon her. Tobias only smirked as he watched. "This is just about the end." (MLP: 500)

Feeling more satisfied the mob of monsters returned to Tobias' field, letting the dust fade and revealing Mizuki's face down form. Her sleeveless shirt was dusty and had a few tears in it, and she didn't seem to moving. "Even if you can stand up Mizuki you can't beat me. You think you can possibly top deck and fight back?"

Mizuki didn't seem to move, her body beaten too badly to let her stand. She was certainly unconscious; Tobias could see that her breathing was slower and shallower than it would have been if she were conscious. "Perfect, I'm sure the Darkness will declare me winner if you can't continue to duel."

Outside their range of vision, trapped unable to speak to the two duelists and forced only to watch were Harrison, Shiro, and Sanzo. And all three of them were worried. Even Harrison didn't like what he saw. _'That strike was powerful, but if she wasn't forcing the Darkness away from her it wouldn't have hurt her at all, just like when she dueled me in a Darkness Game. She's resisting the power as opposed to accepting it, and it's made her weaker.'_

Sanzo stared at her prone form and then jerked his head over to look at a laughing Tobias. _'Mizuki, you're a hero even if you don't know it. Only a hero would so willingly face someone like Tobias. And he's most certainly a villain, so I know that you can succeed and defeat him. The villain never wins!'_

Shiro also was staring at her, his hands shaking. _'Mizuki, you're one of the strongest and most amazing people I've ever met. You're a child prodigy who excels at everything she does, and a fantastic duelist to boot. I only wish that I could be half as good as you…'_

His hands balled up into fists and he opened his mouth. "Mizuki! Don't bow down to that freak! He's sending out monsters that are oppressed, and that's exactly what he does to others. You're not the oppressor, that's him! So beat him into the ground! And most of all…"

He remembered when they first met, when he first really began to know her. Seeing her at the river after his own prank had hurt her, seen her confused and unsure of what people wanted her to be. That was when he knew that she was special and didn't deserve to be hurt. "Most of all show him just like you show everyone else!"

Shiro pumped one fist into the air, grinning like a maniac. "Show him that you're not just a pretty face, not just a smart girl, that you're so much more! Show him that above all else, you're a strong person, a duelist who never backs down!"

He brought his hand back to his side and smiled gently at her fallen form, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "Show him that you're Mizuki Mitsuhiro, and you don't surrender. Nothing more, nothing less."

Mizuki's body twitched and she found herself remembering something as if it were still that time.

_"Face it Mizuki, you're talented but you're just not ready to face someone like me. After all, just look at the field and the scores. Not only do I have control over the field but I've also got a commanding lead in life points. You've only got a handful of life points left, whereas I've remained untouched all game long!" Mizuki's fists clenched tighter, and she could feel herself slipping towards that place of rage that any teenage girl had. But she knew she had to keep a cool head in a duel and not get distracted._

"_How do I become stronger in heart?"_

"_That's a matter for every duelist and person to discover on their own. Little one, although you have that weakness, I must admit that I enjoy our little duel. Perhaps next time we face each other, your strengthened heart will make me push harder, stretching us to our limits. To be in a duel where both duelist's hearts were fighting almost as much as their cards, that would be a true duel."_

_Mizuki lifted her head, and to her surprise her eyes met with the dark orbs that belonged to Vlad, who stood at the top of the stadium with his massive arms folded across his chest. He smiled warmly and gave her a brief nod of the head as if to say 'yes, that's right.'_

_Mizuki grinned and looked back at Harrison who appeared surprised at how she was smiling. "Maybe I haven't touched you yet, but I'm about to try something new. Let's see how well it works out. Rune Symbol-Fehu lets me draw twice!"_

_Harrison felt his blood run colder than before as she slipped one of her drawn cards into her duel disk and the field started to shake. "Rune Symbol-Tiwaz activates! At a cost of half my life points I can destroy all cards on the field!" (MLP: 200)_

_The crowd jumped to their feet as every single card in play was blown apart, leaving the field completely empty. And Mizuki was already slapping her remaining card down onto her duel disk. "Rune Berserker (2000/1200), attacks Harrison's life points directly!"_

_The muscular monster growled a challenge and charged at Harrison, clothes lining the teenager. Harrison hit the ground on his back hard, and clutched at his throat, coughing violently. 'That bitch she…actually struck me?' (HLP: 2000)_

_Mizuki smirked and flashed Harrison a victory sign for the second time in their duel. "Don't get overconfident yet Harrison, because this duel is just getting started! I'm not finished with you by a long shot!"_

Another memory began to flow through her head and in the darkness Tobias stared with horror as the raw darkness swirled around her prone body.

"_I guess…if that doesn't work, then I'll end my turn." Ensui sighed and slid the last Red Eyes Black Dragon out of his grave and placed it in his back pocket. It had been a good attempt, but it had failed. All three times._

_He drew, and then discarded his card immediately. "I can't kill you quite yet, but that's alright. Black Dragon King lets me discard Inferno Fire Blast to deal you half of the normal damage of the magic card. Inferno Fire Blast!"_

_A miniature jet of flames shot out of the large black dragon's nostril, scorching Mizuki's flesh. She struggled to keep from dropping to one knee, her body shaking with the effort of it. "Good…shot." (MLP: 200)_

"_Yes, and if I draw another then your time is up. Black Hell Flames!" For the third and potentially final time in the duel the flames of hell did away with Rune Caster, what was perhaps Mizuki's last chance of winning._

"_With your monster gone and you top decking this duel will be over shortly. There's no way you can stop my dragon king. Like I said, you don't want to suffer its direct attack; you'd be unconscious for the rest of the day easy. Go easy on yourself and surrender." Mizuki's head was tilted down, her body shaking from the pain of the Inferno Fire Blast, and Ensui didn't want to do more than that._

"_Hehehehe…I've just got to draw a monster to win, since your field is empty. Ensui, it's been fun, but you should know that if you harm a wielder of rune magic then you're bound to be cursed." Ensui's eyes widened as Mizuki's set card flipped over, revealing a trap._

_He gulped and looked at his duel disk, releasing his own mistake. 'She knew that Rune Layout wouldn't work…she wanted me to remove my Red Eyes to stop it! She was just getting rid of my dragon's negation ability for this card!'_

"_You've seen the mistake right? Well, here's the card that's your demise! Rune Curse-Death! When a Rune monster is destroyed in battle this card destroys the monster that did the killing, then it deals that monster's base attack as damage to your life points!" Ensui shouted in horror as his massive dragon was vaporized from the inside out, tossing him nearly off the dueling ring. (ELP: 1800)_

_Ensui looked at the Red Eyes Darkness Dragon in his hand, then at his blank field. Finally he looked over at Mizuki's blank field and empty hand. "I…I have no choice but to end my turn."_

_As Mizuki's fingertips came to rest on the top card of her deck, Ensui could feel his heart pounding in his chest. 'The chances of her drawing a monster, or even of drawing a monster strong enough are slim…there's nothing to worry about, right? I'm going back to Obelisk Blue!'_

_Mizuki drew. "Ensui, it's been a whole lot of fun facing you, and this has been by far the toughest duel I've fought the whole time I've been at Duelist Academy. But all good things must come to an end so…it's over. Rune Centurion (1800/1500) is the method of your defeat!"_

_A man in white armor with rune symbols etched into it was summoned, standing tall with a heavy sword in one hand and a bow slung over its shoulder. "Rune Centurion, finish it! Centurion Slash!"_

_The former Obelisk Blue took the blade that slashed across his chest with grace, not flinching even as it drove him back. Not letting himself break even as he could hear the sound of his life points dropping. "Mizuki…you're amazing. I never would have thought I could lose to a first year student or even to a Ra Yellow at all." (ELP: 0)_

_The holograms faded away, leaving the ring looking normal as ever. Both of them walked up to each other and shook hands, Mizuki smiling up at Ensui. "Like I said, it was a great duel. I learned a lot from it."_

****Everyone watching the duel could only stare in amazement as the darkness solidified as tentacles and pulled Mizuki to her feet. Her eyes opened and revealed the emerald green eyes to be wild and fiery, though now they reflected something more. "What…what is this?"

Mizuki's lips curled into a big grin and she placed two fingers on the top of her deck. "I'm back Tobias, and I feel fantastic! Now come on and end your turn so I can show you what a real duelist is capable of!"

The boy genius gulped and selected two of the cards in his hand then placed them into his duel disk. "E…end turn."

"Okay! I'll give you a taste of a real duelist's skill, and show you the gap of power and skill between us! Draw!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: I'm just having a lot of fun here.

_Next Time: With a sudden burst of power Mizuki resumes the duel, ready to prove that it is Tobias who is the oppressive king and begin a revolution of her own. The winner of the duel and the future of the Academy will now be decided!_

_See it all in, End of Quarantine!_


	25. End of Quarantine

Author's Note: Now for the conclusion to Mizuki versus Tobias! And a two chapter in one day kind of deal.

**Chapter Twenty-Five: End of Quarantine**

_Everyone watching the duel could only stare in amazement as the darkness solidified as tentacles and pulled Mizuki to her feet. Her eyes opened and revealed the emerald green eyes to be wild and fiery, though now they reflected something more. "What…what is this?"_

_Mizuki's lips curled into a big grin and she placed two fingers on the top of her deck. "I'm back Tobias, and I feel fantastic! Now come on and end your turn so I can show you what a real duelist is capable of!"_

_The boy genius gulped and selected two of the cards in his hand then placed them into his duel disk. "E…end turn."_

_"Okay! I'll give you a taste of a real duelist's skill, and show you the gap of power and skill between us! Draw!"_

The darkness swirled around her as she drew, and without a moment's hesitation she played her drawn card. "Magic card activate, Blank Rune! This magic card can be played with the effect of any Rune Symbol that has been successfully activated in this duel, so I'll use Fehu's effect to draw two cards!"

She slid two more cards off her deck, and then snapped up one of them. "Another magic card, this time it's Rune Chant! This card lets me pick up a Rune Symbol from the grave and add it to my hand, so here's my choice!"

A card popped out of her grave and she flipped it around, revealing it to be none other than the card she had just copied. "Rune Symbol-Fehu, so I draw two brand new cards!"

Tobias gulped, suddenly afraid of her as she burned through her cards and managed to restore her hand. "Impressive…"

"It's more than impressive. Now, I summon Rune Alchemist (1300/200) to the field!" Her newest white robed monster held beakers in his hands, each of which was glowing with a blue inner light.

"When Rune Alchemist is summoned I draw three cards, and for each Rune Symbol amongst them I gain five hundred life points." She drew once, twice, and then a third time. Smirking she spun them around to show them to Tobias.

"All three are Rune Symbols, so I gain fifteen hundred life points!" Light flowed from the three cards and into her duel disk, pumping her life points back up and undoing much of the damage she had previously taken. (MLP: 2000)

Mizuki then folded up two of the cards she had drawn and placed them into her cemetery. "After I've drawn the three just like Graceful Charity I have to pick two and discard them, but the two have to be from the drawn cards. So I'll just save this one and I'll be fine."

She grinned and turned her eyes towards the depressed looking group of peasants on Tobias' field. "Rune Alchemist, attack and destroy Oppressed People! Put them out of their misery!"

Tobias shook his head to refocus himself and then declared his response. "I chain your attack with my face down card, Torture Decree. This negates one attack on any servant of my kingdom and forces the opponent to discard one card off their deck for each level of the attacker."

Rune Alchemist lowered the bottle he had been prepared to throw at the miniature mob and then began to look depressed. Mizuki flashed him a smile and then counted three cards off her deck which she placed into the grave. "Got some decent cards from me Tobias, nice move."

"Yes, I suppose it was, but yours was just as impressive. Which leads me to wonder, where did you get this burst of energy? And why are you suddenly so happy? What the hell is wrong with you?" Mizuki closed her eyes for a moment, smiling brightly, and then she opened her eyes again.

"Oh it's not much, I just remembered that I've had tougher battles than against you, and though you've clearly improved and gotten a better deck I know I can beat you. And somehow…somehow I feel like I know that as a duelist I shouldn't lose to you, and I shouldn't get angry about it either. I don't like to duel angry." Tobias raised an eyebrow, feeling as if that was familiar. It sounded much like Shiro's stance on dueling.

"In other words I just accepted the fact that this is just a duel, no matter what the potential outcome is. So let's just enjoy this duel and forget about what comes after it until it's done. What do you say Tobias?" Tobias stared at her blankly and then burst out laughing.

"You'd either have to be an idiot or crazy to think that I'd forget about what's riding on this duel. I happen to know that you're no idiot, so it looks like you've lost a few bolts in that head of yours!" Mizuki sighed and shook her head, disappointed in Tobias.

"Fine, if that's the way you want to look at it I won't change your mind. But until you start just relaxing and enjoying the duel you'll never beat me. One card face down, then that's all." One card appeared behind Rune Alchemist, acting as a form of defense for her relatively weak monster.

Tobias drew from his deck harshly, looking fierce as he made his move. "I won't be beaten by some little girl who thinks she's better than me and likes to preach about how to duel! Duchess of Fire (1500/900) in attack mode!"

A beautiful red-haired woman wearing a flowing blue dress appeared on the field and offered a bow to both Mizuki and Tobias. "I hope you're ready to burn, because Duchess of Fire attacks Rune Alchemist!"

To Mizuki's surprise the woman opened up her mouth and then belched out a long stream of flame which headed straight for her alchemist. "Not so fast, my monsters don't go under to a bit of heat that easily. Rune Symbol-Tiwaz negates your attack and gives me your monster's attack points as life!"

A wall of archaic symbols appeared between the fire and alchemist. The wall of symbols absorbed the flame and then flew away, pouring into Mizuki's duel disk. "Heh, looks like you've helped me undo the damage your revolution caused." (MLP: 3500)

Tobias smirked and to Mizuki's surprise Duchess of Fire burped and a ball of fire shot out of her mouth. The fireball then flew and hit alchemist in the chest, incinerating him. "What the heck was that Tobias?"

"Oh that? That was Duchess of Fire's special ability. If she attacks she automatically destroys one monster in play after resolution. And that means your field is empty!" Mizuki gulped as the triple mob picked up their crude weapons and charged her.

They slammed their weapons into her, but to Tobias' surprise tendrils of darkness rose up around her and began blocking them. Then the tendrils whipped out and smacked the monsters away. "Looks like the darkness protects me Tobias, because I respect it and know that it's not necessarily a bad thing like people make it out to be. It just depends on how you view it." (MLP: 1500)

"You're preaching again Mizuki. Didn't you know there's a tax on preaching in my kingdom? Activate Decree of Taxation, giving me all life points you've lost this turn!" He laughed as his own life points soared; undoing all of the damage Mizuki had done to him so far. (TLP: 4400)

When it was obvious that there was nothing else to be done that turn, Tobias inserted one of his cards into his disk and then smirked at Mizuki. "My turn is over, and for all your preaching about relaxing making you able to beat me it seems I hold the lead."

Mizuki drew, choosing to ignore Tobias' comment. "Alright Tobias, I'm going to burn done that Duchess of yours in one clean stroke. Rune Symbol-Wunjo activates, special summoning Rune Berserker (2000/1200) to the field!"

The muscular blonde man with tattoos of runes all over his body took to the field, his muscles rippling. "I'll next activate Rune Symbol-Hagalaz which will destroy your face down trap card!"

Tobias motioned to the set card and it moved into a face-up position. "I'm afraid that's not possible, because my card is a continuous trap called Defend the People. As long as it is in play my three key monsters cannot be targeted and as long as they remain this card cannot be destroyed!"

"I see, it's the perfect defense for your three monster group, since I can't kill them without killing that trap and can't kill that trap without killing them. Pretty effective, but not without its flaws. For instance, I can still attack Duchess of Fire!" Rune Berserker ran forwards and slammed his fist into the Duchess' stomach, doubling her over. She coughed, and fire leapt from her lips and covered her, burning her to ash. (TLP: 3900)

Mizuki made a slashing motion with her hand, looking surprisingly confident in herself. "Turn End!"

Tobias drew and placed a card onto his duel disk. A man in a blue uniform wielding a large axe appeared and offered him a bow. The three monster groups cowered away from him. "Elite Guard-Axeman (1800/1500) is here."

He paused for effect and then glanced at his triple mob. "Of course in order to defend the people sacrifices must be made. So I offer my Axeman as a tribute to Defend the People in order to keep it in play."

The mob of peasants descended on him, literally ripping him limb from limb. Once their orgy of death was finished they planted his head on one of their pitchforks and screamed their triumph to the sky. "Looks like they're eager for another revolution. What do you think Mizuki?"

Mizuki shrugged, looking nonchalant about the whole thing. "I think you're a psychotic freak, but I'm not exactly a professional in that field. So hey, don't take my word for it. Seek a second opinion if you'd like."

"Ha! I like that about you Mizuki, you're willing to make a witty crack even when your livelihood and your deck is on the line. But no worries from me, I'm certain I'm not crazy. And if I was…." Again he paused for dramatic effect, smirking devilishly.

"Then the only one who'd have to worry about it would be you! Activate magic card, Trap Well! I'm sure from last time you remember its effect." Mizuki nodded and waited as Tobias sought out his chosen trap card, placed it into his hand, and then reshuffled.

"Although I can't set that card yet, I will set this card face down. Go ahead Mizuki, your time is running short. I can feel another revolution coming on, and so can my three monsters." Mizuki rolled her eyes, bored with his revolution jokes already.

"Tobias, you really have no sense of humor. Has anybody ever told you that before?" Tobias' left eye twitched at the comment, and she saw the corner of his lips curve upwards into a sneer.

"Yes…in fact I have. Now shut up and take your turn, I came to duel and get what I want, not carry out witty banter." Mizuki put a hand to her mouth and gasped in obviously fake surprise.

"Tobias, I'm sorry I didn't realize. I mean, I'd honestly love to have a battle of wits with you, but it appears obvious from your previous comments that you're unarmed." Tobias' eye continued to twitch, this time faster and more violently than before.

"W…what did you just say? Are you saying that I'm stupid! Is that what you're saying!" Mizuki grinned and lightly smacked the side of her head as if she had just remembered something.

"Oh I'm sorry again Tobias! I shouldn't be so open about those things. I forgot that you were sensitive about being an idiot. Honest mistake, really." Her opponent's right eye joined the left in twitching violently and now his hands were shaking.

"Nobody…nobody and I mean nobody calls Tobias Emerlo stupid! NOBODY!" Mizuki's grin broadened and she placed her hands on her hips. Then she flashed him a wink, catching him by surprise.

"Then I guess I should inform you that my real name isn't Mizuki, it's Nobody. Or at least it has to be from what you just said, doesn't it?" Tobias slammed his foot against the ground, his entire body shaking and his face red.

"This isn't The Odyssey! That kind of crap isn't funny here so shut up and take your turn! I was just going to get information from you, but now that you've insulted my intelligence I'll kill you once this duel is done! I'll kill you!" Mizuki's reaction was far from what he had expected. Instead of fear or anger, she burst out laughing.

"Sorry Tobias, but I have a hard time being impressed by incompetence. I mean, you made an entire deck designed to defeat Shiro and you couldn't manage it? All you managed was a tie when you had every advantage possible. Plus didn't I kick your butt at the beginning of the semester? Have you even won a single duel the whole year?" Tobias looked completely flummoxed, barely able to figure out how to respond.

Instead of his normal thought out answer, he replied rather clumsily. "I…I won a few! I beat Janice even, I beat all the people you saw working here in a Darkness Game! And most of them are Ra Yellow or Obelisk Blue!"

Mizuki rolled her eyes. "I can tell that's not true. You probably got most of them to work with you just by offering them rare cards to pump up their decks with. Or am I wrong?"

"N…not true! Err…well I did beat Janice!" Mizuki grinned and then drew to start her turn, finally ready to get back into the duel.

When she saw the card her eyes floated closed and she began to hum. "It is the eleventh turn, and now the time has come to divine your fortune and your fate. Are you prepared to know the future Tobias Emerlo?"

Tobias watched as seven cards appeared face down on her field, representing a seven card lay-out. "A seven card lay-out eh? That's impressive…if I wasn't prepared with a trap!"

Mizuki's eyes flew open as all of her cards burst into flame the moment Tobias' face down card activated. "I reveal Conflagration, which removes all cards in our cemeteries from the game the moment my opponent targets cards in the grave. Meaning your Rune Symbols are gone, and your Rune Lay-out fails!"

She frowned, surprise that he had managed to stop her Rune Lay-out from succeeding. "Still, I'm not out yet. I play Rune Symbol-Laguz, which lets me select up to three cards from my hand or deck and remove them from play."

After a quick search through her deck she found the cards she wanted and watched as they faded away. "During my standby phase I'll gain seven hundred life points for each one of them, making a total of twenty-one hundred."

With one last look at the last card in her hand she made her choice. "I end my turn."

Tobias drew and smirked at whatever he saw. "I'm sure by now you realize the trap I searched for with Trap Well, so I'll just set it face down and tell you ahead of time that it's Huge Revolution."

His card appeared face down behind his trio of monsters. "Now during my first main phase in order to keep Defend the People in play I must sacrifice a monster. So first I summon Sangan (1000/600)."

A furball with big eyes and clawed hands appeared on the field. "Then I sacrifice him as upkeep, getting to add a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points from my deck to my hand."

The mob ripped Sangan apart, leaving no trace but a little blood of the demonic furry. Then Tobias added a card to his hand from his deck, grinning the whole time. "Thanks to Sangan I'll be able to have upkeep for next turn. And of course since you can't activate traps the turn you set them, I end my turn."

Mizuki drew and let out a sigh of satisfaction as her body was suffused by light from the three cards she had removed from the game. "I gain twenty-one hundred life points thanks to Laguz." (MLP: 3600)

Without another thought on the matter she placed her drawn card into her duel disk. "Rune Symbol-Kenaz grants me twelve hundred life points, boosting me up even further." (MLP: 4800)

"That's all I can do for my turn, so I end."

Tobias smirked as he immediately after drawing slammed his selected monster onto his disk. A pale woman with a black dress on appeared. "Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1300) is my next offering to Defend the People!"

The witch became another victim of the violent mob, the third so far in the duel outside of Mizuki herself. "Of course when she goes from the field to the grave I get to add a monster with less than fifteen hundred defense to my hand."

He quickly chose his card, and then tapped a finger against his chin. "They've been getting blood, but I feel that it's not enough. They'll only be satisfied with lots of it, so it's time for another revolt. Go, Huge Revolution!"

The rabble rampaged over Mizuki's field, thrashing Rune Berserker and the single card in Mizuki's hand, leaving her field and hand completely blank and open to attack. "I'm ready for you Tobias, so let's do this."

"Ready for me are you? Let's find out shall we? People Running About, Oppressed People, and United Resistance all attack together!" The huge mob charged in, and once again even though they tried their best to beat Mizuki down with their weapons they couldn't hurt her thanks to the darkness.

"I may not have been able to inflict damage on your body, but the life point damage is all too real. You couldn't stop that now could you?" Mizuki frowned, knowing that he was right. But at least she still had life points left over. (MLP: 2800)

"I'm still holding in there, so this duel is far from done." Tobias sneered and plugged the card he had drawn that turn into his duel disk.

"Maybe you are, and maybe the duel isn't done yet, but I'll bring it closer to the end. Revolutionary Assault activates during the turn Huge Revolution has been played and gives my three monsters an additional attack!" Mizuki's eyes widened as far as they could go as the monsters mobbed her again, bludgeoning her with their weapons.

Once the three monsters drew back Mizuki shook herself off, feeling a bit depleted. Still, she was happy at the challenge. "This is a good duel; maybe you aren't as completely incompetent as I previously thought." (MLP: 800)

"That's right; I'll prove to you just how strong I am. Let's see you recover again like you did last time Mizuki. I'm going to crush you next turn, life point gain or no life point gain! Turn End!" Mizuki grinned and drew a card from her deck, her confidence never wavering.

As soon as she had drawn she started gaining life points. "Just like last turn I gain twenty-one hundred life points. Of course that's not enough to recover what I took last turn, but it's pretty good." (MLP: 2900)

Once her life points stopped rising she held up her drawn card. "Blank Rune activates, and this time I'll use it as Rune Symbol-Sowilo's effect to draw one card and gain five hundred life points." (MLP: 3400)

She drew once and then fire suddenly surrounded her and she gritted her teeth, the shadows barely holding it off. "At any point in time I can return the cards I removed from the game to my hand with Laguz. But I take one thousand damage for each one." (MLP: 400)

Now with four cards in hand Mizuki seemed even more confident and she was smiling brightly. "This is the last turn Tobias, the turn I've been planning for a little while now. I'll start off by playing Rune Symbol-Thurisaz to destroy United Resistance!"

Her card shattered as soon as it appeared and Tobias raised an eyebrow, looking a bit surprised. "Are you forgetful or something? Defend the People protects my three monsters from being targeted."

"Yep, I know, I just needed to activate Thurisaz. Next I play Rune Symbol-Perthro, which removes my draw phase for two turns and then on the third I draw four cards." Tobias narrowed his eyes, not quite sure what she was getting at.

"Third in the line is Rune Symbol-Berkano lets me special summon a monster from your cemetery to my field, so I choose Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode!" The evil fluffy critter dropped down onto her field and immediately curled into a defensive ball.

"Last but not least I activate Rune Symbol-Ansuz, which lets me view the top five cards of my deck and rearrange their order. You remember this card from our last duel don't you?" Tobias scowled as he did indeed recognize. Although last time she had used it to arrange his deck and the damage that resulted was enough to finish him off.

Suddenly he realized what was happening. But he was too late as Mizuki closed her eyes and started humming. Just as before seven cards appeared on her field face down. "No…another Rune Lay-Out!"

"That's right Tobias; the divination of your future is inevitable. And I'm here to divine the future of not just you, but your oppressive kingdom that you desire!" The first of them appeared, showing its form to Tobias.

"Laguz in standard position. A dream or an obsession is revealed, your desire for the Xanadu Equation." Next the second card moved into face-up position, and it too was in standard.

"Sowilo cannot be reversed, therefore it tells us that a time has come when someone has the chance to succeed and gain victory or power in life. It tells us that within this turn one of us will have what we want and become the winner of the duel." Tobias shivered, feeling afraid for himself. He never liked these readings, especially not when she did them.

"Thurisaz is in standard next, implying that there will be a cleansing fire. Thurisaz is telling us that someone's pain or suffering in this duel will be lost. But which of us is suffering and must be cleansed, that is the question isn't it?" Tobias gulped, his first thought going to himself as a plague upon Mizuki.

"Berkano is also in standard and it implies that a new beginning is here for us. Once one of us has been cleansed by the fire and gained victory a new opening will be available to us. Either freedom from your assaults, or the power of the Xanadu Equation." At this Tobias licked his lips, hoping desperately that it was the latter.

"Kenaz is reversed, telling us that one of the two us will be hurt by the victory of the other. Either my increased suffering at your hands, or your suffering by failing to achieve victory." Here again Tobias felt afraid, his thoughts shifting to what would happen if he failed to get what he wanted. He could be arrested or worse.

"Perthro is reversed as well. Thus one of us will become stagnate and unable to move on in life following the victory and cleansing of the other. Either you or I will suffer and stagnate when this duel ends. Which shall it be? One last piece of the fortune remains." Even though the two duelists couldn't see them, all the duelists watching were seeing it with baited breath.

Last but not least the final of the seven cards in the lay-out moved face up. It was the last Rune Symbol that she had played. "Ansuz is in standard. In standard position in this arrangement Ansuz mentions true vision. It tells us that the one with true vision will be the victor."

Mizuki's eyes snapped open and a bright burst of light moved to cover each of her seven cards. They then began to spin around her in a bright circle. "Fear for yourself Tobias, because this is the end! Ansuz has given us the answer to who will win, it is the one with true vision. And that person is me!"

He jerked back as red light covered his body, dropping him to his knees. "What is this?"

"First for this Rune Lay-Out we each must draw a card, and whoever has the highest level card takes damage. If it's a magic or trap it's considered to be level zero." Both of them drew at the same time and then held up their cards.

Tobias held up People Running About and Mizuki held up Rune Fencer. "Since I won the draw, you take five hundred damage for the total level of our drawn monsters!"

He screamed as the red aura around him constricted, dealing him damage and pushing him to his hands and knees. "Damn you…" (TLP: 900)

Suddenly a pair of dice appeared in the air, one black and the other white. The white floated above Mizuki's head and Tobias had the black one. "Now we each roll a die, and whoever wins gets a pick of two special effects."

Their die bounced across the ground, Tobias holding his breath as he watched. Mizuki on the other hand grinned and waited patiently until both came to a rest. "Looks like I've gotten a five and you've gotten a four. So I get to pick little Tobias."

One of the giant holographic cards spinning around Mizuki started glowing brighter than the others and shot a blast of light out of it, striking Tobias. "I get to pick any effect of the seven cards in the lay-out and use it. So I use Ansuz's merkstave effect to arrange the top of your deck."

Five cards flew off of Tobias' deck and into Mizuki's hands. She rearranged them and then sent them flying back to his deck. "Now what? Is that all?"

"Nope, that's not all. Now is the final part of this divination. The part where each of us draws three cards, and for each card of the same type we take five hundred damage. So if all three cards are different we take no damage, but if all three are the same we take fifteen hundred. Get it? First draw!" Tobias gulped, realizing that she had just sealed his fate even as they drew.

Tobias held up Prince of Blades, while Mizuki held up her continuous magic card Merkstave. "So far nothing, but that was just the first draw. Let's try again Tobias."

Again they drew at the same time. This time Mizuki held up Rune Centurion and Tobias held out Mirror Force. "One last go shall we Tobias? Draw!"

The moment he saw the border of the card Tobias understood, even though he had known since she explained the effect. Mizuki held up her card, grinning. "Rune Curse-Death is a trap, so I take no damage. What about you Tobias?"

Blankly he held up the card, looking terribly depressed. "The card I've drawn is Huge Revolution….a trap card. Which means I take one thousand damage…doesn't it?"

"Yes, and that means the truth of the vision was revealed! This duel is over, and you are the one who will suffer and stagnate while I will be cleansed and given a new beginning. This duel is over Tobias!" He slumped to the ground as the darkness faded his life points now nothing but a memory. (TLP: 0)

As soon as the Darkness Game ended Mizuki toppled over, sitting down hard on her butt. "Hoo boy am I exhausted! That right there was fun, but let's not do it again until I'm ready."

Tobias grimaced and held up a card, causing his duel disk to shudder. "Fold Your Hand activates from my deck when Ultimate Ante would destroy my deck. Ultimate Ante is negated but…the Punishment Game isn't."

Mizuki waved her hand at him as if shooing off a fly. "Yeah yeah, let's figure that stuff out later. Guys…I just want to sleep now and then we can deal with it."

Without another word she curled up into a ball and went to sleep.

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The sun crept up over the edge of Duelist Academy and shone down on the students as they went about their business for the day. It raced across the tree tops, taunted students at the beach, and headed towards its intended destination. It had a sleepy girl to wake up.

Mizuki Mitsuhiro rolled over when the sun shone into her room and pulled her pillow up to shield her eyes. "No…not right now sun, I'm sleepy. Come back tomorrow, or maybe tonight at the very least."

"I really don't think the sun is going to listen to you, let alone come out at night. Kind of a silly thought isn't it?" Mizuki bolted upright, dropping the pillow and searching for the source of the voice that she recognized to be Shiro. Seeing him and the others there with him she wrapped the sheet around her and pushed up against the wall.

"What the heck are all of you doing in my room? Heck…how did I get in my room and why am I here?" The entire group was there and they all grinned. Shiro, Sanzo, Vlad towering in the back, Enzeru, Aya, Kane, and even Harrison standing in the corner looking annoyed as usual. The only one missing was Janice, but that didn't surprise Mizuki.

Sanzo smiled gently at her. "Vlad carried you here once we got him into the room. We all figured that you'd be more comfortable sleeping in your own bed."

"What happened to Janice and Tobias? What happened to the Paranormal Suppression Squad? Are they at the door just waiting or something?" Again the group (sans Harrison) grinned at her.

Vlad grinned broadly and clapped a hand on Sanzo's back, nearly sending the handsome teen toppling over. "No little one, the Paranormal Suppression Squad was made to understand what had happened. Apparently Janice confessed that she initiated the Darkness Game at behest of Tobias. The two of them are in custody right now and all charges on you have been dropped."

Mizuki looked up at the big man, her eyes filled with worry. "What's going to happen to them?"

This time Enzeru spoke, looking happy that she was awake and safe. "Don't worry about it. Both of them are minors and a minor can only take minimal charges for a Darkness Game. Janice will go free because Tobias used a Punishment Game on her. Tobias will also probably get off Scott free for being a minor and for being an Emerlo."

Aya laughed and slung an arm around her brother's neck. "He's being nice. Tobias will get a punishment, but only from his parents. He was extradited to America for his trial, and those guys may go lenient on him but you can bet his parents won't be happy."

Kane flopped down on Janice's empty bed, looking supremely relaxed. "Well after all that hard work I'm just glad it's all done. No clue if that jerk will even come back, but he'd deserve it if he didn't."

Shiro narrowed his eyes at his best friend and proceeded to hurl a pillow at the other Osiris Red, knocking him flat on his back. "What hard work? All you did was help your siblings shut off the lights and cameras. We did the real work dueling those tough duelists!"

Sanzo rolled his eyes at Shiro. "This coming from the guy who tried to take credit for the whole thing, even though he only dueled one person."

Shiro immediately responded by grabbing another pillow and slinging it at the Hero Saint, who dodged and grabbed up another pillow. "I will defend myself Shiro, so watch out!"

Harrison finally spoke for the first time since Mizuki had woken up. "Humph, how completely immature. But that's to be expected from you two."

He closed his eyes and reached up to smugly adjust his glasses only in time to get a pillow straight to the face. He jerked backwards, his glasses askew and surprise evident in his eyes. "Who did that?"

Mizuki grinned and hefted her second pillow. "I did. Care to do something about it?"

Harrison huffed and returned his glasses to their appropriate position. "Don't be silly Rising Star. I'm above that sort of thing. I'm a Wilhelm; I don't stoop to pillow fights. I only came because Vlad insisted."

Immediately a second pillow hit him in the face, this one knocking his glasses clean off. Mizuki grinned and folded her hands behind her head, listening to everyone's laughter at the look on Harrison's face. "Awww, I didn't realize the Dark Prince of Duelist Academy was just a big softie. You cared the whole time didn't you?"

Harrison picked up his glasses and put them back on. Then he slung the pillow that had hit him at Mizuki, which she caught just before it hit her. "The Dark Prince is not a softie!"

Another pillow hit him, this time in the side of the head. He turned and glared at Shiro, who was now without a pillow and apparently pretending to be innocent. "Softie."

The Dark Prince reached for the first pillow that had hit him and so began Duelist Academy's deadliest battle yet. The Day of the Pillow Fight.

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Author's Note: Well, there was the conclusion. But four chapters remain before the end of the first year and the conclusion of the first season. But don't worry, after that there will be another season. I dedicate this second chapter of the day to Nick, who is proud to have been born today.

_Next Time: The school year is ending. It has been an exciting year, and a dangerous one. Friendships have been made and broken. Amazing duels have been fought. But none of that can change the fact that the Strongman of Duelist Academy is leaving, and his legacy must be taken up. A new Kaiser must be decided, and the two candidates will battle with everything they have to gain that title. Harrison versus Sanzo, the school's strongest students in battle!_

_See it all in, Roar! Battle of the Kaiser!_


	26. Roar! Battle of the Kaiser!

Author's Note: Now for the battle to begin! The battle for the title of Kaiser!

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Roar! Battle of the Kaiser!**

Sanzo took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. In all honesty he had known this day was coming ever since the start of the year. But now that it was here he found himself afraid. _'Right now we stand even, Harrison and I. Thirteen wins for me, thirteen wins for him. No ties.'_

They had been rivals since the start of their first year at the academy. He could still remember the first day they had met, the day their rivalry first began. _'We're matched well as rivals. The Hero Saint and the Dark Prince. Hero and Villain, always pushing each other to grow stronger.'_

_'Back then we knew that ultimately we would be rivals, before we even knew each other's names.'_

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_Sanzo flipped around the card he had drawn, grinning the whole while. "Polymerization activates, fusing Sparkman, Featherman, and Bubbleman into Elemental Hero Tempester (2800/2800)!"_

_His fusion hero moved out onto the field, his wings spread wide and his gun hand pointed at the proctor. "Tempester, attack and destroy Buster Blader!"_

_The hero raised his gun hand and fired off a shot, blowing away the blader. "Activate Defusion! And now, all three of my monsters attack you directly for game!"_

_Thrusting his hand into the air Sanzo gave the gathered students a victory sign, and jumped up, cheering his own success. "Yes, Duelist Academy here I come!"_

_Then he stopped dead, his eyes meeting the cold blues of a student wearing a solid blue blazer and black pants. The student sat in the bleachers and watched him over his glasses. They stared at each other, and then the Obelisk Blue student stood and walked away._

_Despite the brevity of the encounter, Sanzo knew instantly that the teen he saw there was someone who could push him to be his very best. "That guy…I can't wait to duel him."_

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Sanzo had been right, and their first duel had been spectacular. Although Sanzo lost, he had thoroughly enjoyed it. The next duel he lost again, but by the third time he managed to defeat Harrison.

Ever since then they had gone back and forth, finally settling at their currently even score. It was only by virtue of a few points that saw Sanzo standing as being ranked second out of all students over Harrison. _'It's been a while since we dueled, and I know that if we face each other both of us will have to be at our best. This will determine our destinies for our final year at the academy.'_

He looked down at his desk where two boxes sat, then looked at his deck. Slowly he reached for the white box, and then his hand strayed to the blue one. _'This is something I'm going to have to face. To become Kaiser, to show people that the Hero always triumphs…that's something I need to do. He can't win, I can't let him because he is the Dark Prince and I am the Hero Saint.'_

Finally he opened the blue box and clenched his fists. "Harrison, I will defeat you with all that I am!"

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Harrison leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling of his single room. Ever since the duel had been announced at the beginning of the week he had been calming himself. He was absolutely certain that his deck was ready, but he had to make sure he was. He had to be calm and in control. _'Sanzo is my challenge. I must defeat him to be prepared for my vengeance. I must defeat him and prove my strength, to become Kaiser!'_

He reached down for his deck and drew the first card. He held it up in front of his eyes, smirking when he saw what it was. _'Dante…you and I will crush all the opposition that is in our way. And next year…you will grow stronger than ever, all thanks to Industrial Illusions.'_

His eyes drifted shut, remembering those old days. Back when he was a young naïve boy. Back before tragedy had struck and set him on the path that he currently lived. _'Dante, you and I are all too similar. And using your power…I will make the devil himself cry tears of blood!'_

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The next day found Harrison and Sanzo back in the biggest arena the school had to offer, the same one that Mizuki and Tobias had dueled in. They were behind closed doors on opposite sides of the arena, and on the outside the stands were filled with students, all of them cheering wildly as the principal stepped up into the ring.

Standing next to the principal and towering over him was Vlad, who had his arms folded over his massive chest. "Ladies and gentleman, as you all know it grieves me to say that our resident Strongman will be departing after this year. We know he cannot be replaced, but a new strongest student must be chosen. Today one of our two other top duelists will be chosen to carry the title of the strongest of Duelist Academy. The title of Kaiser!"

Still smiling the principal held out the microphone. "I'll give this to Vlad in order to let him introduce the two duelists that will be in contest for becoming Kaiser. Thank you."

He stepped back and walked off the arena floor, letting Vlad stand center stage. Grinning from ear to ear Vlad swung his right arm out to that far door, and a spotlight fell on it. "I am proud to introduce a good friend of mine who always struggles for what is best and is one of the strongest and most honorable duelists I have had the pleasure of knowing. I bring you, The Hero Saint of Duelist Academy, Sanzo Uzumaki!"

The doors swung open, allowing Sanzo to walk through, smiling and waving up at the crowd. He was now wearing his Obelisk Blue blazer open, the long end swaying out behind him. When he reached the arena he jumped up and thrust his left arm into the air, duel disk flipping open. "Duelist Academy, I make this declaration! I will become Kaiser, for I am the hero!"

Everyone in the audience burst into applause, cheering their hearts out at their favorite student. No other person at the entire academy was more liked than Sanzo, and he knew it. Vlad grinned and swung his right arm towards his left, where another spotlight came up.

"Secondly it is with great pride that I bring you a duelist of extraordinary skill and power, who always strives to become stronger like every duelist should. He is a man who I call friend, but spelled c-o-m-r-a-d-e-i-n-a-r-m-s! The Dark Prince of Duelist Academy, Harrison Wilhelm the Third!"

Fog rolled in as Harrison's door opened, letting him stalk through, looking regal and deadly. The entire crowd gasped when they saw his outfit, which was far different from the normal Obelisk Blue uniform he wore. "Wow…he looks scary."

He wore knee high brown leather boots which strapped up just below the kneecap. Then his pants and shirt were either black or so dark a blue that it was impossible to tell the difference. Both pants and shirt blended together well enough to appear as one piece.

Worn over the shirt was a long light blue trench coat with a red inside. It had long sleeves which had buttons on the arms below the elbows and a little collar up around his throat. Lining the center of the coat on each side of where it would close together were white designs that looked like vines curling together. His hair was also slicked back, but most surprising was that he wasn't wearing his glasses. "Really scary…"

In his left hand he carried his royal blue duel disk, and they saw that he wore gloves over his hands, completing the look. Even Vlad gave him a strange look at the sight. Harrison responded by grabbing the duel disk with his right hand and then sliding it over his left wrist in one smooth motion. It flipped into on-mode just as he glared across the field at Sanzo. "I am the Dark Prince, and I will become Duelist Academy's Kaiser, because I am an avenger and because I am the strongest."

Sparks crackled between the two duelists eyes and Vlad took a few steps back, feeling the raw intensity between them. He knew that they had long been rivals, but he had never seen them get this heated up. "Well, for fear of my life I shall retreat from the arena and allow these two to duel."

As he got out of the arena and away from the crackling lightning between their eyes he idly wondered if there were fluorescent lights somewhere in the arena. _'I've heard such effects are common when there are fluorescent lights around.'_

Sanzo watched his rival carefully, feeling the intensity from him, knowing that he was going to be even deadlier than he would have been in a normal duel. But that was fine, because Sanzo was going to be as well. "Well Harrison, we meet again on the field of battle. And this time I'm going to win, no question because even if I call you friend, you are still my enemy. Because the hero must triumph over the villain." (SLP: 4000)

Harrison scowled and slammed his deck into place, starting up his disk. "You say such things all the time, spouting nonsensical fantasies that don't exist in the real world. If such a thing as heroes were real then my family would still be alive, but there are no heroes in this world. I have cast aside such childish notions that heroes will come and save the day and taken the matter into my own hands as an avenger. That is the only way that justice will be wrought in this corrupt world." (HLP: 4000)

"I never liked listening to how you deny the existence of heroes, so by defeating you in this duel I'll rise to the destiny of becoming Kaiser, and then I will prove to you that heroes exist! DUEL!" He drew six cards in a flash, meeting Harrison stare for stare.

"Do you intend to seek vengeance on the monster that took my family, or do you simply want to dress up in tights and spout meaningless speeches about justice? I have no time for such things, as I must grow stronger! I will show you that in this world only avengers exist! DUEL!" Just like Sanzo he drew, only he drew five cards.

Sanzo scanned his hand carefully and thought it through. He had to be at the top of his game to take on Harrison. _'This will make a good start.'_

"I summon Elemental Hero Featherman (1000/1000) in defense mode. Then I'll set up two cards and end my turn!" His green avian hero dropped down onto his field in a crouch right above his floating horizontal card. He wrapped his arms over his chest and then folded his wings. Seconds later two face down cards appeared behind him.

Harrison reached for his deck and drew harshly and after a look at the rest of his hand he slapped the drawn card down. "Demon Hunter Trish (1500/1000) comes out in attack mode, and is automatically equipped with Twin Pistols: Luce and Ombra!"

The blonde demon hunter did a deep bow as soon as she reached the field, her low cut outfit showing off quite a bit to both Sanzo and half of the audience. Many of the male students leaned forwards to take a good look. She smirked and stood back up, drawing out a black pistol and a white one. "Luce and Ombra raise her attack by five hundred."

Trish raised the pistols and aimed them at Featherman, who glanced up and watched her carefully. "Trish, execute Featherman!"

Instantly she pulled the triggers, firing off two bullets. They struck Featherman square in the head, knocking him onto his back. The instant he hit the ground he blew up into holographic pixels. "Such a hero is easily slain by my demon hunters Sanzo. Perhaps you should do better."

Sanzo smirked and using his left arm he pointed to his left set card. "Actually I wanted Featherman destroyed for two reasons. First off when an E-Hero is destroyed I can activate Hero's Dynamic Entry, which instantly goes to the grave. But as long as it's there whenever I special summon an E-Hero I draw one card."

Harrison raised an eyebrow, waiting for Sanzo to finish. He did when he pointed to remaining set card with the same hand. "Second reason is that there's always another hero to take up the cause. Your destruction triggered Hero Signal, which lets me special summon a level four or lower E-Hero from my deck!"

A spot on Sanzo's field shimmered and then a blue armored hero appeared, raising an arm with a jet on it into the air, a light blue cape fluttering out behind him. "Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200) when summoned to my field with no other cards on it lets me draw two cards from my deck. In addition I draw one card because he was special summoned!"

Sanzo reached for his deck and drew three times; completely restoring his hand of all cards he had played in the previous turn. Harrison frowned, realizing the advantage that Hero's Dynamic Entry gave Sanzo. _'If he fusion summons that's a special summon, so while normally using a fusion would reduce your hand, instead he retains at least a decent hand size. He's naïve, but an excellent strategist.'_

Seeing that there was little else he could do Harrison selected one card from his hand and slid it into his duel disk. "Turn End."

Sanzo drew and then held out two of his cards. "I begin by playing Fake Hero! This lets me special summon one monster from my hand to the field, though during my end phase it returns to my hand!"

He took the second of the cards and placed it onto the disk. It formed into a golden hero with a cape and horns. "Elemental Hero Edgeman (2600/1800) is my choice! And since he was special summoned I draw one card!"

Again he drew and he barely paused when he saw what he had drawn. "I play the magic card Polymerization! I'll fuse Elemental Hero Wildman (1500/1600) in my hand with my Bubbleman on the field!"

The two heroes jumped into the warp vortex and then jumped back out in a brand new form. This new fusion had Wildman's muscular body and ponytail, but had blue armor covering his arms and legs, as well as a pack on his back filled with water. "Meet Elemental Hero Wild Bubble (1700/1400). Now, draw!"

Another card left his deck, then a second to Harrison's surprise. "Once per turn Wild Bubble lets me draw a card and if it's a magic or trap card I can discard it to destroy a magic or trap card on your field. I've drawn Climax Hour, so I send it to the grave to activate his effect!"

Harrison's face down card was bombarded by bubbles and then destroyed, leaving only his Trish and her equip to defend Harrison. "Impressive."

"You bet it is! Edgeman, take out Trish!" The golden hero darted across the field and clothes lined Trish, knocking her to the ground and destroying her. Harrison remained calm as his life points fell. (HLP: 3400)

As soon as Edgeman returned to his field Sanzo nodded to Wild Bubble. "Okay Wild Bubble, go ahead and do your thing!" A barrage of bubbles pelted Harrison, not hurting him physically, but still dealing quite a bit of effect damage. (HLP: 1700)

The crowd stared in awe, hardly able to believe that already Harrison had lost half of his life points. Normally Sanzo's heroes built up steam and launched an all out assault at a later point, but here he had done it on his second turn. "You really aren't holding back at all. Excellent. Now end your turn so I can begin my counterattack."

"Sure, I set up one card and then end. This returns Edgeman to my hand." One card appeared face down on his field and then Edgeman jumped into the air, turning into a card which settled in Sanzo's hand.

Harrison drew and then placed his card onto the field. A space on his field glowed then formed into a tall man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a red cape that covered his body. "Demon Bounty Hunter (1500/900) is a special breed of monster, in that for every equip in my hand he gains three hundred attack points. I have one."

The bounty hunter's body glowed red as it gained three hundred points, putting it at eighteen hundred. "Demon Bounty Hunter attacks Wild Bubble."

It unfurled its cloak, pulled out a crossbow, and then fired a bolt at Wild Bubble. Instantly Sanzo acted, snapped his hand out over his set card. "Reverse card open, Defusion! I return Wild Bubble to my fusion deck and then special summon Wildman and Bubbleman to the field, negating your attack."

Wild Bubble split apart, turning into its original components. Because they moved aside the crossbow bolt sailed harmlessly through the previously occupied space. Sanzo reached for his deck, smirking. "Since both were special summoned I draw twice!"

Harrison nodded, looking almost bored. But Sanzo knew Harrison well enough to understand that he was just contemplating his next move. "I place a card down and end. Impressive counter to my attack, you're doing well."

Sanzo drew and pointed at his two monsters while holding one of his hand cards separate from the others. "I tribute Wildman and Bubbleman in order to summon Edgeman back to the field!"

Both heroes disappeared, making way for the gold armored hero who flexed his muscles as soon as he hit the field. "Edgeman, attack Demon Bounty Hunter!"

The bounty hunted raised his crossbow and suddenly a red mark appeared on Edgeman's forehead. Harrison smirked as his set card activated. "I don't need fancy tricks; simple traps work just as well. Hunter's Sights targets one monster on the opponent's field and destroys it, dealing them one hundred damage for each level if I have one of my demon hunters or slayers in play."

A crossbow bolt launched from the bounty hunter's weapon, striking Edgeman square in the chest. He screamed as he was blown to pieces, taking part of Sanzo's life points with him. "Huh…didn't expect that one." (SLP: 3300)

Scanning his sizable hand Sanzo made his choice for the turn, and then plucked out two cards. "I set two cards face down and bring my turn to an end."

Harrison drew, calmly assessing his own options. "This will work. I summon Demon Slayer Apprentice (1000/1000). This monster will attempt an attack first."

The apprentice, a teenager with white hair and wearing a red jacket grinned and drew a short sword. It charged at Sanzo, ready to stab the hero duelist, but he was ready. "Activate trap card, Fool's Fusion! This removes monsters from my grave to fusion summon, though the fusion monster will be removed from the game during my end phase. I bring back Wild Bubble!"

The fusion hero returned to the field, crouching in defense mode. Harrison frowned and snapped his fingers together. "I call back Apprentice. No point in wasting life points needlessly."

Sanzo motioned to Wild Bubble and grinned. "Since he's been summoned I get to draw one card, plus an extra from Hero's Dynamic Entry."

He drew twice, and then shrugged his soldiers. "A monster, so no go on destroying a magic or trap card. Oh well."

"That's fine. Demon Bounty Hunter will finish the job." The bounty hunter fired a bolt, striking the fusion hero in the chest. It grimaced and then burst apart, leaving Sanzo's field almost empty.

"I'll conclude my turn by setting one card face down." Harrison snapped his two remaining cards together and matched stares with Sanzo. He wouldn't back down an inch, and he knew that Sanzo wouldn't. That was why this would make him stronger.

Sanzo drew and then slapped the card he had drawn from Wild Bubble down. "Elemental Hero Burst Lady (1200/800) comes out and attacks Demon Slayer Apprentice!"

The scantily clad female hero jumped into play and then with fists of fire she charged the apprentice. Harrison sneered and watched as Burst Lady decked his monster, destroying it. "That was a mistake." (HLP: 1500)

A ball of fire erupted in the spot that the apprentice had previously been, and suddenly a familiar white haired man in a red trench coat appeared, smirking mischievously. "Legendary Demon Slayer Dante (1500/1200) was special summoned when Apprentice was destroyed, and I now equip him with Berserker Blades Agni and Rudra, giving him five hundred attack points."

Two curved blades appeared in front of Dante and he picked them up, giving them experimental swings. One left a trail of blue energy and the other a trail of red, both with faces on them. "Now you understand don't you?"

Sanzo smirked and snapped out one of his hand cards. "Not exactly, in fact I was hoping you'd bring out Dante so I could finish him off. Instant Fusion activates from my hand, fusing Burst Lady with Sparkman in my hand!"

Harrison's eyes widened, not having expected this. A new fusion hero appeared, this one looking like a slightly taller Sparkman with a red outfit instead of blue. "Meet Elemental Hero Ignition Spark (2300/2000)! Thanks to his summoning I draw one card."

He drew again, and then pointed at Dante. "Ignition Spark will slay that demon slayer! Go!"

Ignition Spark charged forwards and slammed a fist crackling with electricity into Dante's chest. The demon slayer stumbled backwards and then responded by slashing one sword straight through Ignition Spark's chest. Sanzo stared in confusion as his fusion hero was destroyed. "What the heck was that?" (HLP: 1200)

"Simple, I used my trap equip Sword of the Slayer. Whatever monster is equipped with it always kills the other monster in battle regardless of damage calculation." Sanzo frowned, but then reached for his cemetery and took two cards out of it.

"When Ignition Spark is destroyed I get to activate his effect, getting the spark of life! This lets me special summon two E-Heroes from my cemetery to the field with half stats. So here are Burst Lady (600/400) and Featherman (500/500)!" His two previously destroyed heroes returned to the field, each one crouching in defense mode.

"Since they were special summoned I draw one card for each one!" He drew once, then a second time. Harrison watched carefully, taking note of the fact that Sanzo's eyes lit up each time. Sanzo was going to do something more this turn.

"I move into my second main phase and activate Fusion Recovery! This lets me pick up one Polymerization and one monster that has been used in a fusion. I choose Sparkman!" He showed Harrison his fusion card and his hero, and then added them to his hand.

Next Sanzo raised the other card he had drawn from Hero's Dynamic Entry. "Fusion Sage lets me search my deck for a Polymerization and add it to my hand. Good for me, bad for you."

Harrison scowled, realizing what was about to happen as Sanzo added the fusion card to his hand. "I see, bring him on and I'll crush him just like any other monster."

"You're confident to face him but I'll show that he's not so easily bested. I play Polymerization to fuse Burst Lady and Featherman together into Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100/1800)!" The red and green hero jumped out onto the field, flexing his angel wing and aiming his dragon arm at Dante.

Without missing a beat Sanzo held out his Polymerization that he had gotten from Fusion Recovery and his Sparkman. "I play my second Polymerization, fusing Sparkman together with Flame Wingman in order to create perhaps my deadliest E-Hero. Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman (2500/2100)!"

A robotic looking monster with a single eye floated down onto the field in place of Flame Wingman. It spread two angel-like machine wings out and its body started glowing brightly, covering the field in its deadly light. Harrison smirked. "Yes, a monster that gains three hundred attack for every E-Hero in the grave and retains Flame Wingman's effect. Truly a beast."

Sanzo drew twice, thanks to having special summoned twice. "Before I count up his attack points I'm going to remove a hero from the grave through my use of Fusion Rebirth, discarding a card from my hand to special summon Flame Wingman back."

As soon as the fusion hero returned to the field Sanzo drew a card. Then he raised that card and smirked. "Join the Battle lets me special summon one monster from my hand to the field if I have at least two monsters in play. I special summon Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000) in defense mode!"

The grey and blocky hero appeared in a crouched position, arms over its sizeable chest. Then Sanzo reached for his deck and drew again. Harrison frowned, realizing something. _'I see, he's not just using it to great effect. He's searching for something, but what?'_

When he saw that he hadn't drawn whatever it was he wanted Sanzo pointed to his single face down card and it flipped up. "Elemental Charge activates! This trap increases my life points by one thousand for every E-hero in play, so I gain three thousand points." (SLP: 6300)

Then without further ado Sanzo grabbed three of his cards and plugged them into his duel disk. "I set up three cards and call it quits for the moment. So Harrison, still believe that heroes don't exist? They're beating you bad so far after all."

Harrison chuckled as he drew, wagging a finger at his rival. "Not exactly. You have a life point lead, but you're not winning. I have Dante in play now, and in case you had forgotten I already had an equip card in my hand."

He took one of his cards and slid it in right behind Dante. "Even though Shining Flare Wingman has four thousand attack points I'm quite confident that Dante will win the day. I equip him with Flame Gauntlets-Ifrit to begin with, giving him five hundred more attack points."

Gauntlets formed over Dante's fists and then were covered in flame, shooting Dante's attack up to twenty-five hundred, even with wingman's base attack. "In case you failed to notice my Demon Bounty Hunter still has eighteen hundred attack, that's because I have another equip in hand. So I'll give Dante Twin Pistols: Ebony and Ivory."

A pair of pistols appeared at Dante's waist, one white and the other black much like Trish's pistols. "He gains three hundred attack points and the ability to attack twice in a turn thanks to them. Demon Bounty Hunter however returns to his base attack."

Sanzo felt something right then, a spark of danger. He didn't know why he felt it, but he did. _'He's completely confident that he can beat Shining Flare Wingman this turn, but how could that be? He's too strong for even Dante.'_

Harrison smirked and tapped a finger against the side of his head. "I can tell what you're thinking. Why am I confident, after all your fusion monster is too strong for virtually any monster in the game to beat. Oh well, I'll deal with that in a second. First, I attack Flame Wingman with Dante!"

Sanzo reached for his set cards but a spark hit him, making him jerk his hand back as Dante charged, swinging his twin swords. "Sorry Sanzo, but Berserker Blades Agni and Rudra prevent you from chaining when he attacks. In addition Ifrit deals you three hundred damage whenever he attacks!" (SLP: 6000)

The two blades cleaved through Flame Wingman, destroying him completely. Sanzo flinched as his life points took a hit. "How's that going to beat Shining Flare Wingman? You just made him stronger!" (SLP: 5300)

"Perhaps I did, but I'm not worried. Dante, eliminate Clayman as well with your second attack!" Dante spun on his heel and slashed Clayman's head clean off his shoulders with one stroke of his sword. The rest of the body burst apart seconds later. (SLP: 5000)

Harrison didn't slow down as he pointed to his face-up equip trap. "During my turn I can sacrifice Sword of the Slayer to destroy one monster on the field, though you gain three hundred life points. You see, simple methods can beat the mightiest of monsters."

Sanzo gulped as Shining Flare Wingman was pierced through the chest by a sword thrown out of the trap. It grabbed the sword, yanked it out, and then he shattered. No trace was left of Sanzo's gathered hero army. "Damn…" (SLP: 5300)

The Dark Prince shook his head. "You're impressive and unimpressive at the same time. You should have known that even the strongest monster is vulnerable to effect destruction. Now, I set my last card face down and end."

"Wait…why didn't you attack with Demon Bounty Hunter?" Harrison sighed and folded his arms over his chest, looking annoyed.

"Although he gains three hundred attack for every equip in my hand Demon Bounty Hunter cannot attack if I don't have any in my hand. That's all. Now take your turn." Sanzo frowned and reached for his deck, feeling a bit distressed at knowing that his mightiest fusion had already been bested.

As soon as he had drawn he motioned to one of his set cards. "I activate Burial from a Different Dimension, which lets me send any monsters in my out of play pile to the grave."

He quickly returned his removed monsters into the cemetery, and then held up one of his other cards. "It won't be long now before I crush Dante! My set card Warrior Returning Alive brings back a monster to my hand, and then I summon it. Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200)!"

Immediately he blinked and then took a second look at his field. _'Damn…I forgot about my other set card, which means I don't get Bubbleman's effect!'_

Shaking it off he played the card he had drawn this turn. "It's time for a miracle Harrison! I play Miracle Fusion, removing Flame Wingman and Sparkman from the grave in order to special summon Shining Flare Wingman (4600/2100) back to the field!"

The super-powered super hero once again floated down onto the field, its body glowing with an intense light. "Not done yet! I play Magic Shard Excavation, sending two cards from my hand to the grave to return Miracle Fusion to me!"

He snapped up the magic card and his cemetery started glowing. "I'll remove Wildman from the grave along with the hero I just sent there, Elemental Hero Necro Darkman (1600/1800) in order to fusion summon Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman (1900/1800)!"

Next to Shining Flare Wingman there appeared a wild looking bare-chested man with long red hair and two white ties around his arms. In his right hand he held a staff which he raised into the air. "I special summoned two monsters so I get to draw two cards!"

Sanzo took a deep breath then played one of his three hand cards. "Hero's Success Story activates during a turn where a fusion hero successfully uses its effect. I get to draw three cards. And now, I use Necroid Shaman's effect!"

Harrison grimaced as Dante's form flickered and was replaced by the Apprentice in attack mode. "Necroid Shaman lets me sacrifice a monster on your field to special summon a monster from you grave. And now I draw three cards!"

Once he had drawn his three cards he pointed at Apprentice and Necroid Shaman leapt into the air. "Necroid Shaman will start things off in order to slay your Apprentice!"

The shaman slammed his staff down on Apprentice's head, crushing it. But instantly a fireball formed and Dante reappeared. "Dante is special summoned to the field in defense mode and I equip him with Rebellion. But other than that, I seem to be done. What about you Sanzo?" (HLP: 300)

Nobody in the crowd could believe what they were seeing. So far Sanzo had only take a meager amount of damage, and he was above his starting life points. Harrison on the other hand had hardly any life points left.

The Hero Saint narrowed his eyes and flicked his eyes down at the set card. "Shining Flare Wingman, attack Demon Bounty Hunter and end it!"

Harrison smirked and snapped his fingers. "You knew this was coming, so it was a risk to attack. Draining Shield negates your attack and gives me Shining Flare Wingman's attack as life points."

Shining Flare Wingman ran into a glowing barrier and then floated away, leaving the energy to surge into Harrison's duel disk. "It seems that the tide has turned and now we're nearly even in terms of life points, doesn't it?" (HLP: 4900)

"Maybe it is, but the advantage is still mine. I set one card face down and end my turn!" He let out some of the breath he had been holding. He had been afraid that Harrison's set card would be worse and his entire charge would have been ruined. Luck was still with him it seemed.

Harrison drew calmly, despite his current disadvantage of having to face the massively powerful Shining Flare Wingman again. Sanzo knew the look in Harrison's eyes, it was confidence. _'That's the look he's had in his eyes whenever he's crushed an opponent. He's about to make his counterattack, I can feel it!'_

"You've been in control of this duel far too long Sanzo, and now I'll snatch that away from you with brutal force! Treasure of Slashing Life lets me draw until I hold five cards!" He drew a total of five cards, completely confident the whole time. Sanzo grimaced, realizing that he had been right.

"Now, it's time for my counterattack to begin and for you and everyone else in this room to understand the power of Dante and myself! Activate magic card, Combat Style-Swordmaster!" Dante's body was suddenly engulfed in red light which spun all around his form like a miniature cyclone.

Bathed in that red light Harrison's confident features were somewhat frightening, even to Sanzo. He laughed and raised his right hand which was balled into a fist. "Prepare to be destroyed Sanzo Uzumaki, by the power of the avenger!"

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Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed that because there's more to come.

_Next Time: As the duel between Harrison and Sanzo rages the two duelists show more and more of their power. Each is willing to push themselves and their decks to their limits in order to win. But even though both duelists are powerful and worthy of the title only one can win and gain the title of Kaiser of Duelist Academy. Who will it be? Who will be crowned Kaiser?_

_See it all in, Curtain Falls! The New Kaiser Rises!_


	27. Curtain Falls! The New Kaiser Rises!

Author's Note: And now for the climax and the decision of who shall be crowned Kaiser!

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Curtain Falls! The New Kaiser Rises!**

_Harrison drew calmly, despite his current disadvantage of having to face the massively powerful Shining Flare Wingman again. Sanzo knew the look in Harrison's eyes, it was confidence. 'That's the look he's had in his eyes whenever he's crushed an opponent. He's about to make his counterattack, I can feel it!'_

_"You've been in control of this duel far too long Sanzo, and now I'll snatch that away from you with brutal force! Treasure of Slashing Life lets me draw until I hold five cards!" He drew a total of five cards, completely confident the whole time. Sanzo grimaced, realizing that he had been right._

_"Now, it's time for my counterattack to begin and for you and everyone else in this room to understand the power of Dante and myself! Activate magic card, Combat Style-Swordmaster!" Dante's body was suddenly engulfed in red light which spun all around his form like a miniature cyclone._

_Bathed in that red light Harrison's confident features were somewhat frightening, even to Sanzo. He laughed and raised his right hand which was balled into a fist. "Prepare to be destroyed Sanzo Uzumaki, by the power of the avenger!"_

"To begin with I sacrifice Dante, and then I'll shuffle my hand, cemetery, and field back into my deck!" He began shuffling but did a minimal job. Then he reached into his coat and pulled out a small stack of cards.

"After that I exchange a certain number of cards from my current deck with my side deck, preparing the way for Dante's new form." His exchanges were quick and practiced as he knew exactly what he was looking for. After finishing that he reshuffled and replaced his deck into its appropriate slot.

"Step three involves drawing cards equal to the number from my hand that I shuffled back in. Which is four in this case." He drew four times, registering each card one after another until he had all of them.

Using his free hand Harrison pointed to the space that Dante had previously occupied and a column of fire shot into the air. "Finally I unleash Legendary Demon Slayer Dante the Swordmaster (2400/2200)!"

The tower of fire faded, revealing Dante looking exactly as he had before. There were visibly no differences, but Sanzo knew that this was a far different monster. "Like his unfocused self my Swordmaster when summoned gets an equip card placed on him. I choose Swordmaster Armament-Rebellion!"

A sword fell from the sky and landed at Dante's feet. He reached down and drew it, slashing it through the air a few times. It had a skeletal face as the cross guard and appeared quite heavy and sharp. "This equip card increases his attack by one thousand points."

Sanzo bit his lip, realizing that Dante now had the power to crush any monster on his field save for his Shining Flare Wingman. _'This one I've never faced before. I've only ever faced two of Dante's advanced forms, and those were devastating…'_

Harrison smirked and held up one of his hand cards. "Necromancy special summons random monsters from your cemetery onto your field, up to four at most. Since you have two available zones only two monsters are summoned."

The Hero Saint frowned and caught two cards that were spat out of his graveyard. He placed them onto his field and Clayman and Burst Lady appeared on the field in defense mode. "Why would you revive my monsters?"

"Just wait and see. Before I go on the attack I activate the continuous magic card Dante's Inferno. This card acts like an equip even while not on him, increasing his attack by five hundred when he slays a monster as well as increasing his damage by two hundred at all times." Sanzo frowned as a red aura surrounded Dante, and then his eyes widened as he shot a look over at Shining Flare Wingman.

"Of course! Since two less heroes are in my grave Shining Flare Wingman now has six hundred less attack points!" He watched as his supreme monster fell from forty-six hundred attack down to four thousand attack points even.

"That's part of it, but wait till you see part two. Dante, attack Clayman!" Dante vanished in a blur, moving too fast to follow. Rebellion swept clean through Clayman, then repeated the process a dozen times, completing destroying Clayman.

Harrison snapped his right hand up to point at Shining Flare Wingman. "When a monster summoned by Necromancy is destroyed one monster on the opponent's field loses six hundred attack points. So your fusion loses a collective three hundred attack points."

The red aura around Dante increased slightly in size and his attack points began to rise. "Thanks to Dante's Inferno Dante now has thirty-nine hundred attack points. Oh, and did I mention Swordmaster's other effect? It's the same as Ben Kei."

It took Sanzo a moment of thinking before he remembered exactly what that monster did. "You mean…for every equip card on him Dante the Swordmaster gains an attack?"

"That's correct, and right now he has three total attacks. I'll use attack number two in order to slay Shining Flare Wingman!" Sanzo grimaced as Dante turned Rebellion on his fusion hero, cutting him into tiny pieces with dozens of practiced strokes. (SLP: 4900)

"Now life points are even and Dante gains an additional five hundred attack points. Yet still I'm not done, as Dante has another attack!" Sanzo shook his head and then thrust his left arm out until it was right over his leftmost face down card. Harrison stopped in the middle of his declaration.

"Because an Elemental Hero left the field I can now activate my face down trap card. The time has come Harrison, it's time my destiny to become Kaiser is realized. Reverse card open, D-Time!" The purple bordered card showed an image of a tea cup with a floating D inside of it.

"Shining Flare Wingman is a level eight monster, which means now D-Time allows me to add Destiny Heroes to my hand whose level is equal to or lower than wingman's!" He held up two cards and then placed them into his hand.

The audience whispered amongst themselves, none of them having expected the appearance of the Destiny Heroes. Harrison smirked and shook his head. "So, that's what you were searching for? Very well, I will oppose your D-Heroes just as much as I oppose your E-Heroes! I'll crush them all!"

Burst Lady gulped as Dante turned on her and with a two-handed downward stroke completely cut her in half from head to toe. She blew apart, particles flying everywhere. "Again Dante gains five hundred attack and now Necroid Shaman loses six hundred points. But that's far from all. You see…Dante has gained the required kills in order to Devil Trigger!"

Sanzo held an arm up in front of his eyes as a Dante was engulfed in a swirl of black flame. When it dissipated he looked far more demonic, almost resembling the cross guard's face of Rebellion. "Dante now gains five hundred attack and defense points, as well as opening up the Devil Trigger techniques locked within Rebellion. Let me show you the first!"

Dante began to swing his sword at breakneck speed, dazzling the eyes of everyone watching. "I trigger Dante's Devil Trigger ability with Rebellion, Dance Macabre! This allows him to attack all monsters in play!"

Faster than the eye could fall he turned his darting blade on Bubbleman and then as his attack points began to rise he moved it onto Necroid Shaman, slicing and dicing it as well. Then with a cocky laugh Dante did a back flip and returned to Harrison's side of the field. "Humph, Dante rises to sixty-four hundred damage…and you're nearly finished." (SLP: 100)

Sanzo grimaced, realizing just how much trouble he was in here. This wasn't going to be easy, that was for sure. "I place one card face down and bring my turn to an end. Go ahead Sanzo, see if you can recover."

The Hero Saint drew making him reach nine cards in hand. He took one deep breath and then slapped down his card. "Meet the first of the D-Heroes, Destiny Hero Devil Guy (600/800) in attack mode!"

A devilish looking man with a long black cape floating out behind him descended from the sky. His long arms were capped by clawed hands which he stretched out towards Dante. "Devil Guy again? I remember his effect."

"I'm glad you do, because I use his effect now! By forfeiting his attack for the turn I can remove one monster on your field from the game for two turns!" Devil Guy shot forwards and wrapped his clawed hands around Dante's throat.

"I activate another Devil Trigger ability, Sword Pierce. When Dante goes to the cemetery I can destroy one monster in play." Dante thrust his sword into Devil Guy's gut, and then both of them burst apart into tiny little pieces. Rebellion fell to the ground and then shattered, no longer having something to equip to.

Sanzo flipped around another of his cards, looking deadly determined. "D-Spirits activates when I have no monsters in play, it lets me special summon a D-Hero to the field. Come on out Destiny Hero Diamond Guy (1400/1600)!"

A white haired man with a green outfit and long green cape jumped into the fray. Diamonds jutted from his shoulders, wrists, and over the bottom halves of his legs. "Once each turn Diamond Guy lets me check the top card of my deck, if it's a magic card it goes to the grave and is activated next turn. Any other card is discarded."

He drew once, and then held up Pot of Greed. Finally he shoved it into his discard slot and pointed at Harrison. "Next turn that card will be activated. Until then, Diamond Guy attacks directly. Go!"

Diamond Guy aimed his right arm at Harrison and fired a barrage of diamonds. The diamonds pelted Harrison's body, and though he grabbed his stomach in pain he refused to show too much of it. "Impressive recovery from my last turn Sanzo. I'll give you that." (HLP: 3500)

"That's not all I'm capable of, so just you wait and see. I place a card face down and call my turn an end." Harrison smirked and drew, looking surprisingly happy despite the damage he had taken.

Harrison placed the drawn card into his duel disk and another column of fire erupted. "Monster Returned allows me to special summon one monster from out of play to the field. Legendary Demon Slayer Dante the Swordmaster (2400/2200) is back!"

Dante did a front flip out of the fire and landed gracefully on his feet, then winked cockily at Sanzo. "Since he was summoned I'll now equip him with this card, Swordmaster Armament-Nevan!"

Dante strummed on the air like it was an air guitar, and then to Harrison's surprise an actual guitar appeared in his hands. The only difference from it and a normal guitar was that it was black and demonic, and included eyes on it. "Nevan raises his attack by one thousand. And as you know he now has three attacks total. He'll slay Diamond Guy!"

Sanzo motioned to his set card and it flipped up. Diamond Guy crackled and then shifted into defense mode. "D-Shield activates when a D-Hero is attacked. It switches the targeted monster into defense mode, equips to them, and makes them immune to battle destruction."

Harrison narrowed his eyes at the now nearly invincible monster and then sighed. "Very well, attacking again would be pointless. So I end my turn."

The heroic duelist drew once and then a glowing green pot appeared on his field. "Thanks to Diamond Guy my Pot of Greed now activates, letting me draw two cards."

Quickly he pumped his hand up to nine cards with an additional two cards. He fanned out his large hand and then grasped one of them and slapped it down. "Meet D-Hero number three, Destiny Hero Memory Guy (700/500)!"

This hero was dressed in white armor with a black horned helmet tucked over his head. Floating out behind him was a red cape. "Once per turn Memory Guy lets me shuffle my cemetery and then draw the top card from it. You then guess what it is, and if you guess right my entire cemetery is removed from play. If you guess wrong then I draw another card from my deck."

Sanzo's cemetery whirred as it automatically shuffled itself. Then one card slid out and he picked it up. Harrison frowned, realizing he was in a bad position at guessing. "I choose Polymerization as my guess."

Memory Guy chuckled and wagged a finger at Harrison. The Dark Prince scowled, realizing he had guessed wrong. Sanzo grinned and drew again. "You heard Memory Guy, looks like your memory isn't that great."

Once he saw the card he had drawn he reached for his next card. "Diamond Guy's effect activates again."

He drew, and then scowled and discarded. "Frienddog (800/1200) is discarded."

Grabbing one of his other cards he held it out. "Since I can't attack this turn I'll just forfeit my battle phase to play Misfortune. This magic card deals you half the base attack of one of your monsters as damage."

Dante strummed Nevan and a swarm of bats erupted from it. They flew towards Sanzo, but a bubble appeared and the bats bounced off. They raced backwards and surrounded Harrison, nibbling at him. "Looks like those bats don't like you." (HLP: 2300)

As the bats faded Sanzo continued his move. "I activate Destiny Restoration which will increase my life points by one thousand since I have a D-Hero in play." (SLP: 1100)

"Next I set one card face down and call that my turn, discarding one card to reduce my hand size to the allowed limit of six." He slid one of his cards into the grave and then nodded to Harrison.

Harrison immediately pointed to the crouching Memory Guy. "Dante will slay Memory Guy and get him out of my way."

Dante strummed Nevan and another wave of bats flew out. This time they hit target and ripped Memory Guy apart. Dante's power immediately rose by five hundred thanks to Dante's Inferno. "Since a monster was destroyed I activate Destiny Signal, special summoning a level four or lower D-Hero from my deck to the field!"

A skinny man with a huge box strapped to his shoulders and green skin-tight clothes appeared on his field in defense mode. "Destiny Hero Avarice Guy (500/1000) in defense mode!"

"I have no patience for weakling heroes! Dante attacks again!" Another barrage of bats swarmed out of Nevan. Avarice Guy vainly tried to fend them off but he was no match for their terrifying numbers. Soon he was no more as well.

Just as Dante's attack was rising again Sanzo pointed to a set card of his. "Hero's Rule #2-Defense of Life! This trap lets me special summon heroes from my deck equal to the number destroyed so far this turn, so I special summon Destiny Hero Defender Guy (100/2700) and Destiny Hero Diehard Guy (800/800)! Both in defense mode!"

Defender Guy was made purely of stone blocks and was huge, crouching down as if he were a giant castle wall. Diehard Guy was a muscular man wearing green pants who had wild orange hair and held one green shield in each hand. "I've special summoned three times this turn, so I draw three more cards!"

Sanzo smirked even broader and began drawing cards. To Harrison's surprise he drew five cards instead of just three. "When Avarice Guy is destroyed in battle I also get to draw two cards, so that's that."

Harrison scowled and nodded to Dante. "All I see are weakling pieces of crap who pretend to be heroes. Dante slays Defender Guy to get the blocky wimp out of the way!"

This time it was Defender Guy who was pecked apart by a huge wave of bats. He didn't stand a chance against them despite his impressive defense power. "Dante rises to forty-nine hundred and now he's slain three monsters. He Devil Triggers and gains five hundred more attack and defense points!"

Dante took on another demonic look, his body taking on characteristics of the weapon he was holding. His attack power also rose to fifty-four hundred, impressive by any standards. "I activate a Devil Trigger effect, Crazy Roll! This deals you three hundred damage for each monster destroyed this turn."

The demon slayer ran past Sanzo's D-Heroes and with Nevan crackling with electricity he slammed it against the other duelist's chest. Sanzo screamed as lightning roared around his body, and then when it faded he shuddered, smoke rising off of him. "That was a strong hit." (SLP: 200)

After briefly examining his two hand cards Harrison nodded once. "I'm done for now. Take your turn Sanzo."

When Sanzo drew his hand size was twelve cards total, truly an impressive number. "I set three cards face down, and then I activate Emergency Provisions. I sacrifice all three and D-Shield." (SLP: 4200)

Next he motioned to Diehard Guy. "During my turn Diehard Guy can special summon one D-Hero from the cemetery to my field who was killed last turn. Destiny Hero Memory Guy (700/500) is back!"

The space next to Diehard Guy glowed briefly and then Memory Guy appeared. Sanzo drew as soon as it was in play and fanned out his hand again. "I activate Diamond Guy's effect, checking the top card of my deck!"

He drew and again seemed disappointed. "I discard D-Chain to the cemetery since it's a trap card."

Taking a deep breath Sanzo waited as his cemetery began to shuffle up his cards in the grave. "Using Memory Guy's effect I now draw a card, so it's time for you to guess."

Harrison closed his eyes and concentrated. "I will guess the card that follows the trend you've been following. Pot of Greed."

Sanzo glanced down at his drawn card and grimaced. Harrison burst out laughing. "Looks like your luck is less than impressive right now. I can assume by that look that I guessed right."

"You are right, so I remove my entire graveyard from play." He sighed and took every single card out of it and then placed them into his back pocket.

"Even though you're right I'm not done yet! Since I got it I'll just play it, Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He drew two more times, putting him at ten cards in hand. Harrison tensed when he saw the way that Sanzo looked at one of those cards.

"Harrison, prepare to meet a monster unlike any other you've ever seen! I tribute Diehard Guy, Memory Guy, and Diamond Guy!" Harrison's eyes widened as one by one the three D-Heroes in play were engulfed by a blast of light. Although he had previously faced the D-Heroes he had never seen one that required three tributes.

_'The only monsters in the game I can think of that require three tributes are the god cards, but those are only myth anyways. What could he possibly have that needs three tributes?'_ A huge blast of light erupted behind Sanzo and shot up to the ceiling.

Harrison took a slight step backwards as something dark emerged from within that light. It was large to say the least, and had huge wings that spread out to each side. Also a tail dangled down between its legs. "Destiny Hero-Dogma Guy (3400/2400)!"

The Destiny Hero floated down until its feet touched the ground. Its head was revealed to be covered by a black helmet with horns, and it had four red eyes. Chains went across its chest and spikes jutted out from its shoulders and back. "Thirty-four hundred attack points? Impressive to say the least."

Harrison suddenly smirked and snapped his fingers. "Dante activates his Devil Trigger ability, Feedback! This ability deals you five hundred damage when you normal summon a monster." (SLP: 3700)

Sanzo appeared completely confident now that his monster was in play, and he began to slide cards into his duel disk. "At the moment Dogma Guy isn't strong enough to take on Dante, so I'll set three cards face down for later. And then…"

A side slot on his duel disk opened and Sanzo placed one of his cards into it. "Activate field magic card, Dark City!"

The arena rumbled as one by one skyscrapers rose into the air. They were darkened, hardly any lights showing. The city was also a night setting with a full moon hovering above their heads. "This is the Skyscraper of Destiny Heroes, just in case you were wondering."

Harrison smirked. "No, I never would have guessed that. But even with a one thousand point boost your Dogma Guy can't match Dante."

"Maybe so, but he has plenty of uses. I end my turn, so you can find out what they are." Harrison frowned, realizing that Sanzo was deadly serious. Slowly he drew his card for the turn.

As soon as his turn started Dogma Guy was surrounded by a dark purple aura. Harrison cried out in pain as a similar purple aura engulfed him, draining him of energy. "What is this?"

Sanzo flicked that stray lock of hair out of his eyes and grinned. "Dogma Guy's effect activates during your standby phase, draining you of half your life points!" (HLP: 1150)

Slowly the purple auras faded, letting Harrison recover. Yet losing half of his life points in one shot was not easy, nor was it good for him in terms of the duel. _'I see, that beast will continue to drain my life points each of my turns. Against that I won't last long.'_

Harrison glanced between Dante and Dogma Guy, and then made his decision. "Let's test the might of your Dogma Guy. Dante will attack and slay him using another Devil Trigger ability. Air Slash lets him attack this turn without negation!"

Dante jumped into the air and then came flying downwards, swinging his guitar like it was an axe at Dogma Guy. Sanzo grimaced as the guitar smashed into Dogma Guy, blasting him apart. "Humph, that was pathetic. Here one turn then gone the next." (SLP: 2700)

Again Harrison smirked, and Sanzo realized that Dante was standing right in front of him. "Have you already forgotten? I activate Crazy Roll to deal you three hundred life points of damage!"

The lightning engulfed guitar struck Sanzo in the shoulder, knocking him backwards and engulfing him in electricity. "Damn…" (SLP: 2400)

As soon as Dante raised his guitar again for his next attack Sanzo pressed a button on his duel disk. "Pulse of Destiny activates during this turn, reviving one Destiny Hero onto my field and ending the battle phase!"

Dogma Guy reformed from the pieces that Dante had scattered with his guitar strike, and with a snap of his fingers Dante jumped back to Harrison. "I see, well its not over yet, but I can wait. End turn."

Sanzo drew, feeling as if the duel was moving towards the end. "Reverse card open, Destiny Assault! This lets me special summon a D-Hero from my hand. So I special summon Destiny Hero Double Guy (1000/1000)!"

A pale man wearing a tuxedo and top hat appeared, a scarf wrapped around his neck and a cane in his hand. "This monster has the ability to attack twice during each turn, but that's not my intent. Final set card activate!"

When his trap card flipped up his Double Guy blew apart. "Hero's Rule #3-Sacrifice for Others lets me tribute one monster in play in order to special summon out two monsters from the grave with no effects!"

His field flickered and then his muscular hero and his diamond covered hero both appeared onto the field. "Diehard Guy (800/800) and Diamond Guy (1400/1600) both return."

Harrison raised an eyebrow, feeling curious. "Oh? Is there a point to this that I'm not aware of?"

Sanzo took one of the cards in his hand and then pointed at his two heroes. They were consumed by light. "There is! I sacrifice Diehard Guy and Diamond Guy in order to normal summon Destiny Hero-Dread Guy (?)!"

A massive muscular form marched out from the depths of the Dark City, its body simply rippling with muscles. Chains dragged from its wrists and ankles and it wore only pants. It also had an iron mask closed over his shaggy head. "Ah, this monstrosity, I should have guessed. I activate Feedback."

The Hero Saint grimaced as his life points fell, but he wasn't depressed for long because he knew what was coming. "A little bit of damage like that isn't going to slow me down even the slightest Harrison!" (SLP: 1900)

Dread Guy roared and slammed one massive fist into the ground. "When Dread Guy is summoned to the field I destroy all non D-Hero monsters on my field in order to special summon two D-Heroes from my grave to the field!"

Two more spaces on his field glowed and the cane wielding hero and the diamond covered hero returned. "Diamond Guy (1400/1600) and Double Guy (1000/1000) are my choices!"

Dread Guy roared even louder as energy began to pour out of the other three D-Heroes in play. "Dread Guy's attack and defense points are determined by the attack and defense points of all other D-Heroes in play!"

Dread Guy: 5800/4800

Harrison grimaced as he did the math. Sanzo on the other hand was smirking now that he had the math. "Dread Guy attacks Dante, and because his attack is weaker Dark City increases his attack points by one thousand!"

Dread Guy jumped at Dante and slammed his open palm into the demon slayer. The massive hand pushed Dante into the ground and demolished him. Harrison scowled as his life points trickled away. "So you defeated Dante again, I'm impressed." (HLP: 250)

"You should be, because now you're open for a full barrage of attacks! Dogma Guy, attack and end this duel!" Harrison didn't miss a bit as he motioned to his set card.

"Fallen Slayer activates during the turn that one of my demon slayer or demon hunters is destroyed. All life point damage to me for the rest of the turn is reduced to zero." The purple beam of energy that Dogma Guy fired ricocheted harmlessly off of Harrison, doing no damage.

Sanzo paused to take in how his victory had been suddenly snatched away. Once it registered he looked over at Diamond Guy. "I activate Diamond Guy's effect, checking the top card of my deck."

He drew once and then held it up. "I've drawn Monster Reborn, so next turn I'll play it. And I intend to use it next turn to revive Diehard Guy and complete my assault team of D-Heroes. Then you'll be finished."

Harrison frowned as he watched Sanzo discard Monster Reborn. "Well you have the advantage, and you seem to be the strongest so far. But I believe this duel is far from over. Let's run this duel into the ground until we are at our last cards!"

Sanzo grinned, feeling that old intense feeling rise up. It was something he only got dueling Harrison, as only Harrison made him feel like he really was a hero fighting a villain of equal strength. _'My rival…thank you for making me a hero in this duel for everyone to see! I'll give you my personal thanks by winning and becoming Kaiser!'_

"I'll activate Destiny Restoration, granting me five hundred life points for every D-Hero in play. I have four so I gain two thousand life points." His body was covered in blue light as his life points soared nearly back to their starting point. (SLP: 3900)

"Turn End! Bring your fight to me Harrison; I truly do want to face you till we hit our very last cards! Then we'll know which of us is the strongest!" The two duelists shared a look, their eyes blazing with intensity that only the other brought out in a duel.

Harrison placed two fingers on his deck and closed his eyes, calming himself. He was excited, that was true, but he couldn't let that make him lose focus. _'My rival…thank you for pushing me to become stronger in this duel. I'll give you my personal thanks by winning and becoming Kaiser!'_

"Draw!" Once he drew Dogma Guy and he were engulfed by that dangerous purple aura. This time however Harrison just stood there, his eyes closed and his body shuddered as his life points were sucked away. (HLP: 125)

Slowly he raised the drawn card to his eyes, and when he saw it he burst out laughing. "Sanzo, the destiny of the hero that you supposedly possess has now become your undoing!"

The Hero Saint jerked back, surprised at Harrison's words. He wasn't sure what to make of that. "What are you talking about?"

"Had you not used Diamond Guy's effect then you would have won this duel for certain. But now, now victory is mine! I activate Double Spell, discarding a magic card from my hand to copy Monster Reborn!" A space on his field glowed and then Dante the Swordmaster returned, one hand placed on his hip and a big smirk on his face.

Dante raised both of his hands into the air and then a pair of curved blades appeared in them, each with a face as the cross guard. One was covered by a red glow and the other a blue glow. "Dante is now equipped with Swordmaster Armament-Agni and Rudra which raises his attack points by one thousand!"

Sanzo felt suddenly nervous, because he remembered what those weapons could do previously. "In case you were wondering this is the last turn! Activate magic card Devil Trigger, which forces Dante into his triggered state!"

Dante's body warped, becoming covered in a red almost lava-like skin. Spikes swept over his shoulders and down his back. A black mask with a sweeping look to it covered his face, and now the blade in his right hand was covered in flames while the left blade was swirling with wind. "Dante's attack power rises to thirty-nine hundred…and now I activate the ultimate one time use ability of Agni and Rudra in Devil Trigger."

The demon slayer crossed his twin blades and a burning vortex spun around them. "By discarding my entire hand once while Devil Triggered Dante may destroy all monsters on the opponent's field. Tempest!"

He swung the swords and a huge vortex of fire spun off of the blades. It roared across the field, sucking each of the Destiny Heroes into it. They cried out as one by one they were burned to ash by its power. Sanzo stared in horror, barely able to believe that his eagerly assembled heroes were gone. _'Still, with Monster Reborn I can revive Dread Guy and then get back two others.'_

Harrison smirked and thrust his hand out. "I'm afraid that this is the end! Thirty-nine hundred attack points to thirty-nine hundred life points. Fitting isn't it? Dante, attack Sanzo directly and end him!"

Sanzo pointed to his face down card and declared his action. "Not quite, reverse card open! Mirror Force negates your attack and will destroy Dante!"

The Dark Prince raised his clenched right fist and then opened it in the direction of the opening trap card. "Agni and Rudra retain their ability from their previous incarnation! No magic or trap cards can be chained to the equipped monster's attack!"

Mirror Force dropped back down and Sanzo stared in horror as Dante raced towards him. He crossed his swords and then slashed each one in an x-motion against Sanzo's chest. The Hero Saint was hurled to the ground by the force. "It's over, and the villain is the victory!" (SLP: 0)

All of the holograms faded as the duel came to a close, and Harrison marched across the field, his trench coat flaring out. He extended a hand to his fallen rival who readily accepted it and was pulled to his feet. "Thank you Sanzo, for pushing me to my best."

Sanzo grinned and flashed him a thumbs up, his teeth glinting in the light. "No worries Harrison. Now get out there and take your title, you've earned it."

Harrison walked away until he reached the center of the ring and then thrust his left arm, duel disk still attached, into the arm. "I am Harrison Wilhelm the Third, and though I was once the Dark Prince of Duelist Academy I today take a new title!"

The crowd went silent, waiting for him to finish his declaration. They looked ready to explode with anticipation. "From now until I pass on my throne I am Harrison Wilhelm the Third, Dark Kaiser of Duelist Academy! Pay your respects to the king!"

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Author's Note: And the Kaiser has been crowned.

_Next Time: Although the new Kaiser has been decided the year is at an end, and the time for Vlad to leave the school is at hand. Yet before that can happen a tradition must be fulfilled. A graduation duel between Vlad and an opponent of his choice, where both duelists face each other in front of the entire school. But no matter who he picks, can any student hope to confront Vlad?_

_See it all in, VS Strongman; Collision of Forces!_


	28. VS Strongman Collision of Forces!

Author's Note: And now for the graduation duel to begin.

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: VS Strongman; Collision of Forces!**

A huge gathering of students had made their way to outside of the main building where a huge holographic projection had been created. It was two-sided and could be seen from any angle. Also, upon approaching it a student could download the data onto their PDA for personal viewing.

Most of the excitement of the gathering wasn't over what was displayed, because that was merely grades. It was what was going to be announced after grades were viewed. Today the Strongman of Duelist Academy, the school's strongest duelist, was going to announce who he had chosen to duel against for his graduation duel.

Shiro grinned and folded his arms behind his head, his disturbingly yellow hair flicking about in the wind. There, standing amongst the first year students, was his name. And it was decently near the top, and most specifically he had ranked highest in one category. "Huzzah! I'm the top of Osiris Red! Check that stuff out!"

Standing to his right Mizuki couldn't help but eye him quizzically. "Okay, so you're ranked highest in the lowest ranked dorm. Is that why you've got yellow hair? Expecting to go to Ra Yellow?"

The Osiris Red teenager blinked and stared at her, looking confused. Finally he chuckled weakling, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah…let's go with that."

To their left Shiro's roommate Kane was looking at his name and looked slightly depressed. "My name's not very high up there…but I guess it is higher than I thought it would be."

Dressed in her Ra Yellow uniform Aya, Kane's fraternal sister, stepped up and slapped him on the back. "No worries bro, I didn't do fantastic either. But still, we're about in the middle of our respective dorms for our years. That's a good start."

Standing directly behind them in a first year's Obelisk Blue uniform was their other brother who was looking at his own name. "Yes, you both did very well. I'm impressed I managed to retain my first rank of my year of Obelisk Blue. Of course by comparison to certain people my performance was lackluster."

All of them turned to look at Mizuki who immediately blushed furiously. Her name stood at the top of Ra Yellow not just for first year, but for Ra Yellow itself. No other Ra Yellow student held a higher rank than she did, and her overall school rank was also higher than most first year Obelisk Blues. "Hehe…I got lucky?"

"No, not lucky. It was skill and your brilliance that got you this far. Why I wouldn't be surprised to see you in Obelisk Blue next year. Its only bad luck that you aren't already in Obelisk Blue." Mizuki turned around and squealed with glee at seeing Sanzo. She jumped at him and gave him a tight hug.

Shiro grimaced and dropped his arms from behind his head. _'Even being top of Osiris Red for my year doesn't settle my stomach at seeing her so giddy whenever Mr. Clean pops up out of nowhere.'_

Sighing he looked up at the screen and easily found Sanzo's name. It was right there at the very top, right below Harrison's and Vlad's. _'Well at least he's not number two in the academy for the next week. But once Vlad is gone he will be again. And still…he's number on in terms of popularity.'_

Everyone suddenly went silent and their group turned around, facing the same direction everyone else was. At the top of the hill was the distinctively huge form of the Strongman of Duelist Academy, Vlad. "Fellow students, I come to announce my choice of opponent for my graduation duel. This is the person who I wish to face before I depart this fine school and go on to the Professional Dueling League, where I will be representing my home country of Mother Russia."

Vlad's eyes swept the crowd, making everyone's breath catch in their throats when they felt as if he was looking directly at them. At the same time everyone both wanted to be chosen and didn't. Whoever faced him was going to face the school's strongest duelist in battle in front of the entire student body. "In order to gain the most from this and impart the most of my experience onto the future generation, I have made my choice. I choose…"

The Strongman's own words drifted off as his eyes fell on one student standing in the back. His breath hitched in his throat when he saw that Obelisk Blue uniform beneath that very familiar face. _'What is he doing here? He should be at East School…'_

Green eyes looked back up into his dark ones, and the other teenager nodded. Vlad regained his breath as the teen turned and moved through the crowd, becoming lost in it. "I choose you!"

His meaty arm swung around and pointed to his chosen opponent. The crowd went into an uproar as the person's image was suddenly displayed in place of ranks. Everyone could now see who would be facing Vlad in the graduation duel. "In two days our battle will take place. Strongman of Duelist Academy…"

His eyes met his opponent's and he grinned broadly. "Versus the Rising Star of Duelist Academy. I expect you to be at your best, Mizuki."

Mizuki's body quivered in a mixture of fear and anticipation. _'This time Vlad I won't be overrun like I was before. After all this time I feel that I've become a much stronger duelist, and someone more aware of her own strength. I'll match my mind against your gut instincts. I'll give you a graduation duel worthy of the Strongman of Duelist Academy!'_

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Her room was silent except for slight whispers from her friends who had gathered there. She sat on her bed, her cards laid out in front of her in separate groups. One square pattern of monsters, another for magic cards, and a third for traps. _'I can swap out my Hexagram Curse, Spellbinding Circle…but what card should I replace it with?'_

She picked up the trap and then looked down at her pile of spare cards. "If you're looking for something to replace that trap with, why not take this?"

Everyone in the room looked up in surprise to see that Harrison was standing there, wearing the same outfit he had worn when facing Sanzo in their previous duel. He was also holding out one card in his extended right hand. "If you use this, I'm sure it will aid you."

Mizuki hopped off the bed and walked up, then reached out for the card. Instead of taking it her hand closed around Harrison's and forced it to curl up, closing the card in his palm. "I'm sorry Harrison, but even though you're being nice I can't accept that. If I don't face Vlad under my own strength then I'll never know whether I was worthy to be chosen to duel him."

Harrison looked at her silently for a moment before withdrawing his hand. "I honestly didn't expect you to take it. Truthfully I came to wish you good luck in your duel against Vlad. I want to see your level of improvement just as much as he does."

He turned around and walked to the door, pausing at it before exiting. "Keep in mind that though this is your final duel of the year, I'll be here next year. And I fully expect to face you again next year, not as the Dark Prince but as the Dark Kaiser. So use this opportunity to grow and become stronger so that you might push me farther as a duelist when we meet again on the field of battle."

Mizuki grinned and gave him a thumbs up, which he ignored. "Sure thing Harrison. You know, you may act like a complete grouch but you're not that bad a guy once somebody gets to know you."

Harrison snorted and pushed the door open. "Don't say such ridiculous things." Then he let the door close behind him.

She looked back at the piles of cards on her deck, and then at the Spellbinding Circle card that she still held in her hand. _'Ridiculous huh? Thanks Harrison…you helped me more than you could ever know.'_

Her free hand clenched into a fist and she began to smirk. _'Vlad, I've figured out exactly how to defeat you! Get ready, because I'm coming!'_

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At last the day had come, and every single student was in the arena theater, waiting for the two duelists who stood opposite each other to begin their duel. Mizuki looked surprisingly confident and Vlad looked happy. "Mizuki, I hope you'll enjoy this duel as much as I plan to. Do your best!"

Mizuki nodded, still smiling as she held out her deck to Vlad and accepted his. The two shuffled each other's decks as per standard rules. "I plan to enjoy this to its conclusion Vlad, and I intend to take you down!"

Vlad let out a booming laugh and handed her deck back. "Excellent! That's the sort of spirit that makes me want to face you! Now, let's duel!"

Mizuki returned Vlad's deck and then walked over to her side of the field. At once they spun around on their heels and slammed their decks into place. "Duel!" (MLP: 4000) (VLP: 4000)

As the two drew their opening hands Mizuki looked up at Vlad and winked. "Go ahead Vlad; I'd like to take the second turn this time if you don't mind."

He blinked, but shrugged his shoulders and snapped a card off his deck. "If that's what you want then I won't disappoint you! And as normal since I have no monsters in my hand or on my field I can add Strongman to my hand!"

A card ejected from his deck and he picked it up. Mizuki could almost feel the power of that card already. "Again, though he is a level seven since I have no monsters in hand or on field besides him I can normal summon him without tribute. Go, Strongman (1900/1200)!"

Entering the field with a double front-flip was none other than the infamous Strongman, a huge muscular wrestler wearing little else but a spandex skintight outfit. Mizuki grinned. "I'll beat Strongman and you, so let's see how tough he can be."

"Ha! I love your enthusiasm in this duel. So show me what you can do in your turn. I place two cards face down and conclude my own turn." Mizuki nodded and drew once fairly slowly despite her enthusiastic words. She registered each card in her hand and then picked out one.

A shimmering shape appeared on her field, and then formed into a man in glowing white armor wielding a white sword in his right hand and with a bow and quiver slung over his back. "Rune Centurion (1800/1500) is going to start me off. And guess what?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow, curious as to why she seemed so confident in a weaker monster than his Strongman. "What?"

Mizuki raised her right arm and pointed with her index finger at Strongman. "Rune Centurion, attack Strongman! Go get him!"

The Strongman of Duelist Academy blinked in surprise when the rune monster raced towards certain doom at the hands of his key monster. "You seem to have forgotten attack strength in your rush. Strongman counterattacks!"

Strongman reeled back one fist and then slammed it into Rune Centurion's face. The rune monster was sent shooting backwards all the way over Mizuki's head. When he finally crashed to the ground he was blown apart by the force. "Dang, guess you're right Vlad, he was stronger." (MLP: 3900)

"That's not all; when Strongman destroys a monster in battle he gains one hundred attack points for each level of the destroyed monster. Flex your muscles Strongman!" Strongman did just that, his holographic attack point counter ticking up to twenty-three hundred as he did so.

Mizuki rubbed the back of her head, looking embarrassed. "Gee, guess I'm not as ready for this duel as I thought. So I'll just set one card face down and end my turn."

Vlad drew for the start of his turn and narrowed his eyes at the card he saw. "I begin my turn by summoning Ultimate Trainer (0/0) to the field. This monster will assist Strongman!"

A much smaller grey haired man walked out onto the field wearing sweats and jogging pants, with a towel slung over his shoulders. Strongman gave him a salute by placing a meaty fist against his chest. "During my next turn you'll see their strength together. For now Strongman attacks!"

Instead of Strongman striking Mizuki he just remained standing still. Mizuki chuckled and pulled the card she had set out of her duel disk. "Sorry, but I activated Rune Symbol-Ingwaz which prevents you from attacking for three turns counting on your end phases."

Without pause Vlad thrust his right hand out over his left face down card. "Reverse card open, Strongman's Questing Fist! When Strongman is in play I may sacrifice a card on my field to destroy two cards in your hands!"

His second face down card shook and then shattered. "By sacrificing my other face down card I fulfill the cost, and now the two cards on the right of your hand will be destroyed!"

Mizuki sighed and folded up those two cards, and then slid them into her graveyard slot. "Okay, so those two are out of commission. Anything else?"

"Indeed there is, although not much. I place one card face down and bring my turn to an end!" As Mizuki drew the crowd waited with baited breath, hoping to see her make a saner move this turn.

"Hmmm…ooo, I know what I'm going to do. I summon Rune Soldier (1800/1800) to the field!" A white robed blonde man holding a sword shimmered out of the card she had placed onto her duel disk. He swished his sword through the air and then pointed it at Strongman.

She stared at her hand hard for a second, and then snapped her fingers as if remembering something. "Okay, I'm coming for you Vlad! Rune Soldier attacks Strongman right now!"

Vlad blinked and the crowd had a collective sweat drop. _'How strange…she didn't even try to attack my Ultimate Trainer despite its zero attack points. Instead she went straight for Strongman, which she knows must be stronger. In other words that soldier must have an attack increase effect!'_

He pointed at his face down card and grinned. "Sorry Mizuki but your plan is a failure! Iron Abs negates one attack on Strongman and destroys the attacking monster as if battle had been conducted!"

Strongman flexed his body, his abs shining as he did so. The bright light shone out over Rune Soldier, who screamed a battle cry and suddenly the glow receded. "What is this?"

"Guess you never saw my academy entrance exam, because I used this monster quite a bit. When directly targeted by a trap card Rune Soldier negates the trap and destroys it! Which means his attack continues!" Vlad scratched his head in confusion as Strongman blocked the sword attack with his left arm and then decked Soldier with his right.

"Ah…but it has no attack increase effect? But then your monster is slain and Strongman gains another four hundred attack points. Why do such a thing?" Mizuki grinned broadly with her eyes closed as her monster shattered and her life points took a hit. At the same time Strongman's attack points rose to twenty-seven hundred. (MLP: 3400)

"You know, I guess I just got carried away again. So I'll end my turn at that." Vlad frowned and slowly reached for his deck. Nothing she was doing was making sense to him.

"During my standby phase Ultimate Trainer increases the attack points of every Strongman in play by three hundred." Ultimate Trainer stepped up and began to massage Strongman's broad shoulders. The big man sighed in relaxation, his attack points rising up to three thousand.

"Next I'll activate Power Press to permanently raise Strongman's attack points by five hundred. Now even the mightiest of monsters tremble at his strength." Strongman's muscles rippled and grew as his attack points once again raised. This time they struck up to thirty-five hundred, more than most monsters in the game had at their disposal.

"Finally since I still can't attack I'll set one card face down and end. Your turn Mizuki." The female Ra Yellow student continued to grin as she drew, and then casually slapped the card onto her duel disk.

"This time I'll bring out somebody a bit stronger. Rune Berserker (2000/1200) is my choice of monster!" Her own muscular monster growled as its flesh rippled with runic symbols. It matched eyes with Strongman, despite the vast difference in power.

"Strong though he is he can't defeat my Strongman." Mizuki nodded and shifted her gaze to Ultimate Trainer.

"Yeah, but as long as you have a Strongman in play Ultimate Trainer cannot be the target of battle. Which means I've got a choice to make. A tough choice at that." Mizuki rubbed her chin as if in deep thought, but the smile on her face made it obvious that she wasn't serious.

"Okay, my decision is made. And I've decided to have Berserker attack Strongman!" Vlad slapped a hand against his head and stared in confusion as the two muscular monsters grappled, ending in Strongman hurling Berserker bodily through the air. (MLP: 1900)

"Have you really gone crazy little one? I don't follow what you're doing at all. So far all you've done is suicide your monsters into my mighty Strongman and waste your life points." Strongman's attack strength powered up as he spoke, reaching thirty-nine hundred.

"I guess maybe you're right. I haven't been playing very well so far, I've just been making really amateur fights. So I suppose that means my turn is over." The crowd whispered amongst themselves while Vlad prepared himself for his turn. They knew that this was his last turn without the ability to attack, but they were mostly focused on why Mizuki was dueling like this.

_'No, Mizuki isn't being foolish or reckless. She's a very tactical and intelligent duelist. Which means that she has something planned and is trying to fool me. She's doing quite well at it so far, as I have no idea what she's up to.'_ He grinned as wide as he could and looked down at his three cards in hand.

Up in the stands all of the students save a handful thought that Mizuki had lost it. Only her friends knew that she was planning something. But the one who seemed to see it most of all was the idiotically grinning Shiro. "I get it…so that's what you meant. Go Mizuki!"

Sanzo eyed Shiro askance, not sure what to make of the younger teen's response. "What do you mean you get it? What is she trying to do?"

Shiro smirked and rubbed the bottom of his nose. "Heh, looks like I finally figured out somebody's strategy before you did. Then again, this strategy is so totally my style."

_'Shiro's style? How is suiciding your monsters in his style? I don't understand this at all. What does he see that I don't?'_ He looked down at the arena where Vlad was currently making his own decisions for the turn. On the other side Mizuki looked happy and confident, despite the fact that she had already lost half of her life points.

Vlad pointed to Ultimate Trainer who moved in to massage Strongman. "During my standby phase Strongman has his attack points increased by three hundred up to forty-two hundred total attack points. Now only a few monsters in the entire game can defeat him in battle."

He slammed a card from his hand into his duel disk, smirking. "Strongman 6-Hit Combo activates! Now you draw until you hold six cards and for each one Strongman gains five hundred attack points."

Mizuki reached for her deck and slid three cards off the top. As soon as she was finished Strongman's attack points shot upwards again until they rested at fifty-seven hundred. "You see? Strongman now surpasses even the mightiest monsters in the game."

"I see that alright, he's a mighty monster indeed. But still, Ingwaz remains in effect until the end of this turn." Vlad nodded and tapped his duel disk, indicating that his turn was over. So Mizuki drew to start up her turn.

She fanned out her seven card hand and then took her two oldest cards and slid them into her deck. "I set up two cards and then I'll set a monster in defense mode. End turn."

Vlad drew again, feeling somewhat worried as he looked over what she had down on the field. "Strongman gains three hundred attack points, placing him at six thousand attack points."

"Next I equip Strongman with Invulnerable Physique which prevents him from being destroyed in battle or through targeted effects. And now he's going to attack your set monster!" Strongman barreled forwards and swung his fist down at the set monster.

"Reverse card open, Rune Symbol-Uruz reduces your monster's attack points by half for the duration of the turn!" Vlad blinked as Strongman's attack fell all the way to three thousand. But still it plowed through her set monster.

"What point was there in activating that Rune Symbol?" Mizuki grinned and instead of answering held up her destroyed monster, which he recognized from their first duel.

"When Rune Mystic (1500/1300) is destroyed while on the field I get two choices. Destroy one card on the field or draw two cards. Since Strongman is invulnerable I choose option two." She drew twice, restoring her hand of most of the cards she had used in her previous turn.

"You are behaving truly oddly. I also don't trust any of this, but I'll just continue playing with my gut instinct. Strongman gains four hundred attack points and then my turn ends." As soon as his turn was over his monster's attack points returned to normal, reaching sixty-four hundred in total.

Mizuki drew calmly and quietly, and then placed her drawn card onto her duel disk. "I set one monster onto my field and then end my turn."

He scowled at her simplistic move and drew harshly. With a frown on his face he motioned to Ultimate Trainer. "Strongman now achieves sixty-seven hundred attack points, and he'll now use those attack points even more effectively as I equip him with Spear Barbell, which raises his attack by three hundred and gives him a trample ability."

Now Strongman's attack points reached a dead even attack strength of seven thousand, more than any other monster in the entire game could boast of having. Not even one that was a powerful fusion. "Strongman attacks your monster right now!"

"You should recognize this card; it's Rune Symbol-Tiwaz! It negates your monster's attack and adds its attack strength to my life points!" Vlad's eyes widened as Strongman's strike was blocked and a huge amount of energy surged from his fist and into her duel disk. (MLP: 8900)

She laughed brightly and the entire crowd gasped at the sight of how high her life points had become. "See, looks like it's not wise to always have a huge amount of attack points. Sometimes that becomes a liability."

"I see, you were holding that card in your hand from the beginning of this duel and merely waited for the opportune moment to play it. You certainly are a clever girl, I'll give you that." Mizuki grinned smugly, looking more than just pleased with herself.

"Oh there's more where that came from, so just watch yourself!" Vlad nodded and concluded his turn, giving it to Mizuki.

She barely noticed what she had drawn, instead her eyes drifted shut. The room tensed up, many of them recognizing what she was doing. Vlad blinked and then looked down at his duel disk. _'So she used Ingwaz in order to delay until it was past the tenth turn so she could use her Rune Lay-Outs then? No…there has to be more to her plan than that.'_

One by one three cards appeared face down on her field, all of them glowing. "The first card, which cannot be reversed, is Ingwaz. At this moment Ingwaz represents a simple strength, which which Strongman possesses and overuses. Simple brutal power."

Her second card flipped up as she continued humming, diving Vlad's future. "Uruz in reversed position is a sign that misdirected force, such as that of Strongman, leads to weakness."

Vlad felt his body shiver in excitement, eager to know what the result of the divination was going to be. _'In our first duel she never reached this far, so now let's see what she can do with it!'_

Last but not least the third card flipped up, connecting them all in a chain of blinding blue light. "Third of the lay-out is Tiwaz in reversed position! It marks a blockage of one's energy flow and a failure in competition. Strongman, who has misdirected his simplistic strength will now have his energy flow blocked and be defeated!"

The Strongman's eyes widened as that energy lanced out from her three card lay-out and struck his key monster head on. Strongman gasped in pain as his body began to shrink, shriveling up until his muscles were gone and his body was wrinkled and old. "What have you done to Strongman?"

Mizuki smirked and opened her eyes, a ball of blue light floating away from Strongman and hovering above her duel disk. "In duel terms my Rune Lay-Out let me select one monster in play which has dealt me at least a thousand points of damage which has more than two thousand attack. I reduce its attack to zero and then gain those attack points as life points!"

She pushed the orb of light into her duel disk and instantly her life points shot up, even as Strongman's attack points fell to nothing. "Thanks for the life points Vlad; you've given me plenty to work with!" (MLP: 15900)

Vlad blinked in surprise, barely able to believe that his monster had been stripped of its brutal power. "How ridiculous! You attacked me to drain your life points all in order to reduce Strongman's attack points and make him stronger so that your life gain would be greater?"

"That's right, and that's the way to defeat the Strongman of Duelist Academy and his key monster! I figured it out thanks to a comment from another duelist, and by taking a page out of a friend of mine. The way to beat you is by making ridiculous plays that are self-risking but have an ultimate gain but make them seem foolish while preparing. The duel style of a prankster!" She flashed a grin up at the stands, specifically looking at Shiro.

Shiro grinned right back and gave her a thumbs up. Then he turned to look at Sanzo and stuck his tongue out. "See, I told you it was my style. I _am_ a prankster after all."

Mizuki held up one finger, looking utterly confident. "By playing somewhat recklessly but still defending a player can push Strongman into a position of ludicrous strength which can be exploited. And since you can rarely have more than one Strongman in play all I have to do is prevent a direct attack and I remain safe. Strongman's weakness is that ridiculous power of his!"

She reached for her duel disk and flipped up her set monster. "And I'm going to continue to capitalize on that opening caused by using its strength as a weakness. Rune Ninja (1700/1200) appears and attacks!"

A man in a white ninja outfit appeared and then zipped across the field. He struck Strongman in the head with a roundhouse, tossing him backwards. But because of Invulnerable Physique he wasn't destroyed. (VLP: 2300)

Mizuki then snapped her fingers. "Rune Ninja can attack twice during each battle phase, so here he comes again!"

Rune Ninja didn't stop there; he planted his hands on the ground and then swung his other leg up, catching Strongman in the chin. The once mighty monster stumbled backwards again, but didn't fall. "He's not so tough anymore is he Vlad?" (VLP: 600)

Without skipping a beat she picked up her monster off of her duel disk and placed a new one down. "I tribute Rune Ninja to summon Rune Blader (2300/2300) in attack mode."

A more mature and hardened version of Rune Soldier appeared, this one holding one sword in each hand. "I place two cards face down and end my turn! You see Vlad; I told you I had figured you out. That power you've got is your weakness, and I'll exploit it until the end!"

Vlad placed two fingers on his top card, smiling despite the fact that he was losing by a fair margin. The entire audience watched with great anticipation, hoping to see some sort of incredible move by their mighty Strongman. "You've certainly improved Mizuki and I must say that I'm enjoying this duel fully. But if you believe I'll give up when a duel has gotten this exciting then you've got something else coming. I can feel your heart burning in this duel, so let me show you my burning strength!"

He snapped a card off his deck and his eyes narrowed. "From this turn onwards I stop holding back. Prepare yourself Mizuki!"

Mizuki gestured towards her body with her hand, beckoning him on. "That's exactly what I want Vlad. Bring it on and I'll throw that strength of yours back in your face!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Mizuki holds the advantage right now, but will it last? Let's find out.

_Next Time: The graduation duel rockets towards as a burning conclusion as Mizuki and Vlad throw their power into the duel. Yet the more Mizuki struggles it seems the stronger Vlad gets. Beating the Strongman of Duelist Academy may be impossible for Mizuki, but she has no intention of giving up. She won't stop until one player's life points hit zero, even if that player is her._

_See it all in, VS Strongman; Burning Conclusion!_


	29. VS Strongman Burning Conclusion!

Author's Note: And now, ladies and gentlemen, the conclusion to the first season of Rising Star to Heaven. Let's see just how Mizuki's duel with Vlad turns out!

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: VS Strongman; Burning Conclusion!**

_The Strongman's eyes widened as that energy lanced out from her three card lay-out and struck his key monster head on. Strongman gasped in pain as his body began to shrink, shriveling up until his muscles were gone and his body was wrinkled and old. "What have you done to Strongman?"_

_Mizuki smirked and opened her eyes, a ball of blue light floating away from Strongman and hovering above her duel disk. "In duel terms my Rune Lay-Out let me select one monster in play which has dealt me at least a thousand points of damage which has more than two thousand attack. I reduce its attack to zero and then gain those attack points as life points!"_

_She pushed the orb of light into her duel disk and instantly her life points shot up, even as Strongman's attack points fell to nothing. "Thanks for the life points Vlad; you've given me plenty to work with!" (MLP: 15900)_

_Vlad blinked in surprise, barely able to believe that his monster had been stripped of its brutal power. "How ridiculous! You attacked me to drain your life points all in order to reduce Strongman's attack points and make him stronger so that your life gain would be greater?"_

_"That's right, and that's the way to defeat the Strongman of Duelist Academy and his key monster! I figured it out thanks to a comment from another duelist, and by taking a page out of a friend of mine. The way to beat you is by making ridiculous plays that are self-risking but have an ultimate gain but make them seem foolish while preparing. The duel style of a prankster!" She flashed a grin up at the stands, specifically looking at Shiro._

_Shiro grinned right back and gave her a thumbs up. Then he turned to look at Sanzo and stuck his tongue out. "See, I told you it was my style. I am a prankster after all."_

_Mizuki held up one finger, looking utterly confident. "By playing somewhat recklessly but still defending a player can push Strongman into a position of ludicrous strength which can be exploited. And since you can rarely have more than one Strongman in play all I have to do is prevent a direct attack and I remain safe. Strongman's weakness is that ridiculous power of his!"_

_She reached for her duel disk and flipped up her set monster. "And I'm going to continue to capitalize on that opening caused by using its strength as a weakness. Rune Ninja (1700/1200) appears and attacks!"_

_A man in a white ninja outfit appeared and then zipped across the field. He struck Strongman in the head with a roundhouse, tossing him backwards. But because of Invulnerable Physique he wasn't destroyed. (VLP: 2300)_

_Mizuki then snapped her fingers. "Rune Ninja can attack twice during each battle phase, so here he comes again!"_

_Rune Ninja didn't stop there; he planted his hands on the ground and then swung his other leg up, catching Strongman in the chin. The once mighty monster stumbled backwards again, but didn't fall. "He's not so tough anymore is he Vlad?" (VLP: 600)_

_Without skipping a beat she picked up her monster off of her duel disk and placed a new one down. "I tribute Rune Ninja to summon Rune Blader (2300/2300) in attack mode."_

_A more mature and hardened version of Rune Soldier appeared, this one holding one sword in each hand. "I place two cards face down and end my turn! You see Vlad; I told you I had figured you out. That power you've got is your weakness, and I'll exploit it until the end!"_

_Vlad placed two fingers on his top card, smiling despite the fact that he was losing by a fair margin. The entire audience watched with great anticipation, hoping to see some sort of incredible move by their mighty Strongman. "You've certainly improved Mizuki and I must say that I'm enjoying this duel fully. But if you believe I'll give up when a duel has gotten this exciting then you've got something else coming. I can feel your heart burning in this duel, so let me show you my burning strength!"_

_He snapped a card off his deck and his eyes narrowed. "From this turn onwards I stop holding back. Prepare yourself Mizuki!"_

_Mizuki gestured towards her body with her hand, beckoning him on. "That's exactly what I want Vlad. Bring it on and I'll throw that strength of yours back in your face!"_

Vlad fanned out the three cards in his hand and watched as his Strongman's muscles rippled. "Ultimate Trainer once more grants Strongman three hundred attack points, though at this point that's hardly meaningful."

He snapped around the drawn card and the weak Strongman held up his fist which was engulfed in flame. "Although Strongman himself may not have much attack power at the moment he is far from defenseless. I play Strong-arm Strike!"

Strongman jumped into the air and then came crashing down, his fist striking Rune Blader in the jaw. The monster stumbled backwards and then exploded as if hit by a missile. "This magic card destroys a monster on your field and then inflicts you damage equal to its level times three hundred. You should know that, since I beat you with this card before." (MLP: 14100)

Mizuki shook off the damage and then pointed at her right face down card. "I'm not going down just because one monster fell. Rune Curse-Degradation now destroys the top six cards of your deck!"

Vlad picked up six cards and looked through them all. Then he pushed them into his graveyard. "Very well little one. Strongman, attack directly!"

She didn't even flinch when the severely weakened monster punched her lightly in the shoulders, his weak muscles barely holding up after that. "At this point three hundred damage is nothing to me." (MLP: 13800)

He shook his head and then held up another of his cards. "That was far from the only reason for that. You see, I wanted Rune Blader in the grave first before activating this card. Battle Training Ground!"

Mizuki's eyes widened as five straw dummies appeared on her field, their stats rising up to only minimal levels. "What is this?"

"Battle Training Ground fills your available monster zones with Training Dummy Tokens (600/600) whose level is equal to the highest level monster in your grave. They have one hundred attack and defense points per level. Also, they cannot be sacrificed." Mizuki frowned, realizing she now had a packed field full of nearly useless monsters. And it wouldn't be long before Strongman was more powerful than they were.

Finally Vlad took the last card in his hand and slipped it into his duel disk. "Turn End!"

She drew; feeling only mildly surprised at how much Vlad had managed to do with his turn. _'Despite my advantage of field, hand, and life points he turned the situation somewhat to his own advantage that quickly. He's really just as strong as ever, and that's just perfect!'_

"I have one of my Training Dummy Tokens attack Strongman!" One of the Straw Dummies stretched its arm out and fired off a barrage of straw needles, which flew towards the weakened Strongman.

Vlad pointed to his first face down card and it flipped up. "Reverse card open, Strongman Body Curl! This switches Strongman to defense mode and increases his defense strength by the defense of the attacking monster!"

Strongman curled himself into a ball and the straw needles bounced off harmlessly as his defense rose to eighteen hundred. "Damn…" (MLP: 12600)

"That's not all! I activate my set trap card, Strong-arm Destruction Punch! When an attacking monster attacks a monster with superior defense it is destroyed as if in battle. Damage calculation still applies!" The dummy token shattered, spraying needles all over Mizuki.

"Strongman is considered to have defeated that monster in battle, so now he gains six hundred attack points thanks to the level of the defeated foe!" Strongman's attack also rose, this time to a fairly mediocre nine hundred attack points.

Mizuki paused to collect herself and then selected two cards from her hand. "I set one monster and one card face down. End turn."

Vlad top-decked, looking perfectly confident despite the fact that his Strongman was weak. "Ultimate Trainer boosts him up to twelve hundred attack points. And now he attacks a Training Dummy Token!"

She pressed a button on her antiquated duel disk and her newest set card flipped up. "Rune Symbol-Hagalaz has a reverse effect that destroys all magic and trap cards on the field! And when Invulnerable Physique goes to the cemetery so does Strongman!"

He frowned as Strongman and his two attached cards were pricked like bubbles, leaving him with nothing but his Ultimate Trainer in play. "You also lost a card."

"True, but that's not the issue here. Your problem is now that all you've got is your weak trainer, and then that's all." Vlad tapped a finger against his chin, then grinned and slid his newest card into his disk.

"Oh well, I switch Ultimate Trainer into defense mode and end." Mizuki frowned and drew, pumping her hand up to four cards. Something about Vlad's confidence didn't sit well with her.

Mizuki reached down for her set monster and flipped it over. "I flip summon Rune Researcher (400/400) whose flip effect lets me add two cards with 'rune' in their title back to my hand from the grave!"

She held up her two chosen cards and then plugged one of them into her duel disk. "Rune Symbol-Hagalaz's standard effect destroys one magic or trap card on the field, so I target that lone face down card on your field!"

Vlad quickly reacted, activating his set card. "Go, Mega Body Slam! By removing the Strongman in my cemetery from the game I can destroy all monsters on your field whose base attack is lower than the last known attack points of that Strongman!"

Mizuki flinched when a heavy blast of wind struck her five monsters, blowing them into tiny pieces. "That's just fine with me! Rune Lancer (1600/1200) in attack mode!"

Her new blonde monster wore the same robes as the other, but held a lance in his hands which had glowing runic symbols on it. "Rune Lancer attack and destroy Ultimate Trainer!"

With a simple stab of its lance the rune monster destroyed Ultimate Trainer, leaving Vlad's field completely and utterly barren. "I set up one card and end my turn!"

Vlad drew and Mizuki's eyes immediately widened as she realized her mistake. _'Oh no…I forgot!'_

"Since I have no monsters on my field or in my hand I add Strongman from my deck to my hand. And now I normal summon him. Strongman (1900/1200) returns!" The original muscular form of Vlad's ultimate and virtually only monster jumped out onto the field, flexing like never before.

"Strongman attacks Rune Lancer!" She winced when he decked her lancer, destroying him. Though the damage was minimal, Strongman still gained attack points and was back again. (MLP: 12300)

"Open trap card, Rune Curse-Degradation! You just destroyed a four star monster so there go four more cards from your deck!" Vlad nodded and without complaint discarded an additional four cards off of his deck.

"Since I have just this one card in my hand I'll set it face down. End." The crowd whispered amongst itself, all of them impressed at seeing how Vlad had taken control of the duel back for himself despite Mizuki's original advantage.

'_Stay calm Mizuki. He's got control right now but in his deck its almost impossible to direct attack. So it'll take him a while to drain my life points even if he retains Strongman. And he still has that weakness of his strength.'_ Taking a deep breath to reaffirm her determination she drew.

She looked over her four card hand, and made her decisions. _'Good, now I've got a monster besides Fencer, and I need that ability to attack. His face down card is worrying me though.'_

Finally she was ready with her plan and slapped down her chosen monster. "Rune Fencer (1700/1500) is a monster you should definitely recognize Vlad!"

"Indeed I do recognize your fencer; it caused me quite a bit of trouble during our first duel with its unique ability." The white clothed fencer swished his rapier, preparing to attack. He pulled his mask down as a sign of readiness.

"Good, because here he comes! Fencer, attack!" The fencer poked his sword into Strongman's chest, doing absolutely no damage.

"When Fencer attacks a monster that monster loses five hundred points from its active stat. So now Strongman falls to eighteen hundred attack points!" Strongman shuddered as his attack points fell. Although it wasn't to a terribly small amount it wasn't as great as it might have been.

With one last glance down at her hand Mizuki took a deep breath and set one of those cards onto the field. "I end my turn there."

Again Vlad top-decked, but he seemed confident now that he had control. "Strongman, attack and destroy Rune Fencer!"

Mizuki's hand hovered right next to her waiting set card, but she did nothing as Strongman's fist crashed through her Rune Fencer's head, finishing him off. "When Rune Fencer is destroyed in battle I take no life point damage."

"Yes, I remember quite well little one. However, in chain to your monster's destruction I play Strongman Shadow Strike, which activates after Strongman defeats a monster in battle." Strongman made some swift jabs at the air, and almost as if he were standing right in front of Mizuki she took a hit to the chest and toppled over. (MLP: 11300)

She rubbed her jaw as she stood back up, looking irritated at having taken that punch. "So when Strongman destroys a monster in battle Strongman Shadow Strike deals the opponent a thousand points of damage?"

"You guess correctly, and now he gains four hundred attack points, nearly undoing the damage your Fencer had done." Strongman rubbed his right bicep, grinning as it pumped up in size, raising his attack points to twenty-two hundred.

Suddenly Mizuki pressed the button on her disk to activate her set card. "You may have killed my fencer but you fell for the trap. Rune Curse-Weakening now drains your monster of the attack points of Rune Fencer!"

Strongman's muscles shrunk just as they had when she used her Rune Lay-Out on him. Only instead of falling to zero attack points he only fell to five hundred. "Ah, I see. You wanted me to think you were just trying for Fencer's effect to reduce my Strongman's attack. Clever of you little one."

"Clever is my middle name Vlad and I'll be using every bit of cleverness I have to win this duel!" She winked at Vlad, looking just as confident as she had earlier in the duel. Yet Vlad could see the difference.

"Yes…but I can see it now in your eyes and from your heart. Now is a time of cleverness where your wits and instincts are applied to this duel, rather than pre-planning. Your strategy is evolving just as you have evolved this past year. A duel with just superficial cleverness is something nobody wants to see, me least of all!" Mizuki's grin dropped and her eyes glazed over.

She stared at the two cards in her hand and frowned, deep in thought. _'Vlad…he's right. Just as before he's got a lesson to teach me.'_

Standing at the front of audience and leaning against the railing as he always did was Harrison, and he was watching the duel intently. "Mizuki, if you're going to win this duel then you're going to have play by your own style. Dueling in the way you think is best to defeat Vlad through pre-planning is as much cowardice as what Tobias did. That's not how you duel, is it?"

Mizuki's eyes drifted closed as she pictured her toughest duels this year. Facing Vlad, facing Ensui, against Harrison, and against Tobias. In each duel she had fought with everything she had, going into the duel without knowledge ahead of time about her opponent's style and she had figured out how to fight them on her own skills and knowledge. _'My strategy is clever and the way to beat Strongman, but I've already used that trick. In other words, it has to evolve through my own skill and not just be determined by others.'_

'_Win, win, win. I've been thinking of winning this whole time as if it were the most important thing in the world. I was going to prove to Vlad that I had grown strong enough to beat him, but that's not the point of this duel is it? Victory or defeat isn't the way that Vlad duels, and this duel is for him, not for me!'_ Her breathing slowed as she calmed herself down, and the audience began to whisper amongst themselves, now thoroughly confused.

'_Victory or defeat is just the outcomes of a duel, and not what the duel is about! The duel is about the duel, it's about two people's hearts clashing together as strongly as they can, opposing each other with all their might!'_ Vlad smiled warmly as she snapped her cards together and began to thread them through her hands as her eyes slowly opened.

At the same time Harrison, Vlad, Shiro, and Sanzo all smiled when they saw her eyes. At the same time they thought the same thing. _'Her eyes are just as they normally are. She's back to herself and prepared to duel like she wants to.'_

"Vlad, all that superficial cleverness is gone! I'm going to duel you by combining my talents of analysis and my own gut instinct, just like you wanted. And then I'm going to give you everything I have in this duel, to make it worthy of your graduation!" She fanned her cards out in one slick motion and drew with her other hand, beginning her turn.

She took a different card from her hand and slapped it down onto the duel disk. "Whether my life points hit zero first or yours do that's not what's important. What does matter is that we both put our all into this duel and show our strength to each other! Let everyone here see that we're duelists first and foremost!"

Her field shimmered and a familiar blonde in white robes appeared, runic symbols flowing across gauntlets on his fists. "Rune Fighter (1650/1200) is my choice to strike! Attack and defeat Strongman!"

Vlad laughed and put his left hand out over his set card. "Your determination is wonderful little one, and I'll answer it with the beating of my own duelist's heart and the determination to not back down! Strongman Uppercut increases Strongman's attack by eight hundred for the turn!"

Mizuki grinned and leaned in, excited as her Rune Fighter decked Strongman. "Good to see that you don't go down from just one hit, but the duel's getting closer to the end and I've got way more life points than you!" (VLP: 250)

"Ho-ho, that's exactly what makes this duel so very interesting little one! If we both must struggle, you to oppose my strength and me to overcome your life points then we have a goal in it. And that makes the duel exciting and pushes us both!" Seeing his huge grin Mizuki's grin grew wider as she enjoyed the feeling of a fun and challenging duel.

"Vlad, you're an amazing opponent. You don't play like your perfect, but you're the most amazingly strong duelist I've ever faced. It's like no matter how strong your opposition is all you have to do is strive harder and you'll defeat them. That's why you're an inspiration to every duelist in this school, and that's why I'm going to give you my all in this duel!" She slammed one of her cards into her duel disk and then gave Vlad a two-fingered salute, motioning to him that her turn was over.

He drew and his deck whirred as it spat a card out to him. "Using his effect I add Strongman to my hand and then summon him. Meet the third and final Strongman (1900/1200)!"

Mizuki watched as the wrestler took to the field, prepared to attack her with his full strength. _'This is it; if I can defeat the final Strongman then I've won the duel. This is my last hurdle in this duel. One last foe to defeat!'_

"Strongman go and defeat her Fighter!" Mizuki didn't flinch when her Rune Fighter took a flying elbow to the chest and literally exploded. She did raise an eyebrow in surprise at the sight of the explosion, but blamed it on odd Solid Vision programming.

"When Fighter is destroyed all life point damage to me for the turn is reduced to zero." Vlad nodded, already aware of her monster's effect. He wasn't worried about that, since Strongman had still won and gained four hundred attack points.

"I set one card face down and end."

Mizuki reached for her deck and drew, then smirked. "I activate Rune Symbol-Nauthiz which adds a monster from my cemetery to my hand. And I'll use it to summon Rune Mystic (1500/1300)!"

Her runic priest was summoned to the field and immediately began chanting, rune symbols floating in the air around him. "Rune Mystic, attack Strongman!"

To the crowd's surprise her Mystic plowed into Strongman and was immediately smacked down to the ground. It let out a cry of surprise and then shattered into a million pieces. "You really are determined aren't you little one, costing yourself life points to defeat Strongman." (MLP: 10500)

"You bet I'm determined! When Rune Mystic is destroyed I can either draw two cards or destroy one card on your field. I choose to destroy Strongman, eliminating the final one once and for all!" Strongman grunted and then burst like a bubble, leaving only Vlad's face down card left on his field.

In fact, now all both of them had on the field was a face down card. "With the last Strongman gone, the final challenge of this duel has been met. My turn is over, and so is this duel!"

Everyone in the audience was silent, unable to believe that all three of Vlad's Strongmen had been defeated. Yet the Strongman of Duelist Academy was still smiling. "You're a powerful girl Mizuki, and I love facing you like this. That's why I'll meet you with a last burst of my strength just to see what I'm capable of!"

He drew and Mizuki felt his strength through his eyes and through the force of his draw. _'Little one…I apologize for what is going to happen to you now that your strength has been seen. But this duel must now end!'_

With one flick of his thick wrist he brought up the card he had drawn, letting the entire audience see it. "Coins From Heaven activates, letting each player draw until they hold six cards!"

They drew at the same time, Mizuki taking four and Vlad taking six. Vlad looked down at his cards and then up at her, his eyes burning with something that Mizuki couldn't pinpoint. _'I can feel his strength, but I can't tell what he's thinking.'_

"Mizuki, this is the end! I have had a wonderful duel, but this turn marks the last. To begin with I play Strongman's Farewell Dive Bomb, which activates when I have no Strongman on my hand, in my deck, or on my field. All cards on your field are destroyed!" Mizuki threw up a hand in self-defense as her face down card was blown apart.

"During this turn no cards may be activated from hand or from deck in chain to the attack of a Strongman! And now, I activate Strongman's Ultimate Comeback, which activates only when I have at least one Strongman in my cemetery or out of play pile!" His field started to glow, one spot after another until there was a trio of spaces on his field glowing fiercely.

"In order to activate this card I must pay an entrance fee of half of my life points, but once that is fulfilled I may special summon all Strongmen from my cemetery or out of play pile to the field!" Mizuki's eyes widened when the glows faded and formed into three identical Strongmen, each with their original attack points. (VLP: 125)

With a look of pure determination in his eyes he held up a magic card from his hand picturing Strongman's fists in a flurry, his body burning with energy as he pounded a Master of Oz into the ground. "Strongman's Ultimate 128-Hit Combo is my final card!"

All at once the three Strongmen slammed their fists together and cracked their knuckles, preparing to make their attacks. Vlad raised his right arm and aimed it, palm open, at Mizuki. "All Strongmen in play have their attack strengths quintupled for the turn!"

Strongman (9500/1200 X 3)

Mizuki smiled slowly at the sight of the enormously powerful trio of monsters staring at her. Vlad didn't look quite as happy. "During my end phase, if my opponent's life points are not zero, I lose the duel. Thank you Mizuki for such a wonderful duel where both duelist's hearts beat contently in the struggle against each other."

"It was fun for me as well Vlad, I'm glad I got this one last chance to duel you before you left to make your way in the dueling world. Now come on Strongman, end it with a bang!" Vlad's smile returned and he squeezed his outstretched hand tight.

"Strongman one and two, attack her directly, but don't hurt her." Mizuki closed her eyes as the two Strongmen blurred into motion, appearing in front of her with a flurry of fists far too fast for the human eye to follow. Then at the same time they performed a back-flip away from her, letting her drift to her knees in exhaustion. (MLP: 0)

The holograms faded and the entire audience burst into applause, standing on their feet and clapping furiously. Vlad walked over to Mizuki and reached out with one hand, pulling her to her feet. "Mizuki, you've proven to me that you have enormous potential to be strong, stronger than any duelist I've ever faced. But though that's a blessing, it is also a curse."

Mizuki frowned up at him, not quite following. Vlad stared over her head at a student wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform and standing right by the hallway, his jade eyes staring at Mizuki's back. Then the Obelisk Blue turned and walked away. _'So the point has been proven has it?'_

With complete seriousness Vlad clapped a hand onto Mizuki's right shoulder and looked down at her. "Beware the beautiful saint, for beauty will lead you astray."

"I don't understand." Vlad smiled at last and suddenly picked her up and set her onto his shoulders, so that both could raise their hands into the air to accept the cheers of the crowd.

"You will. Now, enjoy the praise. You've earned their respect, every last one's respect."

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The year had at last come to an end and Mizuki found herself on the boat headed home. Her friends had all taken separate boats, but even though she wouldn't see them for three months she wasn't upset. She would just look forward to seeing them again when the new school year started.

Duelist Academy looked beautiful in the setting sun as they departed, and she gazed out at it feeling at peace. It had been an interesting and exciting year with many challenges and many trials and tribulations. But she had enjoyed it all and was glad she had chosen to come.

"Did you hear? The Saint Corporation just cut a deal with Duelist Academy. Apparently the head of the company has a thing for sponsoring duelists and wants to use Duelist Academy privately to pick out the cream of the crop. Which means he'll be coming to the school for the whole next year to scout duelists for the Pro League!" Mizuki instantly registered the conversation when she heard the word 'saint' and leaned in, listening to two students she didn't recognize talking just a handful of feet away.

The other student looked excited by the news, and also nervous. "That's great, now even I've got a chance at getting sponsored. You know that he's the sponsor for seven high-ranked duelists in the Pro League? They say that if Saint Beatrix sponsors you then you're guaranteed success!"

_"Beware the beautiful saint, for beauty will lead you astray."_

"Is that what he meant? I wonder...who is Saint Beatrix?"

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Author's Note: The first year has come to an end, marking the conclusion to season one of Rising Star to Heaven. But fear not, for the story still has two more seasons to go, two more years at Duelist Academy. Get ready, because next season we'll see new characters and new decks, along with more plot and a villain unlike any you've ever seen!

_Next Time: The second year begins with a heated clash as Mizuki learns something amazing, and Shiro discovers that his new roommate might just be more dangerous than his old one. Yet Mizuki's new roommate has yet to appear, and Aya seems nervous. What new and exciting developments can come with this new year?_

_See it all in, Explosive New Beginnings!_


	30. Explosive New Beginnings!

Author's Note: Here comes season 2!

**Chapter Thirty: Explosive New Beginnings**

"King of Skull Servants (3000/0) attack directly for game!" A skeleton with a long flowing robe charged across the deck of the large boat and slammed bodily into the casually dressed teenager on the other end. The young boy cried out as he fell to the ground, his life points reduced to zero.

Off to the side at the edge of the crowd that had been watching the duel a girl could be seen standing with a slight distance between her and everyone else. She was wearing a dark blue jumper with a hood which all the way down to her ankles, almost complete shrouding her. The hood was also pulled up, making her even more distinctive. _'I hate this…'_

Mizuki sighed, feeling terribly uncomfortable in the outfit. But she knew she would have been even more uncomfortable out of it at this point. She wasn't ready for any of what she knew would come as soon as she was forced into a school uniform. _'I hate being this age…'_

A month ago she had turned sixteen, and she had discovered some very interesting things over the break. But regardless of all that had had happened and hadn't happened over the past three months she was glad to be going back to the academy for her second year. _'Back to see the friends I made. It's sad that Janice won't be here, and the same for Vlad. But I'll get to see Vlad on TV when he duels in the Pro League, so that's okay.'_

She pulled out her dueling deck and flipped through it casually, looking at her cards. _'And with some of the new cards I got over summer my deck should be even better this year. At least now that I have the last few Rune Symbols I was missing.'_

Her dueling deck suddenly went flying and spilled across the deck when someone bumped into her from behind. She yelped and dropped to her knees, frantically trying to pick them up before they got messed up. "Nobody move, you'll step on my cards!"

Everyone around her stopped moving, letting her pick up her cards. Once she had nearly all of them picked up she turned and discovered the rest being held out to her by someone dressed in baggy jeans and a baggy plain blue t-shirt. It was a mousy looking girl with wide glasses, whose eyes Mizuki couldn't place a color to. _'I think she's the most average girl I've ever seen.'_

The mousy girl pushed the cards forward and Mizuki accepted them, beaming happily, her hood flapping around in the wind. "Thanks for helping me pick up my cards."

Instead of giving a reply to that the girl stared at Mizuki's hair and blurted out something she hadn't been expecting. "Your hair is so beautiful, mine doesn't fly like that…it just frizzes. I'm so jealous…"

Mizuki stood and the girl followed her to her feet. "Umm…thank you very much. I'm Mizuki Mitsuhiro; you must be one of the new first years from the area. Do you know what dorm you're in?"

The girl frowned, nibbling on her bottom lip thoughtfully. Her gaze shifted from Mizuki's hair to her eyes, and then scanned casually over the coat she was wearing. "You wear strange clothes, but you have really pretty eyes, mine are just eye colored eyes and yours are such a pretty green. I'm Kara York, pleasure to meet you."

Kara paused for a moment, and then gave Mizuki an obviously unsteady bow, which Mizuki returned. Wanting to pay the uncertain girl a compliment Mizuki went for the first thing she could think of. "Your Japanese is excellent, but I can't place your accent."

Despite Mizuki's intent of complimenting her Kara merely fidgeting, seemingly uncomfortable. "Whenever I talk in Japanese I feel like my roots get in the way, its not flowing like yours. I'm from Pennsylvania, so I'm far from being accurate with Japanese."

Mizuki placed her hand on the other girl's shoulder and smiled warmly at her. "Don't worry, your Japanese is perfect. Other than your appearance nobody could guess that you weren't actually Japanese. So Kara, you didn't say whether you knew what dorm you were going to."

"Ah, I'm not sure exactly. I suppose I'll have to find out after orientation, but I doubt I'll be ranked very high like a lot of the other duelists here. Some of these people have amazing decks while mine is very mediocre. I'm jealous of people who can pull off strategies like that Skull Servant Deck that just dueled, I couldn't do that." Mizuki found herself mentally frowning at the way the girl talked.

_'She has quite the inferiority complex, its like she doesn't believe she's good at anything or for anything and she's jealous of the things she wants to have or be. That's so sad…'_ Mizuki honestly wished she could something, but she didn't know anything about mental disorders, or at least not enough to help.

_'I know, I'll try and become friends with her so that she won't feel as bad. Yep, that'll work!' _With her plan set, Mizuki began to chat it up with the girl. It would be another hour before they reached the island so she had plenty of time.

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The reception speech by the principal was exactly as Mizuki had remembered it from the previous year. The only difference was that this year somehow Shiro, or at least she assumed it was Shiro, had managed to hack the projector and give the principal a big fuzzy moustache.

Kara proved to be strange company and strange conversation, since she tended to talk more in the negative about herself and positive about others. Mizuki wasn't sure yet if she found it more annoying or more depressing. "Well, I'll see you again later. You need to go get your room assignment and uniform from the lines."

Kara bowed to her again and then left in a hurry, leaving Mizuki on her own. However, that only lasted a minute when a long arm was slung over her shoulder and a grinning face with shockingly silver hair hanging out messily in front of his eyes. "Yo Mizuki!"

It took her a second to realize that it wasn't the person with silver hair that she had expected. No, instead of being Sanzo it was Shiro, who looked very self-satisfied with his new hair color. "Hey Shiro, you imitating Sanzo or something?"

Shiro jerked backwards, his arm falling off her shoulder. Then melodramatically he clutched his hands to his chest and stiffened up, acting pained. "Oh how you wound me Mizuki! My heart has been pierced by the arrow of your cruel accusation! I die to dream no more!"

He fell backwards and twitched violently in the throes of fake death. A lot of new students skirted around him, not sure whether he was faking or not, while second and third year students just shook their heads. Once he was still Mizuki came forwards and leaned over him, looking down. "You done grandstanding?"

The sixteen year old boy cracked an eye open and smirked up at Mizuki. "In an immediate or overall sense?"

Mizuki sighed and shook her head, honestly not surprised. "Immediate. I have no illusions about the latter."

"Allusions Mizuki, its Allusions." Mizuki raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder, finding none other than Shiro's double-act and best friend Kane Yukio standing there. He was already wearing his Osiris Red uniform, only now it was more white than red since he was a second year.

She frowned, not sure how to respond to his idiocy. "Yes, of course. How stupid of me, I should have known that."

Kane grinned and folded his arms behind his head. "Yeah, Shiro taught me that last year because I was wrong then."

The sixteen year old girl looked down at the still prone Shiro who smiled innocently up at her. "The more I learn about you the more it all makes sense."

Shiro raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That's good…right?"

Mizuki shrugged and walked past him. "If you like."

As Mizuki walked away Kane bent down and helped Shiro to his feet. They waved to Mizuki and shouted after her. "We'll see you later tonight; we've got to go to our dorm orientation. See ya!"

Mizuki was half-way back to her dorm when she was stopped by a voice calling out her name. She looked around and found a large muscular man with a crew cut running towards her. She made a hasty bow at the sight of him. "Ah, Professor Gorishi, a pleasure to see you."

Since he was Ra Yellow's dorm head Mizuki always felt the need to be polite to him, and being a strict man he responded well to that sort of attitude. "No time for pleasantries Mitsuhiro, you've been asked to report to Principal Tantei's office."

Mizuki gulped and turned around, giving Gorishi one last bow before she raced off towards the main building which housed most of the classrooms and the dorm head offices, along with the principal's room. By the time she got there she was breathing heavily and had to pause right outside to catch her breath. _'Okay, stay calm; you can't have done anything wrong yet.'_

When she opened the door she saw Tantei sitting at his deck, looking almost older than he did when on the holographic projectors. His gray hair was also thinner as it sat upon his head and he appeared worried. "Ah, Miss Mitsuhiro, I've been expecting you. Please, sit down."

She very slowly pulled a seat out and plopped herself down. Her coat covered her body very well, so the nervous twitching of her left leg went unnoticed by the principal. He looked curiously at her outfit, but quickly brushed it off. "It has come to my attention that you've already either taken our most advanced mathematics courses or passed exams for the rest. With that in mind it means we have no other math courses to offer you at this level. So I had something else in mind for you."

"What would that be sir?" Tantei pushed a document across his desk so that it was close to Mizuki. When she looked at it questioningly he smiled, prompting her to pick it up.

"You see, if you remember we had one professor trying to run or most advanced math courses, and he's found it very stressful. Therefore by his recommendation and by agreement with the Board of Directors we've decided to invent you to be a sort of Temporary Professor, purely for the Advanced Math and Monsters class. That is, if you'd like to accept it." Mizuki stared blankly at the sheet of paper, then up at him, and then back at the paper.

"You want me to teach the hardest math class at the school? This contract says I would get paid too…so I'd be doing it as if it were a class and a job?" Principal Tantei smiled warmly and folded his arms on the desk.

"Yes, that's correct. You have two days to think about it, but after that the offer is void. I understand if you're unsure if you can carry the work load, so it's purely up to you." Mizuki looked down at the paper one last time and then jumped to her feet, her smile so broad that Tantei was certain she'd break her face with it.

"Principal Tantei…I accept! You just made my year!"

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In the Osiris Red dormitory Shiro was busy reorganizing his things in the room he shared with Kane. Of course his form of organization was random as he tossed things into new drawers, desperately trying to ignore the thing sitting in the corner of the room and glaring at him.

Finally he couldn't take it anymore and he turned around, his left eye twitched. "Oi, what the crap is wrong with you? You've been sitting there glaring at me this whole time and haven't said a damned word!"

The target of his wrath was a very small skinny first year Osiris Red who looked like he was going to fall out of his uniform. His eyes were a very deep blue and his hair was pitch black and cut into a bowel shape, but he had a very angry look all the time. It made him look bigger than he was. "I'm allowed to glare at you ya big oaf!"

Shiro growled and lunged for the boy, his nerves snapped. "Who are you calling an oaf you bloody midget?"

To his surprise the boy hopped straight up like a frog and over Shiro's head, performing a half-turn flip and landing behind him. The boy stuck his tongue out, still glaring. "Can't catch me ya big oaf!"

"Freaking brat, I'll catch you yet!" He turned and made another lunge, but the little kid just jumped straight up into the third bunk and glared down at him.

"Hey you brat, that's my bunk you're in!" Shiro's ire rose again when the kid stuck his tongue out at him once more.

From his desk Kane just shook his head, watching the whole debacle. "Toji, maybe you shouldn't be so crazy and antagonistic since you're our new roommate and we're your elders. And Shiro, stop being so immature."

At the same time the two teens glared at him, making him shrink back in fear. "Shut up, you're not involved in this!"

Then they returned to their glaring match, occasionally broken by Shiro jumping for Toji and Toji hopping away. Kane sighed and shook his head. It was going to be an odd year, that was for sure.

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Mizuki watched Aya pace all over the room from where she was sitting on her bed, her coat wrapped tightly around her. "You know…there's really no need to nervous. She's just going to be a normal roommate. She probably won't be brainwashed by a psycho jerk."

Aya gave her a passing glance and then continued her pacing. "Its not brainwashing by psychotic jerks that I'm worried about, really Tobias was a rare nut. No, I'm worried about something much worse!"

"Much worse? What's worse than a psychotic jerk brainwashing your roommate and turning her against you in an effort to pry stupid information out of your brain that you didn't even know to begin with?" Aya paused, contemplating everything Mizuki had just said.

Finally she sighed in defeat. "Well fine, it can't be quite as bad as all that, you know, unless she turns out to be a flesh eating evil monster. Or a demon or something. But still…"

"As long as she doesn't try to eat us or try to kill us I'm sure we'll all get along fine. What are you so worried about? People tend to like you, even if it's just because you're a blonde." Aya narrowed her eyes at her roommate who was now smiling innocently.

"People don't like me just because I'm blonde you know. I have merits. And social skills. I'm sociable." Mizuki's smile just widened in response.

Aya threw her hands into the air and then flopped down on her bed, looking defeated. "Fine, I'll tell you. I'm just worried about what will happen if the first year is better than me. I mean, that'd just make me feel terrible to lose to a first year student, don't you think?"

Mizuki waved the thought away casually. "You shouldn't worry about things like that. And if it's really got you on edge I promise I'll duel the newbie first and see what she's made out of. In fact, first things first when she walks into the room I'll challenge her to a duel. It'll be like my duel with Janice last year, only in reverse."

At that moment the door creaked open and a huge bag of luggage inched through, completely blocking their view of their new roommate. Mizuki and Aya both jumped off their beds and moved to help the newbie. "Hey there, I'm Mizuki and I'm one of your new roommates. This is Aya and…"

She stopped when they got the luggage away, giving her a clear view of the slightly shorter girl standing there. Her brown hair hung limp down over her neck and her eyes were downcast, covered by her glasses, but Mizuki recognized her. "Kara? You're my roommate?"

Kara raised her head slightly and then looked down. "Ah, I guess so." She offered a shaky bow to Aya which was returned. When they stood up Aya nudged Mizuki in the side and nodded to her.

"Ah, that's right Kara. Its tradition for a new roommate to be greeted by a second year student in the form of a duel. So how would you like to face me so we could get to know each other better?" Kara stared at her, then bowed again and unzipped part of her luggage and pulled out a DD3, which already had a deck in it.

"I guess I accept, I'll try my best not to be too jealous of your deck. Mine's really lackluster, so don't be surprised if I don't do so well." Mizuki shook off the feeling of annoyance that came from the depressing way the girl spoke, and then walked out of the room with both of them following. It was now off to the Ra Yellow dueling ring.

Ten minutes later they were standing opposite, Kara looking very small in her Ra Yellow blazer and skirt, while Mizuki just plain looked odd in her big body covering coat. They activated their duel disks and declared the start. "Duel!" (MLP: 4000) (KLP: 4000)

With an encouraging nod from Mizuki Kara started them off by drawing. Mizuki noticed that Kara's footing was steady and her draw easy. Her hands didn't shake at all, so while she might be uncertain about her deck, she was definitely a duelist. "I start the duel by playing Peace Negotiations! For the next two turns if we choose to attack we must pay half our life points."

Mizuki raised an eyebrow, impressed by the effect. "If that's the case then you've got a great deterrent against attacking."

"Maybe it is, I'm not sure. I set one monster in defense mode and one card face down. Turn end." Her two cards appeared in front of her quickly and then her duel disk beeped, indicating that she was done.

Without a pause Mizuki drew, considering her options and the potential style that Kara might use. _'She doesn't seem confident in her deck so I'll go easy on her. Let's start and test out her defenses.'_

"I summon Rune Spearholder (1900/1200) in attack mode!" Mizuki's blonde and white robed monster appeared, spinning a glowing spear in both of its hands as it prepared to enter battle.

Kara saw the monster and then looked over at her set monster. "You know, in terms of physical appearance my monster is prettier. I think your monster will be jealous…so let's see what that leads to. Activate trap card, Blind Attack! Now you must attack!"

Mizuki frowned, realizing what that meant. It meant she'd have to pay half her life points to attack and that Kara was a better duelist than she claimed. "Rune Spearholder attacks your set monster!" (MLP: 2000)

The runic monster hurled its spear, but to Mizuki's surprise it bounced off a shimmering barrier and smacked the monster in the face. What appeared on Kara's field was a blue skinned woman with pointy ears and a long flowing dress. "Mystical Elf (800/2000) has too strong a defense for your monster, so you take damage." (MLP: 1900)

"You're good Kara, definitely. I set one card and end." Aya gave her a nervous look, obviously thinking that maybe this was exactly the situation she had been worried about. Mizuki gave her a slight shake of the head and smiled.

Kara drew and immediately set the card. "I set a monster. Next I play Book of Taiyou, flipping him face-up into attack mode. My monster is Mask of Darkness (900/400) which lets me take back one trap in my grave and place it in my hand."

She held up Blind Attack and suddenly Mizuki understood the playing style that this girl had. Mizuki smiled on the inside, impressed at the strategy. "Next I activate Time Extension which lets me sacrifice a monster to increase the total turn count on any card by one. So Peace Negotiations gains an additional turn."

Her dark mask shattered, leaving her with just her elf. "I set two cards face down and end my turn!"

Mizuki flicked a card off of her deck and grinned, feeling confident despite the fact that she knew that one of Kara's set cards was Blind Attack. "If I summon another monster my life points will be drained further right, that's part of your strategy. But I can break your stride!"

"Rune Fencer (1700/1500) will be my second monster!" Kara raised an eyebrow beneath her glasses, not sure why Mizuki was so enthusiastic about the white dressed fencer who was busy flicking his sword back and forth.

"No matter what sort of weapon he uses it doesn't matter. I activate Blind Attack, and now your monsters must attack the stronger defense of my Mystical Elf!" Mizuki smirked and motioned to Fencer which jumped forwards and stabbed the elf with its sword. (MLP: 950)

Kara's eyes widened as Mizuki's life points didn't fall further and her elf's defense dropped to fifteen hundred. Mizuki chuckled. "When Rune Fencer attacks a monster there is no battle damage calculated. Instead the attacked monster loses five hundred points from its active stat. In this case Mystical Elf lost five hundred defense."

The other Ra Yellow's eyes drifted towards Mizuki's second monster which was now stronger than her elf. "Rune Spearholder has a trample effect so he'll go and beat down your elf!" (MLP: 475)

Spearholder's spear stabbed deep into Mystical Elf's stomach. The elf screamed as the warrior wrenched its weapon out, causing her to blast apart. "And now you take damage Kara." (KLP: 3600)

Despite the fact that Mizuki had the disadvantage in life points it seemed almost too obvious that the one with the real advantage here was her. "Umm…I activate my set card, Mirror Trap. This lets me take one normal trap that went to the grave this cemetery and set it on my field. I set Blind Attack."

Her last face down card activated only to be replaced with another face down card. Mizuki grinned as she realized the strategy. _'She was going to drain me even further this turn, but can't anymore since I'd just get to direct attack against her.'_

"I end my turn Kara!"

Kara drew and looked at the card carefully. "I set one card face down and summon Shining Angel (1400/800) in attack mode. End."

Mizuki drew, grinning. "Last turn for the treaty, so let's get things heated up a bit more. I play Rune Symbol-Hagalaz to destroy the card that isn't Blind Attack!"

Kara's eyes widened in surprise when her set Mirror Force was blown away, leaving her virtually defenseless. "I summon Rune Lancer (1600/1200) and have it attack!" (MLP: 237)

Her monster's lance split Shining Angel down the middle, but it was replaced by another instantly. "Using Shining Angel's effect I special summon the second from my deck. And now I might as well activate Blind Attack to force you!" (KLP: 3400)

Mizuki nodded and her fencer darted out, stabbing the angel. "Rune Fencer reduces your monster's attack and then Spearholder goes for the kill, costing me half my life points twice!" (MLP: 59)

Kara winced when the spear was thrust through the neck of her weakened angel. Even as her life points fell she made her declaration. "I special summon another Shining Angel from my deck!" (KLP: 2400)

"Of course you do Kara. Now, I'll end my turn and end the negotiations. That puts me on pretty good terms I think." Mizuki smirked and placed her right hand on her hip, looking pretty confident in her position in the duel.

Kara drew and held up the drawn card. "I activate Doll Hammer which destroys one monster on my field, lets me draw two cards, and then forces one of your monsters to change modes. I switch Rune Fencer to defense!"

Her last Shining Angel blew apart and she drew two cards, giving her at least something decent to work with. "Ha, perfect! I remove three light type monsters from my grave to special summon Light of Purification(2000/2000) which reduces all enemy monsters by three hundred when it attacks."

A humanoid of pure light now stood on her field hovering like a living lamp. "Next I play Built-Up Attack, which lets one monster on my field attack one extra time this turn for each turn I didn't conduct any battle. That means she gets four more attacks, and I'll start with number one on Spearholder!"

The ray of pure light that shot out of her monster's chest swerved and was pulled into Mizuki's duel disk. "Sorry Kara but my Rune Symbol-Tiwaz let me negate your attack and gain your monster's attack as life points." (MLP: 2059)

Kara's mousy look flashed away for a moment, replaced by anger, but then it was gone just as quickly. "Light of Purification, all out attack on all three of her monsters! Burn her life points with your purifying rays and make her love you for it!"

Mizuki closed her eyes to shield herself as the light behemoth shone brighter and brighter, using its pure light to flash fry all three of her monsters with its remaining three attacks. "Dang…nice recovery Kara." (MLP: 959)

The mousy girl smiled weakly, her turn ended there. Mizuki drew as Kara continued to hold up that weak smile. "Say goodbye to Light of Purification, because I know next turn it gains trample, and the turn after the decrease amount becomes six hundred. Rune Berserker (2000/1200) attacks it!"

Her muscular raging runic monster charged out of her card and body-checked the light being. They crashed to the ground and vanished in a flash of…light of course. Since there attack points were the same there was no damage. "I set up one magic or trap card and end my turn."

Again Kara was forced to top deck, and she placed the card down as quickly as she could. "I'll finish you now! Shining Friendship (1300/900) attacks!"

A cute little pink ball with wings appeared and zipped towards Mizuki. She raised an eyebrow and pointed at her set card. "Rune Symbol-Raidho negates the attack and ends the battle phase."

Since there was nothing Kara could do after that Mizuki drew and flipped over one of her cards. "Rune Symbol-Thurisaz blows away Shining Friendship, and then I'll have Rune Fighter (1650/1200) come out to attack directly!"

Seconds after Shining Friendship was pixilated Mizuki's gauntlet wearing runic warrior appeared and decked Kara, eliminating almost all of her remaining life points. "Dang it…I'm jealous of your ability to draw like that." (KLP: 750)

"No need to be jealous Kara. Just show me what you're capable of now that my turn's over." Kara frowned and looked down at her deck, looking both worried and annoyed. She reached for it and drew.

"Fine, Monster Reborn will show that my monsters are better, because I bring back Light of Purification! And he'll flash fry Rune Fighter!" Again Mizuki had to close her eyes or be blinded while Kara's pure light monster eliminated her fighter. But when the light faded Mizuki's life points hadn't changed.

Kara opened her mouth to ask the question and Mizuki smirked and answered without hearing it. "When Rune Fighter is destroyed all life point damage to me for the turn is reduced to zero. So now it's my turn!"

Mizuki looked over her two cards, and then up at Kara who appeared determined and worried at the same time. _'Well holding back has its uses, but I don't intend to lose. So let's end this duel now.'_

"I'll finish my turn up quickly, setting two cards face down." Kara looked at her curiously as she set the only cards she was holding into her duel disk. They appeared on the field, just threatening anyone who might attack.

Kara drew slowly, and then instant the card left her deck Mizuki pressed a button on her disk. "Let's end it Kara! My set card Rune Symbol-Kenaz does eight hundred damage to your life points!"

The mousy girl sighed as her life points fell under the effect of Mizuki's card. "I knew it…I knew my deck wasn't as strong as yours. I'm so jealous of that deck of yours…" (KLP: 0)

Mizuki smiled comfortingly as she approached the other girl, the duel images fading. "Don't worry about, and definitely don't be jealous. Every person uses a strategy suited to them, that's all. I use mine, and yours was really cool. How'd you come up with that Peace Negotiations and Blind Attack combo?"

The three girls spent the rest of the night chatting it up with each other. And when finally Mizuki and Aya had drifted off to sleep Kara got out of bed and slipped into the bathroom. Sighing she flipped open her PDA and dialed the special number. "Ah, how pleasant to see your face Kara."

Kara felt her spirits lift at the sight of the person on the other end. "It's good to see you again as well sir. I'll be glad to see you when you come to the campus. Oh, I dueled Mizuki Mitsuhiro today. I'm jealous…she's very pretty."

The almost musical voice on the other end now had a sound of keen interest to it. "Is that so? I assume you faced her as Kara York using her deck, and not as your full self. How did it go?"

"It went quite well sir, she crushed my student deck easily, meaning she's as strong as Vlad suggested. Kara York is no match for her, but I can guarantee that as jealous as she makes me I'd easily be able to beat her as my real self." There was a kind and gentle chuckle from the other party.

"Ah, perhaps. But little Envy…you won't be attacking Mizuki Mitsuhiro as your true self with your real deck and the same goes for the others. At least not until I know more. Observe her, and try not to get too terribly jealous." Kara giggled and gave the man on the other end a sloppy salute.

"Of course sir. Envy, reporting out." The screen went dead and Kara lifted her head to look into the other room. Her eyes were now focused and strong, rather than weak and unfocused.

"Mizuki, when the time comes that we can, the Seven Sins will crush you. Get ready to feel what real strength is. When I squash you the one who will be jealous is you!"

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Author's Note: Kara, Mizuki's new roommate, is now revealed as more than she appears.

_Next Time: Kara is apparently Envy, but who are the Seven Sin? Before this is answered the duel review of this year begins, and first up is Aya versus her first opponent of the year, a powerful Ra Yellow who loves to play games. Has Aya improved enough to take down this expert game player, or is it still too early?_

_See it all in, Rush! Space Shooter!_


	31. Rush! Space Shooter!

Author's Note: Here's the next duel and the next duel review.

**Chapter Thirty-One: Rush! Space Shooter!**

Mizuki flashed the audience a sign of victory and walked off the arena, leaving her defeated opponent behind. She was greeted with chants of "Rising Star!" They loved her, and seeing her defeat someone that readily was a treat.

A month had already passed in Duelist Academy's New Year, and the yearly Duel Review had begun. So far they had seen everyone in their group duel except for two. Aya and Shiro had yet to duel. Aya watched as Mizuki came up towards them and rubbed her hands together in prayer. "Please let me win my duel this time…"

She glanced to her right where Shiro and Kane were joking around with each other, a befuddled looking Kara sitting to their right. Off to her left Sanzo and Enzeru were chatting quietly. "Please don't let me lose, even my idiot brother won his duel…"

Kane sneezed, and then resumed his conversation. Her gaze drifted across the room, settling on the young man standing at the railing at the very bottom. He was still wearing that blue trench coat he had worn the previous year in a duel against Sanzo. _'As long as I don't have to face Harrison like Mizuki did last year, I'll be fine I think. Sheesh…somebody that scary shouldn't be Kaiser.'_

To her surprise Harrison tilted his head up, his icy blue eyes meeting hers. She shrunk back, fearful of his stare. _'He's too scary not to be the Dark Kaiser though…'_

"Are you paying attention Aya? Look up at the screen." She blinked and looked up, and to her surprise her name was already up. It was having her matched up against a boy in a yellow blazer with a crew cut. One she didn't recognize.

"Ah, here I go guys. Wish me luck." Taking a deep breath she picked up her duel disk, deck already in it, and walked down the stands. It took her far too long to make it down in her opinion, especially with her heart pounding every step of the way.

When she got down onto the dueling field her opponent was already waiting. He was a little bit taller than her and possibly older, and he had a big smirk on his face. "Aya Yukio, good to meet you. I hope you're ready to pay up your quarter to play."

He extended his left arm out in front of him and his DD6 activated, deck already in place. Aya nodded and activated her own. "You know my name, but who are you? I don't recognize you." (ALP: 4000)

Continuing to smirk he brought his right arm up in a tight salute, appearing to be kidding because of the look on his face. "First Year Ra Yellow, Taylor Jones reporting for duty ma'am. And I'd like to let you know that we both play the same style of dueling…we both are rush duelists!" (TLP: 4000)

Aya's eyebrows rose at this comment. "I see. So you want to duel for the honor of whose the better rush style duelist or something?"

Taylor dropped his salute and reached for his deck, while Aya did the same. "Basically, yeah. Except while you play the Teutonic Knight set from what I know, I'm a bit more up to date than that. In fact, I'm ahead of my time. I duel with a rush style in honor of my favorite arcade games, space shooters!"

He drew six cards and popped open the side slot of his duel disk. "And in honor of space shooters I use this deck, which will beat down your out of date knights! Go field magic card, Cosmic Space!"

Everyone stared in awe as the field around them warped, becoming a wide field of stars, with nebula and black holes in the distance. Aya whistled, clearly impressed. "You're right; my knights are out of place here. So what's this field card do, power up your space shooter monsters?"

"Nope, that's not it at all. I activate the magic card, Worm Hole Summon! I start by removing one monster in my hand from the game, and during my next standby phase its special summoned." He quickly reduced his hand down to three cards when he placed a card out of his hand and into his pocket.

Without stopping Taylor took a card from his hand and slapped it down onto his duel disk. "I summon Assault Core (1300/1000) to the field. This monster is counted as having B.E.S. in its name while in play."

Aya gaped in awe as a tremendous ship appeared floating above Taylor in mid-air. It was huge, gray, and had a glowing core in the center which seemed to provide power. "Wow…he's huge for such a weak monster."

"He's not as weak as you think. But first, before I finish my turn I'll explain the effect of Cosmic Space. It grants all monsters in play one Life Star, a type of counter, for every level. Assault Core is a level three so he has three Life Stars." Aya nodded, following it so far. Although she didn't know what they were for.

"During each of our end phases all monsters on the field lose a Life Star. When they have no Life Stars in play Cosmic Space automatically destroys them! Which means we'll have to race towards victory, really rushing the duel forwards!" Aya bit her bottom lip, finally getting his style of rush dueling. Against a player who didn't play rush it was probably extremely deadly.

Taylor finally took his last two cards and slipped them into his duel disk, causing them to appear face down below his huge spaceship. "I end my turn, reducing Assault Core to two Life Stars."

Aya grasped her top card and drew, placing it into her deck after seeing what it was. "If you think your rush strategy beats mine I'll show you different. I play Called to Crusade, and special summon Starburst Teutonic (2200/1800) to the field, a level six who gains six Life Stars!"

Her knight rode out, appearing normal save for the fluttering banner over his shoulder of an exploding star. "Next I'll normal summon Torrent Teutonic (1100/500) to the field to join him, this one gets four Life Stars."

This knight had a banner of a roaring river swallowing a castle on it, but it was also smaller and less heavily armored than Starburst Teutonic. "I'll continue by activating Reflective Knight Summon. If during my opponent's next turn they special summon a monster I can special summon one from my hand, cemetery, or deck to the field of equal level."

Taylor nodded, looking pleased with how she had rushed the field so far. "Good, now let's see which of us has a better rush strategy. Your out of date rusty knights, or my futuristic space ships?"

"Yeah, let's. Starburst Teutonic attacks your Assault Core!" Her knight galloped up the huge spaceship and stabbed its sword into the machine's core. The spaceship shuddered and then exploded, throwing the Teutonic backwards. (TLP: 3100)

The other Ra Yellow laughed and gestured to his leftmost set card. "Activate trap card, Spaceship Debris! Whenever one of my spaceships is destroyed I can reduce the Life Stars of my opponent's monsters by the Life Stars my monster would have had minus one. So each of yours lose two stars!"

Aya did the math, realizing it meant at the end of this turn her Torrent would be left with one star and Starburst with three. "And that's a continuous card, isn't it?"

Taylor nodded, and then pointed at his remaining set card. "My second trap is Space Station Upgrades! This continuous trap card makes all space faring monsters gain double their supposed stars when summoned."

Shaking her head in annoyance Aya pointed at the now perfectly open duelist. "Torrent Teutonic attacks you directly!"

He shrugged off the water that her knight sprayed at him as if it were nothing, and seemed really happy. "And not just that, but your Starburst Teutonic gained a Crusade Counter when it beat mine in battle. And if you sacrifice enough you can special summon a monster from hand." (TLP: 2100)

"Yeah, that's right. Now, I end my turn. My two monsters each lose a Life Star." He grinned and drew, then reached for his pocket and the monster he had previously removed from his hand.

"Thanks to my Worm Hole Summon I now special summon B.E.S. Crystal Core (2100/1000) to the field!" Another huge spaceship, those one covered in mirror-sheen crystal appeared. It was aiming its big cannons directly at Aya's monsters and herself.

"This spaceship now has twelve life stars. Of course your Reflective Knight Summon activates now doesn't it?" Aya nodded and fanned through her deck, looking for a level six or lower monster to summon.

"I special summon Flash Teutonic (2100/1600) to the field, and he's a level five so he gets five Life Stars!" This knight had a blazing insignia like a flare going off on its banner.

"Next I activate Space Ship Wreckage Clearing, which lets me remove one spaceship from my grave and draw cards equal to its level if I have none in my hand. I remove Assault Core and draw three cards!" He drew three cards quickly and then slammed one of them into his duel disk.

"I activate my continuous magic card Boss Rush, which activates during my end phase if a monster with B.E.S. in its name or named Big Core is destroyed. I get to special summon another such monster from my deck, even though outside of that I can't normal summon or set." Aya raised an eyebrow, confused since now he was limiting his ability to rush the field.

"You're thinking I'm crazy right, well I'm far from it! Go, Space Fleet Gathering! I now special summon another copy of my Crystal Core (2100/1000) to the field, who also gains twelve Life Stars!" A second of the giant crystal spaceships warped out of nowhere onto the field, barring its guns on Aya.

Taylor snapped up his right hand and pointed it at Flash Teutonic. Instantly the first Crystal Core's cannons started to light up. "When a Crystal Core attacks a monster while it has no counters on it after battle it is destroyed, but now that's pointless since our monsters have equal attack points. Now, attack!"

The cannons fired off and Flash Teutonic was vaporized by the powerful energy. Seconds later Crystal Core also exploded, but chunks of its crystal were flying through the air. "Forget my continuous trap Aya? Crystal Core's Life Stars were twelve started off, minus one. So all your monsters lose eleven, more than they have! So they bite the dust!"

Aya's eyes widened in shock as one after the other her two monsters blew to pieces, leaving her field completely empty. "No way…"

"Yes way Aya! B.E.S. Crystal Core doesn't lose counters unless it battles a monster, so this is no risk to me. Crystal Core, attack her directly!" Aya screamed as the energy cannons engulfed her in their heavy firepower, eliminating more than half of her life points in a single shot. (ALP: 1900)

Her friends winced in pain with her, feeling it just as much. She was already in a bad position against an opponent with a brilliant combo set up that gave him a perfect advantage. "I end my turn, reducing Crystal Core's Life Stars to zero."

He snapped his fingers and another wormhole opened up on his field. "Boss Rush now activates, letting me special summon out B.E.S. Big Core (2300/1100) who goes on the same counter system. He gets twelve Life Stars as well."

Aya took a deep breath and drew, putting her hand at three cards. Three cards in hand and nothing on her field, against his deadly set-up. "I summon Fire Storm Teutonic (1400/1300) who when summoned lets me special summon a monster with two thousand or less defense from my hand to the field!"

Her knight had a banner of a wildfire raging on it, but it was quickly joined by another knight. The new knight had a banner of two curved blades crossed. "I special summon Wicked Blade Teutonic (1800/1400)."

Finally she took the last card from her hand and placed it onto her duel disk. "When this card is the last card in my hand I can special summon him. Blitz Teutonic (1900/0)!"

This one's banner was of a sword marked by a streak of lightning. Taylor quirked an eyebrow at her quick summoning rush. "Okay, so you rushed really well but those monsters aren't really anything much. They're all weaker than my spaceships."

"Yeah, but your spaceships have a weakness, their counters, which they have none of. So I activate Wicked Blade Teutonic's ability to attack two monsters at once!" It charged in and was instantly engulfed by a double blast from both of Taylor's space ships, reducing it to nothingness. (ALP: 1100)

"I get it…you attack since because they have no counters they're now destroyed. But then your monsters will be blown away as well. How will that help?" Aya smirked as both of Taylor's spaceships blew apart, and then her two remaining monsters followed up as well and were blown away.

"I was aiming for my two monsters to be destroyed, because at any time during the duel when a monster on my field is destroyed by an effect I can special summon a Back-Up Teutonic (1000/1000) to replace it, so I get two in attack mode!" Taylor's eyes widened as two knights in rusty armor with tattered banners rode out onto the field.

"Since you're now completely open my double set of Back-Up Teutonics will attacks your life points directly!" Taylor groaned as the two knights slashed their rusty blades against his body, one over each shoulder. He fell to his hands and knees, his life points falling rapidly. (TLP: 100)

Taylor shook his head to clear it of the fog that had gathered and stood back up, looking surprised but happy. "Good, I was hoping for a challenge. But you do realize during your end phase I'll get two new monsters from my deck, right?"

"I understand that, but I also know two is your limit since you can't normal summon or set. Now, using their effect I switch both Back-Up Teutonics into defense mode. And when I end my turn their Life Stars reduce to two." The rusty knights knelt down, hefting their shields to defend themselves.

Taylor snapped his fingers and a duo of wormholes opened on his field, allowing two more enormous battleships to float through into the darkness of space. "I special summon two more B.E.S. Big Core (2300/1100 X2) to the field, each with twelve Life Stars."

Once they were in play he reached for his duel disk and drew, giving him two cards in hand. "Alright, let's see what I can do to crush you."

"Okay, I play Shield Recovery, which pumps up my left Big Core to its max of three shields, or three counters. Meaning he's safe to attack. But first…I have the other one attack your Back-Up Teutonic!" Aya blinked, confused by the attack. It struck her knight and it was vaporized.

"Umm…but isn't your Big Core now destroyed?" Taylor laughed as his Big Core exploded from the inside out, raining debris down all over the field. As it drifted Aya's eyes drifted to one of Taylor's two continuous trap cards.

"Yep, and my Spaceship Debris now blasts away your remaining one since it has way too few Life Stars to survive losing eleven!" The remaining Teutonic shattered, leaving Aya's field completely empty. And Taylor continued laughing as his other Big Core charged up its cannons.

"Big Core, attack Aya directly and end this duel!" It opened fire with its cannons, sending huge beams of plasma flying towards her. The audience sighed in disappointment while her friends cheered her on. But the one remaining confident was surprisingly Aya.

"Apparently you didn't listen last turn when I explained my Back-Up Teutonics effect. Since you destroyed one Teutonic this turn through an effect I get to special summon the final Back-Up Teutonic to the field in defense mode to guard from the direct attack!" Taylor frowned as the energy blasts destroyed her third rusty knight, and one of its shield counters shattered.

"I see, so you're smarter than I thought. Well that was just one lucky move, so I'll end my turn. Doing so lets Boss Rush special summon out another B.E.S. Crystal Core (2100/1000) in attack mode." His crystalline space ship moved out onto the field next to his Big Core, giving him even greater total fire power.

Aya looked down at her deck, knowing she was going to have to top-deck if she was going to survive here. _'Everyone is winning, everyone is moving on. And if I can't win this then I can't keep up at all. I'll have lost to a first year just like I was afraid of. I'll be a laughing stock.'_

She closed her eyes, whispering a silent prayer. _'The worst part about this is that I can tell that Taylor really is a better duelist than I am. His strategy is better, his rush style is better. If anybody deserves to win its him, but I don't want to lose at the same time.'_

_'I want to be stronger, but I don't want to end up like Tobias who was greedy for power, or like Janice who assisted a jerk like Tobias for power. Or just as bad, obsessed with growing stronger like Harrison.'_ She stopped her and lifted her head, opening her eyes and meeting eyes with Harrison.

_'He's a jerk, and he's scary, and he's obsessed with getting stronger for some stupid vengeance that I don't know about. But he lets that obsession give him strength. Everybody has something that makes them strong and that's it for him. But what makes me strong? Is there anything?'_ She sighed, feeling as if she were like Kara. Worried about how she seemed weak compared to others.

She tried thinking of her own deck and realized that it didn't make her strong. In fact it wasn't that amazing a strategy. All it did was rush the field with monsters, but that was a basic warrior deck strategy, hers was just better at it than most. _'The Teutonics are great at rushing the field, but really outside of that they aren't that great.'_

At this pace even her stupid brother Kane was going to surpass her as a duelist. _'Wait a second…Kane? And Enzeru! Those two…my siblings who make me strive harder to not fall behind…they're what make me strong!'_

"I draw!" She snapped up the card and held it out, grinning at what it was. When Taylor saw it he frowned, realizing he had just helped her out.

"Turnabout Treasure activates when I have no cards on my field or in my hand, and it lets me draw one card for every face-up card on my opponent's field. That's two continuous traps, two monsters, one continuous magic, and your field card for a grand total of six!" She happily drew six cards, replenishing her hand.

"Here's a combo that has yet to fail me. First step I summon Crescent Teutonic (1700/1000). Then I sacrifice it to special summon two level four Teutonics from my deck. I choose the other two Crescent Teutonics." Two identical knights with crescent moon banners appeared in the place of the first one.

"Following that I sacrifice both of them to special summon a total of four more monsters into play. I'll special summon three Moonlight Teutonic (1900/900) and one Lightning Teutonic (1600/1200) to the field!" Her two knights shattered and four new ones rode out. Three had banners of full moons hanging on a blue backdrop and the third had a silver lightning bolt in a yellow border.

"Step number three in the combo is when I activate Army Overload! During this turn there is no limit to the number of warrior sub-type monsters I can have in play. So I sacrifice my three Moonlight Teutonics, which lets me special summon two monsters from my deck with fifteen hundred or less attack points into play! I gain six monsters!" The crowd grew silent and even Taylor looked on in awe as she picked up her three Teutonics and then slapped down one monster after another.

"I special summon two Fire Storm Teutonic (1400/1300 X2), three Shining Teutonic (1200/2450 X3) and one Torrent Teutonic (1100/500) all to the field!" Taylor whistled, truly impressed at the sight of seven monsters on Aya's field. He blinked and then his eyes widened as he remembered two of her monster's effects.

"When Fire Storm Teutonic is summoned I can special summon a monster from my hand to the field with less than two thousand defense. So I special summon another Lightning Teutonic (1600/1200) and Wildfire Teutonic (1100/1000)!" Taylor gulped, seeing a huge army of nine monsters in play all out once. It was hard to believe that any duelist could summon that many monsters in one turn.

"Your strategy may be better than mine, your dueling skill may be better than mine, but in terms of the ability to rush the field the best deck in the entire world at that is the Teutonic Deck, the strategy I use!" Taylor's fear suddenly faded and he burst out laughing.

"Sure you rushed the field, but how do you expect to beat me? Your monsters are all weaker than my two monsters, so they can't win in battle. You could have a million of them and they still wouldn't win. And if you try and slam them into Crystal Core or Big Core to destroy them you'll either run out of life points first or Spaceship Debris will nuke your army." He threw back his head and continued to laugh, feeling absolutely confident in victory.

"Jeez, you just keep laughing like you've got all the answers. Well, let me complete my army and I'll show you what's what. I set one card face down and then using its effect I special summon my last card, Blitz Teutonic (1900/0) to the field!" Her newest monster made ten, giving her an army any duelist could be proud of.

She smirked and reached for her face down card, but Taylor stopped her with a frantic shout. "Hey, that's illegal! You can't play a card you just set face down on the field!"

"That's true for traps and quick-play magic cards, but not the case for normal magic cards. They can be activated the turn they were set, and I just got it out of my hand to summon Blitz. Not that I needed to, it was just plain overkill." Taylor blinked, but since no judge was coming forward to reprimand her he realized she must be right.

"Now, I activate the card I set previously. The normal magic card Brave Attack, which lets my monsters attack together against a single target on the opponent's field, sacrificing themselves as they do so. So my entire army is going to attack Big Core!" Taylor's heart skipped a beat when her huge army all raced up and swarmed his strongest monster, striking at it with their swords.

"This is the end Taylor, because you've got one hundred life points left and that's a combined attack power of twelve thousand six hundred all against your one spaceship!" He smiled despite the fact that his Big Core was now floating wreckage and the fact that he had lost. (TLP: 0)

"That was an absolutely amazing combo Aya! I've never seen anybody rush the field that well before! You've got to show me how you managed that!" Aya rubbed the back of her neck, feeling embarrassed about the attention.

But she had to admit to being pleased as the crowd jumped to their feet and roared their approval. She had impressed them all. _'Maybe I'm not a hopeless case after all.'_

Up in the stands Kara was frowning despite the applause going on around her. _'That girl…she's strong and she's getting so much public attention from just winning against one pathetic idiot duelist. That sort of thing…it makes me jealous.'_

Unaware of Kara's undesired attention Aya just waved to the crowd, happy to be recognized by the school at last for her dueling. Her joy increased when she heard what Taylor said next. "You uh…don't have a boyfriend do you?"

Yes, it seemed that this new year was going to be a good one for Aya Yukio. Finally.

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Author's Note: Aya has proved victorious, but the duel review isn't quite over yet. One more duelist has to go.

_Next Time: Shiro's turn has come again, and this time he's up in a challenge that he never expected let alone planned for. A duel where his fate at Duelist Academy is on the line! Win and advance to Ra Yellow or lose and fail for the entire year!_

_See it all in, Duel Bet; Shiro's Chance!_


	32. Duel Bet Shiro's Chance!

Author's Note: And its time for Shiro to take it like a man.

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Duel Bet; Shiro's Chance!**

Mizuki was beginning to think that Shiro lived to annoy her. While watching the duels continue to go by he had fallen asleep and started to snore. Very loudly as a matter of fact. And she was certain that there was a little bit of drool in the right corner of his mouth. _'He's just so…so…stupid!'_

Her thoughts on her friend's stupidity were interrupted when the lights dimmed on the arena and Principal Tantei's voice came on over the loudspeaker. "Ladies and Gentlemen, now we've come to a very interesting event. Last year one of our students put in a special request. It's a little something we call an Ultimatum Duel Request."

There were murmurs through the crowd as people wondered aloud exactly what that was. "I'm sure most of you don't recognize this term, and that's because it rarely happens. You see a student may make an Ultimatum Duel Request in order to automatically move up in rank, provided the win a duel against their chosen rank's Dorm Head."

More whispers swept through the crowd as they began to all wonder whether they should try this thing out or not. "Before you get too excited about this, allow me to explain that it is an all-or-nothing duel. Win and advance to the next Dorm Level, or lose and fail for the entire year. It is extremely rare for a student to make this request, which is why we hope you'll all enjoy watching as this student takes the ultimate risk."

"Truly this student must have nerves of steel to make such a request. And since this student is an Osiris Red he will be facing off against Professor Gorishi, Ra Yellow' Dorm Head. In this duel Gorishi will be using his own personal deck, which just about six years ago kept him at a superb ranking in the Pro League." A spotlight came up on the hardened professor who stood with his arms at his sides, a Duel Vest already on.

"Now, let me introduce to you the student who made this request. Come on out, Shiro Akugi!" There was a sudden silence, punctuated by loud snoring. Mizuki's left eye twitched when she and Shiro came up on the overhead monitor, his head tilted back as he slept…loudly.

"Umm…it seems our brave student is…asleep. So…perhaps someone could ummm…wake him up maybe?" The other students got a good laugh out of that, watching him snore, his chest rising and falling. Mizuki took a deep breath and reached over, pinching his nose shut.

Shiro jerked upright, sputtering as he tried to catch his breath. "That doesn't go there Mizuki!"

The said Ra Yellow girl's eyes blazed when everyone burst out laughing even louder, and Shiro looked around blinking stupidly. His eyes fell on Mizuki, who looked absolutely furious and was holding up a clenched fist. "What the hell do you think you're dreaming about!"

All of the students winced as they watched the orgy of violence that Mizuki inflicted upon Shiro, all of them glad they weren't in his place. Finally she stepped away, breathing heavily. "Stupid…"

Shiro looked up blearily through one eye that looked like it was swelling shut, a bandage on his right cheek and one on a hefty lump on the top of his head. "If I said you hit like a girl, would I get my ass kicked?"

Mizuki screamed in total fury and grabbed the lapel of Shiro's uniform, dragging him to his feet. "Idiot, get out on that duel floor and duel with all you've got! What kind of moron are you, making a duel request where if you lose you fail the year?"

"Eh! Who made a request like that? I'm not stupid enough to risk everything on such a stupid idea! Don't go making retarded accusations like that without proof to back it up!" He jumped to his feet, right in her face as he yelled back at her.

She got in closer, returning his irritated response with her own. "You did, the principal just announced it to everyone! You made an Ultimatum Duel Request, so if you don't go down there and beat Professor Gorishi you fail the year!"

"Wooo! Lover's spat! Watch out Akugi, she's a violent one!" Mizuki pulled away, blushing furious as she turned around to face away from Shiro. The Osiris Red rubbed the back of his head, looking a bit chagrined.

"Hey, don't giver her too hard a time. She's not normally like this; she's just on her period right now." A feeling of terrible foreboding fell over him. It seemed like death was looming, ready to strike.

"DUMBASS!" Mizuki planted her foot in the small of his back and shoved, sending him tumbling down the stands. Students laughed and cheered, passing him downwards as if he were body surfing. Finally they deposited him on the ground right in front of the arena.

Shiro blinked up at the sky, then refocused his attention on Mizuki, who was now standing with one foot planted on the chair in front of her and pointing furiously down at him. "And don't come back until you win! Idiot!"

He stared at her, noticing something for the first time. "Oi…your jumper is open…so that's why you were wearing it. I like."

Mizuki blushed, realizing that her jumper had indeed fallen back over her shoulders, leaving her just in her skirt and Ra Yellow blazer. His focus was directly on her chest. "You…you absolute moron! PERVERT!"

Shiro jumped to his feet, grinning with his hands behind his head. "Don't be embarrassed Mizuki. You're a teenager girl, your bust is bound to increase every so often, and I just got lucky these past three months."

She screamed and pegged him in the head with his own duel disk, knocking him onto his back again. "Shut the heck up you freaking pervert!"

She sat down in her seat heavily and pulled the jumper tight around her body, flushing with embarrassment. "Stupid body…betraying me like that right when I was comfortable with you…"

Gorishi rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Are you two down, or am I going to have to declare Shiro the automatic loser of this duel? And Mizuki, you shouldn't be wearing anything other than your uniform."

Mizuki opened her mouth to protest, but a heavy glare from her Dorm Head made her hang her head in defeat. Slowly she pulled the jumper off and folded it, laying it in her lap. "Jerk."

The Professor sighed and turned his attention to Shiro, who was lying on his back right outside of the ring floor, his eyes spinning from the blow to the head. "Shiro, you really need to wake up now or I will disqualify you."

Rubbing his head groggily Shiro sat up and reached for his duel disk. He put it onto his left arm as he sat up, cracking his neck to readjust it. "Sorry about that teach, she's got a strong throwing arm. Now I'm ready to duel!" (SLP: 4000)

Gorishi nodded and pressed a button on his Duel Vest, triggering it. "I hope to see a good duel out of you Shiro. And even though your success or failure is riding on this duel, I hope you'll try and enjoy yourself." (GLP: 4000)

Shiro grinned and gave the professor a thumbs up before drawing his opening hand plus one. "Don't worry teach I always do! Now, let's duel!"

He looked down at his hand and then stopped and looked back up at Gorishi. _'Wait a second…oh crap…I know how this happened!'_

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_Shiro scowled and sat down in a huff in his chair, watching as Professor Miyamoto left the room. "That guy…acting so tough like that. Damn…I know I could beat any professor at this school given half the chance."_

_Tobias looked up from his desk where he was going over his cards and sneered, looking positively devious. "Is that so? I'll be sure to let them know, just for you."_

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_'I'm stuck dueling all-or-nothing because Tobias is a jerk…great and I thought we were already free of that jerk. Fine, I'll just win and prove myself right! Not that, you know, I have a choice in the matter.'_ Returning his attention to the cards in his hand he began to make a plan, which lasted all of three seconds when he realized that wasn't his style.

"Okay teach, I'm gonna summon Action Warrior-Gunner (1800/1000)!" A handsome man did a front flip onto the field and whipped out a revolver, spinning on his finger as he grinned like a lunatic.

"Ha, looks like Gunner is as excited as I am. But he'll have to wait since I can't attack during the first turn. I'll just end it up by setting a card. All you teach." Gorishi nodded and held out his hand, allowing his Duel Vest to give him a card.

"I believe I'll start slowly. I set one monster in defense mode and two magic or trap cards face down behind it. That's all." Shiro grinned and drew immediately to start up his turn.

"If that's the case then I'll make things interesting and summon Action Warrior-Katana Master (1400/1000) to join Gunner!" Another handsome man, this one dressed in a karate Gi, hopped down onto the field, holding a sharp looking katana in his hands.

Shiro smirked and glanced to his left at Gunner. "Gunner's special ability is about to come in handy. See, when he attacks a face down monster that card is destroyed without damage calculation, which means he can bypass flip effects. Expert Shot!"

Gunner took aim and fired a single bullet, punching directly through the horizontally set monster card. Gorishi smiled slightly and held up the destroyed card. "You slew Tax Broker (700/1200). When he goes to the grave you draw one card and I gain one thousand life points." (GLP: 5000)

The Osiris Red shrugged and jerked his thumb to point at Katana Master. "Those life points are as good as gone now, since Katana Master can attack twice during the battle phase. So go Katana Master, Twin Katana Strike!"

Katana Master jumped straight in front of Gorishi and slashed his sword diagonally across Gorishi's chest. Then without skipping a beat it used the backswing to slash it across Gorishi's midsection. "Ha, take that teach!" (GLP: 3000)

He blinked, staring at those life points. "Ummm…you sure that thing is working? Shouldn't you have twenty-two hundred life points? Or is my math wrong?"

Gorishi shook his head, still smiling slightly. "No, that's not it at all. You see I triggered my set continuous trap card when you attacked. Its called Insurance Company and it lets me return one card on my field to my hand once each turn to gain three hundred life points."

"Okay, so you returned your set card and gained three hundred life points. That doesn't add up at all. Then you'd be at twenty-five hundred life points." Gorishi responded by holding up the card that had previously been set on his field along with Insurance Company.

"That's why I had Insurance set. When this card returns from my field to my hand or deck I gain five hundred life points. So I gained a total of eight hundred life points before your two attacks hit, giving me three thousand after calculation. Understand now?" Shiro frowned, and then nodded once he had done the math in his head.

"Yeah, I got it now. So I guess I'll just activate the continuous magic card Life Source and end my turn." A card appeared face-up on his field and he grinned. Then Gorishi held out his hand again and took the card his Duel Vest gave him.

"To begin with I'll set my Insurance trap card. Now, get used to this play because it will be happening quite a bit. I activate Insurance Company's effect, returning Insurance to my hand. Again I gain a total of eight hundred life points." Shiro watched with confusion as Gorishi set the card then took it out of his vest seconds later. (GLP: 3800)

Gorishi fanned out his five card hand and then placed one of them onto his duel disk. A man in a business suit carrying a briefcase in one hand and a calculator in the other appeared, looking down through his glasses at Shiro. "Insurance Agent (1500/800) is my choice of monster. Next I set Insurance face down."

Shiro raised an eyebrow, not following so far. "Keep up student; I activate Insurance Agent's effect. This allows me to return one card on my field to my hand once per turn to deal you three hundred damage. By returning Insurance to my hand you take three hundred life points of damage at the same time as I gain five hundred." (GLP: 4300) (SLP: 3700)

Before Shiro could even figure out exactly what had happened Gorishi picked up Insurance from his duel disk and then pointed at Katana Master. "Since he is stronger I'll have my Insurance Agent attack and destroy your monster."

The business man walked forwards and then smacked Katana Master upside the head with his brief case. Katana Master exploded needlessly and unrealistically, and then Insurance Agent walked carefully back to Gorishi's field. "Minimal damage I know, but every amount is useful." (SLP: 3600)

"Now I conclude my turn by setting two cards face down. Your turn student." Shiro scratched the top of his head and drew, feeling more and more confused than ever.

"Teach…your deck is just plain weird. Insurance cards? Tax stuff? This has got to be the weirdest and most boring deck I've ever seen." The corner of Gorishi's mouth quirked up, as if he were amused by Shiro's insults.

"I come from an Insurance family, and it came as a bit of a surprise to my father and mother when I chose to become a pro duelist. But I made them proud by using my Trade and Insurance Deck, the first duelist and still only to ever use this set effectively. And believe me, it is effective." Shiro laughed and slapped down his drawn card.

"I'll take your word for it teach, and then I'll show you my style! Action Warrior-Flame Runner (1200/1000) is going to join in the fun." Another movie star handsome creature appeared this one with a gas tank on his back and a flame thrower strapped to his right arm.

"Gunner, take sight and blow away Insurance Agent! Expert Shot!" The Gunner spun his revolver around his finger and then snapped it up, aimed it at the agent's forehead, and pulled the trigger in one smooth motion. The bullet traveled the path and struck the monster in the head, shattering him instantly. (GLP: 4000)

Gorishi motioned to his continuous trap card which started glowing. "I activate Insurance Company's effect, returning my face down Insurance trap card to my hand to gain three hundred life points." (GLP: 4300)

He held up his Insurance card, which started glowing as well. "And of course since Insurance was returned to my hand from the field I now gain five hundred additional life points." (GLP: 4800)

Shiro grinned and pointed at Gorishi with his right hand. "Enjoy those life points because they're gone now! Flame Runner, attack him directly!"

Gorishi stood quietly, barely wincing under the fire assault as Flame Runner poured liquid flames all over his body. "And not just that, but Flame Runner is a bit of a pyro so whenever he deals you life point damage you take three hundred effect damage as well!" (GLP: 3300)

The wacky Osiris Red took a look down at his hand of cards, then flashed a grin at Gorishi, his teeth glinting as he flicked a lock of silver hair out of his eyes. "Turn End."

Up in the stands the self-proclaimed Hero Saint of Duelist Academy scowled and crossed one leg over the other. "He's stealing my bit again…"

Professor Gorishi drew, and then held up his Insurance trap card. "In case you couldn't guess I set this card and return it to my hand immediately with Insurance Company's effect to gain my life points." (GLP: 4100)

"You know, that thing is getting really annoying really quickly." Gorishi just laughed and reached for one of the other cards in his hand. He placed it carefully onto his duel disk and a short elderly man at a desk with pen and ink appeared.

"I summon Treaty Maker (300/600) in defense mode. Finally I set one card face down and end my turn." Shiro watched as the card appeared next to Insurance Company. If he was right then that card was once again Insurance, but there was no way to know yet.

"Draw!" He looked down at the five cards in his hand, then up at his field. Finally he glanced at Life Source and frowned slightly.

"Okay, I'll start off by having Flame Runner attack Treaty Maker!" The Action Warrior aimed his flame thrower and clicked the trigger. Immediately the nozzle sprayed flames out, incinerating the little old man and his desk.

Gorishi's Duel Vest whirred and a card popped out of it. "When Treaty maker is destroyed I'm allowed to search my deck for one card with 'treaty' in its name and add it to my hand."

He tucked the card into his hand and then motioned for Shiro to continue. "Okay, I'll attack you directly, this time with Gunner. Expert Shot!"

The Professor winced when the bullet hit him, but because it wasn't real it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it might have been. "That was quite a hard hit against my life points." (GLP: 2300)

He laughed and then pointed at the card he had set his last turn. Instantly his continuous trap started glowing and he picked up the trap card. "Insurance Company lets me gain three hundred by returning that card of course." (GLP: 2600)

Once more he showed Shiro that he had returned Insurance to his hand. "And of course I gain five hundred life points from the effect of Insurance." (GLP: 3100)

"Sheesh, what do I have to do to keep your life points down?" The Professor offered him no answer so he instead grabbed one of the cards in his hand and slammed it into his duel disk.

"I play Life Pump Up, which lets me destroy monsters on my field to gain five hundred life points for each. I'll destroy both of my monsters to gain a thousand life points." His two monsters blew apart and the pixels flew into his duel disk, granting him new energy. (SLP: 4600)

Without holding off Shiro held up two of his cards, one facing him and the other facing Gorishi. The one facing Gorishi showed a soldier with a missing arm, the stump of which was bubbling and seemed to be growing. "Instant Regeneration is a quick-play card that can activate only during my turn when a monster is destroyed. I can discard one card from my hand to discard all monsters destroyed on my field this turn."

He tucked the card he hadn't shown into his cemetery slot and his two Action Warriors shimmered and reappeared on his field. "Heh can't keep a good man of action done now can you?"

Still grinning he snapped his right arm out to the side. "Turn End!"

As Gorishi's Duel Vest provided him with a new card for the start of the turn Mizuki was busy contemplating his deck. She was so focused on it that she forgot her embarrassment and her anger at Shiro. "This deck is so strange, but surely it has to have some secret left to it. I haven't seen any real way to hurt the opponent yet, and you can't win a duel just by gaining life points by returning your own cards to hand. What's his game?"

The Professor, before doing anything else, held out his Insurance card which started to glow red. "According to my combo I set Insurance and then return it to my hand with Insurance Company, gaining eight hundred life points." (GLP: 3900)

Shiro scuffed his foot against the ground, looking irritated. "Man, is that all you can do? That's starting to get on my nerves. One combo horse…"

"Oh I'm far from a one combo horse. Allow me to demonstrate as I activate the card I got last turn. Trade Treaty activates!" A card appeared face-up on his field next to his other continuous trap, giving him three magic or trap cards in play.

The Osiris Red just shrugged, unimpressed. "I've yet to see anything really great or new."

"Let me demonstrate. Once during each player's turn Trade Treaty allows me to give you one card from my hand. In exchange I may draw two cards. Come, I'll give you this card." The two duelists walked to the center of the ring and Gorishi handed Shiro one of his cards. Then they walked back, and Gorishi drew twice.

Shiro looked down at the card he had and blinked as he read the effect text. "Letter Bomb, normal magic card. When this card enters the opponent's hand this card is destroyed and deals fifteen hundred damage to that player. Eh? Wait a second but that means…"

"That's correct, since Letter Bomb is now in your hand it detonates, dealing you fifteen hundred points of damage!" Shiro cried out in shock as an explosion erupted from his hand, sending him stumbling backwards. Letter Bomb went flying through the air and Gorishi caught it, and then shoved it into his cemetery. (SLP: 3100)

"Dang…that was some strong stuff teach. Looks like you're deadlier than I gave you credit for." Gorishi chuckled and pointed at his single set card. It flipped up and Shiro's glowed blue for a moment.

"This continuous trap can only be activated when I deal you direct damage in some fashion. It is called Unequal Treaty, and as long as it is in play you take one hundred damage whenever you draw cards. I then gain one hundred life points." Shiro gulped, realizing that each turn he was going to be losing life points.

The Professor carefully placed one of the cards he had drawn from Trade Treaty onto his duel disk and a brutish looking man holding a nightstick appeared. He smacked it against his hand and sneered at the Action Warriors. "This is Union Brute (2000/0), he'll slay Flame Runner."

Union Brute ran forwards and smacked Flame Runner across the jaw with his nightstick. Flame Runner fell over and his gas tank exploded, engulfing him in a fireball. Shiro winced, stepping away from the flame. "Dang that's hot stuff." (SLP: 2300)

"Yes, well Union Brute suffers a drawback from his attack power. Whenever he destroys a monster in battle he switches to defense mode afterwards and his attack is split evenly between his attack and defense scores." The brute dropped into a crouch and the holographic display showed each of his stats now at one thousand each.

Moving on to his second main phase Gorishi plucked one of the cards in his hand free and then slid it into his duel disk. That gave him a total of four cards in his magic and trap zone. "One card face down, and end."

Shiro scowled and drew, his life points falling as he did so thanks to Unequal Treaty. but was surprised when Gorishi started walking towards him. "According to Trade Treaty's effect I can use it during your turn as well. So I believe I'll give you Insurance and then draw two." (SLP: 2200) (GLP: 4000)

He passed the student his very much used trap card and then walked back, taking two cards from his deck. Shiro looked at Insurance carefully and his eyes widened when he saw that it had a second effect. "Okay teach, I'll just go easy on you and attack Union Brute with Gunner."

A single bullet between the eyes was enough to easily dispatch the brute. But because it had been in defense mode no damage was dealt. Gorishi motioned to his remaining set card, activating it. "I activate Munitions Treaty, this trap activates when one of my monsters is destroyed. It lets me draw two cards and the opponent can add an equip card from their deck to their hand."

Shiro nodded and searched through his deck until he quickly found the card he had been looking for. He added it to his hand and then took a different card and placed it into his disk. "I'll set a card face down to end my turn."

"During your end phase I activate Insurance Company's effect and return it to my hand to gain three hundred life points. And now I begin my turn by drawing!" Shiro frowned; realizing his opponent now had nine cards in his hand and a way to gain more easily. (GLP: 4300)

"I activate this magic card, Magic Shard Excavation. By discarding two cards from my hand I can select a magic card in my cemetery and add it to my hand. I choose to pick up Letter Bomb." He showed Shiro the chosen magic card, then discarded two cards from his hand.

"I activate the effect of Trade Treaty, giving you Letter Bomb in exchange for drawing two cards. I'll simply discard Letter Bomb now as we both know it deals you fifteen hundred damage." Shiro grimaced and bit his lip as his life points started dropping rapidly. (SLP: 700)

Gorishi looked through his hand of eight cards, then selected two of them and placed them into his duel disk. "I believe I'll set these two cards face down and bring my turn to an end. Your turn student."

Shiro drew, wincing as his life points started to fall because of Unequal Treaty. Already that card annoyed him. Especially since Gorishi also gained life points because of it. "Really unequal." (SLP: 600) (GLP: 4400)

The Professor held up one of the cards in his hand, smiling the whole time. "Using Trade Treaty's effect I give you Life Grant, but much like Letter Bomb it is automatically destroyed. The difference is I now gain two thousand life points." (GLP: 6400)

The Osiris Red held up his drawn card, looking almost serious. "I play Emergency Provisions, sending my two face down cards to the grave to gain one thousand for each." (SLP: 2600)

"Next I summon Action Warrior-Cyclist (1700/1300) whose attack cannot be chained to. So he's going to come out swinging and knock you down a peg!" Gorishi's eyes widened as a man on a motorcycle wearing a leather jacket burst out of Shiro's card and raced across the field, knocking him over on impact. (GLP: 4700)

Gunner gave him a nod and raised his revolver just as Cyclist returned to their side of the field. "Gunner's gonna give it a try to. Expert Shot!"

Gorishi motioned to one of his two set cards, looking quite confident. "I activate Trade Collapse, which allows me to send one card on my field to yours in order to destroy an attacking monster and deal five hundred damage to your life points. I give you my face down card to do so."

Gunner exploded and the remaining set on Gorishi's field shimmered, then reappeared on Shiro's field. He grimaced, wishing it had been there when he played Emergency Provisions. "Weird trap." (SLP: 2100)

Shaking his head Shiro slid one of the cards in his hand into his duel disk, watching as it appeared face down next to the card he had gained. "One card face down and end."

Gorishi drew, then fanned out his cards and picked one. "I activate Magical Offering, which lets me send three magic cards from my hand to the cemetery in order to add one magic card from my deck to my hand."

He swiftly dropped his hand size down to five, but then accepted the new card, returning it to six. "I activate Trade Treaty's effect, giving you my newly acquired Letter Bomb. Of course it explodes and deals damage." (SLP: 600)

Without pausing Gorishi pushed another card into his cemetery and held up one of the newly drawn cards. "I activate Tribute to the Doomed, discarding one card from my hand to destroy Action Warrior-Cyclist."

Bandages snaked up out of the ground and then dragged the movie star and his motorcycle into the ground, eliminating them for the time being. "Dang it…your deck is really annoying."

"Perhaps it is, but I believe I'm winning and in control of this duel. Now, I set one card face down and summon Tax Evader (0/0) in defense mode. Turn end." He snapped his hand of cards together and watched Shiro expectantly, confident in his defenses and his combos for good reason.

Shiro grinned and snapped a card off his deck, looking surprisingly happy despite his losing situation. "You're really strong teach, I'm glad I had this duel despite the risk. So even if there's nothing to gain from winning and everything to lose I'll give all I've got left this turn!" (SLP: 500) (GLP: 4800)

Gorishi raised an eyebrow while up in the stands Mizuki shook her head. She suddenly stood up and yelled down at him. "Shiro you idiot, if you win you're automatically promoted to Ra Yellow! Jeez, pay attention for once!"

The Osiris Red blinked rapidly, and then his grin grew ten times wider. "That makes winning this turn even cooler! And guess what teach, my victory is all because of you!"

"What? How are you going to win in this turn? And how would that be thanks to me?" Shiro grinned and snapped his fingers together. Instantly his leftmost face down card, the card that Gorishi had sent to his field flipped up.

"I activate the continuous trap card you gave me, Insurance Company! And next I'll activate Insurance, which can be activated to return one magic or trap card on my field to my hand. At the same time I'll use Insurance Company's effect in chain to return Insurance to my hand. So I get both back and eight hundred life points!" Gorishi's eyes widened as he realized that he truly had given Shiro a method to gain cards in hand and life points all at once. (SLP: 1300)

"Want to know why I needed those life points? Well its so could play the magic card Final Assault, which requires eight hundred life points and no monsters on my field!" Gorishi frowned as Shiro made the life point payment and his field started to glow. (SLP: 500)

"After I've met the costs I can now special summon up to five Action Warriors from my deck to the field. During my end phase all of them are destroyed and I take five hundred damage for each one that didn't attack. Of course I don't intend to reach my end phase!" All five of his monster zones began to glow and his monsters started appearing.

"Action Warrior-Knife Flinger (1300/1600) destroys your Tax Evader when summoned. Then I bring out Action Warrior-Cyclist (1700/1300), Action Warrior-Brawler (2000/800), Action Warrior- Katana Master (1400/1000), and last but not least is Action Warrior-Gunner (1800/1000)!" Gorishi couldn't believe his eyes, and neither could the rest of the audience save those who knew Shiro. For the second time that day a crazy summoning fest was going on.

Shiro then motioned to the continuous magic card he had put into play during his second turn. "I activate the effect of Life Source! Whenever a monster of mine is destroyed it gains a counter, and I can sacrifice it and all counters on it to special summon that many monsters from my grave. Plus during this turn there's no limit on the number of monsters I can have in play!"

His continuous magic card shattered and one by one his monsters returned. Flame Runner, Cyclist, Gunner, and Katana Master now stood in readiness to attack whenever Shiro made an order. "Nine monsters…incredible!"

"Yeah, and believe that this is the end! Thanks to you once again, I activate the equip card Action Weapon-Supreme Katana! This card equips to an Action Warrior and grants it five hundred attack points and one extra attack each turn. I'll give it to a Cyclist!" One of the motorcycle warriors held his hand over his head and a golden katana appeared in it.

"Incredible…and the ability of your two Cyclist monsters make their attacks impossible to chain to. Of course…I can activate this card beforehand, Despair Tax, which lets me discard cards from my hand to remove that many of your battle phases. I'll simply discard one card to remove this one." The audience sat down in their seats, realizing that it was over now that Shiro couldn't attack.

Shiro suddenly burst out laughing, and Gorishi stared at him in surprise. "Gotcha! I knew you were gonna pull something like that, which is why I needed Insurance Company and Insurance in my hand. Go magic card, Action Stunt-Leap of Faith!"

Gorishi's eyes widened further as his field started to glow and his life points began shooting up. "What's going on? Why are my life points increasing?" (GLP: 19,200)

"Sometimes a man of action has to take a major risk to pull off something totally awesome, and Leap of Faith defines that. First at a cost of discarding two cards from my hand, your two cards, I can quadruple your life points. Which I have. And the second step is that every Action Warrior on my field can automatically attack you directly without chain. This is a risk as if I have few Action Warriors I just gave you lots of life points. But…do some math teach!" Gorishi narrowed his eyes and counted the monsters…then gasped in surprise.

Shiro smirked and gave him a thumbs up, his teeth glinting. "That's right, this man of action has just won the duel, because all nine of my Action Warriors with their additional attacks now have a total attack damage rating of five hundred more than you've got life points! SUPREME FINAL ASSUALT!"

All together the nine Action Warriors mob rushed Gorishi, attacking him with intense brutality. A cloud of dust gathered around the professor's body as they entertained themselves with an orgy of violence. And when they pulled away Gorishi was on his back, eyes spinning. Shiro grinned and punched his fist into the air. "Boo-yah! I'm going to Ra Yellow! I said whose house? My house!" (GLP: 0)

Happily grinning he ran up the stands to his friends, who patted him on the back and gave him congratulations. He stopped at a still annoyed looking Mizuki and gave her his biggest grin. She looked at him for a second, and then spoke. "You just copied Aya with that move."

He face-faulted, but recovered quickly, coming back up with his patented grin on. He leaned in to the side of her head and whispered in her ear. "So what are you now? C at least I guess. Am I right?"

Mizuki blushed furiously and pulled back, smacked him in the face, and then stalked away in a huff. He dropped to the ground, eyes spinning again, but a smile on his face. "Idiot!"

Shiro's smile never left his face, even when they picked him up and put him on a temporary stretcher to take him to the nurse for head trauma. He just kept muttering something under his breath the whole way. "Oh yeah, she digs me."

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Author's Note: Dude…that was an awesome finisher wasn't it? Surpassed Aya I'd say.

_Next Time: As the Duel Review ends Mizuki reveals to her friends that her time has come at last and she has been promoted to Obelisk Blue. It quickly comes to her attention that this year's number one rookie arriving from the prep school is a girl who has recently taken to beating every student she can at her own personal favorite game. Mizuki steps up to meet the challenge against an opponent who is a little bit more than strange._

_See it all in, Dance Dance Like You Mean It!_


	33. Dance Dance Like You Mean It!

Author's Note: You can dance if you want to, you can leave your friends behind. But if your friends don't dance, well and if they don't dance well then they ain't no friends of mine!

Disclaimer: I don't own Dance Dance Revolution. Just saying you know? Like literally, I have to play at a friends house when I want to.

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Dance Dance Like You Meant It!**

Mizuki did a little twirl, admiring the fit of the little blue skirt and the white blazer with its blue collar base and blue button lines. The main part of the collar came up around her neck, letting her hair flow freely down her back. "Huh…I wonder why its sleeveless. Still, I like cute in blue don't I?"

Aya nodded, smiling in happiness for her friend. Kara also nodded, but she looked more jealous than anything else. As per the norm at least. "You look cute as usual. I'll miss not having you here though, but hey, at least you get your own room at the blue dorm, right?"

Mizuki smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Yep, but I'll be sure and visit. I may be excited about my promotion after the Duel Review, but that doesn't mean I have to forget my friends now that I'm Obelisk Blue."

Suddenly the door burst open and Shiro ran in, wearing black pants and a Ra Yellow blazer hanging open over a white t-shirt. "Check it out! Don't I look snazzy in my new duds?"

A chair struck him in the head, knocking him back out of the room. Mizuki lowered her hands from the throwing position and place them back on her hips. "Learn to knock idiot."

Shiro sat up, rubbing the side of his head and groaning. "Damn…you really do have a strong throwing arm. But how'd you chuck a chair at my head that easily?"

Mizuki shrugged and sat down, folding her legs beneath her. "And how did you manage to not be knocked unconscious by a chair to the head?"

He laughed lightly, rubbing his neck as he did so. "Fair enough, fair enough. Guess I really can't argue with that."

She sighed and shook her head, looking down at her lap. She muttered to herself while mentally counting to ten. "He didn't even bother to try and answer the question…"

Aya suddenly stood up off her bed and started walking to the window. "Anybody else hear that?"

Kara cupped a hand to her ear and leaned towards the window. "Now that you mention it, I hear something that sounds like people talking. A lot of people."

Shiro suddenly jumped to his feet, grinning like a maniac. He jerked a thumb to point at his chest and struck a dramatic pose like that. "It must be my adoring fans."

With another sigh Mizuki stood up just like the others and started walking towards the door. "Or it's a lynching mob for you. Either way, let's go and find out."

The newly appointed Ra Yellow blanched at that thought and stopped where he was. "Umm…just in case it's the second one I think I'll stay here."

Mizuki didn't even miss a beat as she grabbed him by the wrist and started dragging him behind her. "And miss out on that wonderful lynching? We can't have that. And there's no way you're staying in the Ra Yellow Girls Dorm on your own. Come on idiot…"

Kara and Aya exchanged glances, and the smaller girl cleared her throat. "Umm…are they actually…you know…like everyone said during the Duel Review?"

The blonde girl shrugged and began to follow, having nothing better to do. "Honestly I can't tell half the time anyways."

They followed Mizuki and Shiro down to the bottom floor and outside, where they found a large crowd of Blues, Yellows, and Reds all gathered together around something. "Is that music?"

Mizuki released Shiro and nudged her way through the crowd until she was able to get a clear view of what was going on. A large several foot tall machine was set-up in the middle of the grass. It was obviously an arcade game and was two platforms surrounded by bars. On closer inspection she saw that each platform consisted of four directional pads.

Standing on the platform on the right hopping from foot to foot on the directional pads was an Osiris Red student that Shiro recognized, who seemed to be breathing hard as he moved as fast as he could, trying to keep up with the music and the arrows that rolled up the screen. "Oh…it's Dance Dance Revolution."

On the left pad moving at an equal pace but much more gracefully was a girl with long black hair tied into a tight braid that went half-way down her back. She wore a solid blue blazer and had a black skirt that went half-way down to her knees, showing off nicely toned legs with obvious dancer's calves. She was moving to the beat almost flawlessly, and Mizuki saw that her screen showed a combo of one hundred and ninety-three perfects. "Wow, that's what I call dancing!"

A voice from the machine spoke up as the two dancers hit their last marks. "You both pass! Let's check out those scores!"

Their scores scrolled up and so did rankings. The Osiris came up with a C, while to almost nobody's surprise the Obelisk girl had an AA ranking, the highest the game awarded. She smirked and patted the boy on the shoulder. "Don't worry; you did pretty well on standard. Now if you can pull off that again on Heavy, then I might let you have another shot at me. Till then, pay up."

He sighed and reached into his pocket, then pulled out a crumpled wad of Yen and the handed it to her. She smirked and handed it down to another first year Blue girl who placed it into a blue bowl that she was carrying. "So, anybody out there care to take the challenge? Five Hundred Yen if you lose, the entire pot if you win! Any setting you want, all the way up to Oni!"

Shiro looked up at her and grinned, and Mizuki watched him as he did so. She could tell what he was looking at. Not only did she have nice legs, but she had a petite figure and a very pretty almost doll-like face. Her big gray eyes added to her appeal, along with the very aggressive look on her face.

The other Blue girl laughed and looked around at the crowd. "What is nobody around here tough enough to face this year's number one Blue rookie at Dance Dance Revolution? Chizuma is a dancing genius I know, but that shouldn't scare you off. Just five hundred Yen for losing while the pot has grown to several thousand. Little to lose, lots to gain!"

Mizuki suddenly laughed out loud, bring the two first year Blue students' attention to her. The preacher of the two eyed her angrily. "You think something's funny about what I said?"

"Nope, I just laughing because I was happy to hear that this Chizuma here was a genius, even a dancing one. I'm a genius as well, so I'd be glad to pit my dancing skill and genius against hers!" The doll-faced Chizuma raised one eyebrow and then suddenly her eyes lit up and she leaned over the railing, an excited look on her face.

"You're the Rising Star, Mizuki Mitsuhiro! I've been wanting to meet you ever since I came…I didn't know you were such a pretty one. Absolutely, face me at a dance!" Mizuki grinned broadly and whipped out her new blue dueling gloves and pulled them on. Then she glanced to her left at Shiro and motioned to him.

"I need five hundred Yen for the bet start Shiro. So come on." The newly promoted teenager stepped back in surprise and reached for his pocket on instinct. Then he stopped himself and glared at her.

"Wait a second, why should I give you money? I know it's not too much, but why not just use your own money?" Mizuki responded by rolling her eyes and planting her hands on her hips.

"And where do you expect me to carry money? All I've got is this damned little skirt and my blazer, and neither has pockets. You on the other hand get to wear pants, so I'm sure you have money. Just let me borrow it and I'll pay you back later, okay?" Shiro scowled and dug into his pocket, grumbling to himself as he pulled out the money and handed it to her.

She gave him a bright smile and then handed the money to Chizuma's little preacher, then ducked under the railing and onto the pad. "Okay Chizuma, I'm ready for whenever you are. Heavy if you don't mind."

Chizuma's big gray eyes shimmered with anticipating as she tapped one of the buttons on her pad, selecting difficulty and scrolling through songs. "For a pretty opponent I think I need a pretty song. So how about an oldie but a goody? Butterfly work for you?"

Mizuki nodded and prepared herself, planting her feet on opposite buttons. She took a deep breath to keep relaxed and then focused on the screen, ready for the song to begin. "Bring it on Chizuma, I'll show you my dancing genius!"

The dark haired girls cast each other glances, and then began as the first arrows began to scroll up the screen along with the music. Many of them overlapped as the pace punched upwards, and the two girls moved from pad to pad, their feet moving in unison as they kept up with the arrows on screen.

Chizuma laughed warmly as she danced faster than ever, her feet flying and her braid whipping out behind her. To her right Mizuki was also moving gracefully, keeping up with her every step of the way. _'The Rising Star really is amazing as everybody says! I absolutely love it!'_

Mizuki herself couldn't help but smile as she tried as best she could to keep up with Chizuma's movements. The other girl was incredible, definitely a dancing genius. But Mizuki was a genius as well, and she wasn't going to lose so easily. "Now that's what I call dancing! Player One and Two are on fire!"

Almost as quickly as it had begun Mizuki and Chizuma both hit the last arrows, lighting up the screen with the finisher. "You both pass. Let's check out those scores!"

Both girls waited with tension rising in their shoulders as the screens shimmered and changed, bringing up their numerical score and their letter score. Chizuma saw her score and grinned, not surprised at the AA perfect score, no mistakes. "How'd the pretty Rising Star do?"

Mizuki flashed a grin and gestured to her side of the screen where an identical score was shown. "Same as you it turns out."

All the students who had been watching, particularly those who had already lost, stared in awe at the two tied dancers. Shiro whistled his appreciation, but was ignored as the two girls stared each other down. Finally Chizuma spoke. "How? That was absolutely amazing; I've never had anybody keep up with me at DDR before."

"I took dancing lessons for years before I came to Duelist Academy. But I have to say that from what I saw you're a much better dancer than I am. The only reason I kept up is because of my type of genius. See, there are a limited number of patterns that DDR can follow, and since I've played Butterfly before I was able to select the pattern out of memory that it followed and went with that. So by following that pattern perfectly I was able to tie your score." Chizuma suddenly clapped her hands together and squealed with delight. She moved forward and clasped Mizuki's hands in her own.

"It's so great to meet another dancer at this school, and especially someone who can dance with such grace and beauty! Not to mention such a pretty one like you are…I'm so happy! Happy but…" Mizuki blinked as the girl suddenly shifted from jubilant to determined, her eyes focused once again.

"But I demand a rematch! Yet since you can pull off what I can through genius alone, I'll see what the pretty Rising Star is made of on the dueling field! What do you say Rising Star, you want to duel me for the pot?" Mizuki grinned right back at the other girl and bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically.

Chizuma released her hands and in unison the two girls jumped over the railing and onto the ground. The students backed up, giving them enough space to duel, and Aya tossed Mizuki her duel disk. At the same time Chizuma's preacher gave her a duel disk, and the two Obelisk Blues raised their duel disk clad arms, ready to go. "Duel!" (CLP: 4000) (MLP: 4000)

Mizuki drew a sixth card to start the duel off, feeling the intensity already of the other girl's gray eyes. "I start by summoning Rune Berserker (2000/800) to the field, and then I'll set one card face down. Turn end!"

The younger girl eyed Mizuki's muscular rune monster carefully, then drew. "Ah, perfect! I'll start this dance off with a fast song. Go, Reinforcements of the Army! This lets me search my deck for a level four or lower warrior monster and add it to my hand!"

She quickly found her chosen card and then placed it into her hand. Then she held up another card from her hand. "Card in Hand allows me to add one monster from my deck to my hand, so here's part two!"

Mizuki watched her opponent carefully, trying to judge exactly what Chizuma was up to. There was no telling what dueling style the other used. "Okay, here are my dancers! I summon Tango Dancer (1700/1000)!"

A Hispanic man in dancer's clothes spun out on the field and smirked at Mizuki, tipping the brim of his hat to her. "When Tango Dancer is summoned I can special summon a Tango Dance Partner (1400/1300) from my hand to the field!"

She took the second searched for card and slapped it down onto her field. This time her monster was a Hispanic woman in wide and flowing dancer's clothes. She clasped hands with the woman and they smiled at each other. Chizuma did a spin on her heel and then ended facing the same direction, her right arm extended and pointer finger pointed right at Rune Berserker. "When they're in play together my tango pair can combine their attack scores (3100) for a single attack! Dance Battle!"

The two dancers spun across the field, moving quickly towards Mizuki's lone monster. But the newly appointed Obelisk Blue didn't seem worried. "Reverse card open, Rune Symbol-Algiz! This magic card lets me destroy one card on my field to destroy two on yours, so goodbye Berserker and goodbye dancers!"

All three monsters blew up at the same time, clearing the field completely. Chizuma frowned and flipped around one of the four remaining cards in her hand. "I activate Start the Dance, which can only be played if I have no Tango monsters in play. I now special summon both Tango Dancer and Tango Dance Partner to the field with an additional three hundred attack points a piece!"

Her dancing pair reappeared, clutching their hands tightly together as their scores altered, becoming two thousand and seventeen hundred respectively. "During this turn my dancing pair cannot attack. So I'll set up one card and end my turn!"

Mizuki drew. "Rune Centurion (1800/1800) is summoned, and since its stronger than your Tango Dance Partner he'll attack that one!"

The rune monster wearing white armor and wielding shield and sword appeared, and then took off after the female dancer. Chizuma laughed and snapped her arm out towards her set card. "Yeah, that's the way I like it, a fast dance with everybody moving to the groove and adapting to the flow! Deux Passe activates, sending your attack directly at me!"

The two dancers jumped aside, letting Rune Centurion bypass them and slash his sword down onto Chizuma's shoulder. The dancing girl grimaced, but managed to shrug it off after a few seconds. "Confused pretty Rising Star?" (CLP: 2200)

"Not really, Deux Passe now lets the original attack target attack my life points directly. And since your two monsters can combine their attacks together I assume you get thirty-one hundred life points to throw at me." Chizuma smiled, surprised but still happy.

"Beauty and brains, that's the sort of thing I like! Dance Battle!" The two monsters waltzed towards Mizuki, moving faster and faster as they grew closer, their attacks totaled up to thirty-seven hundred.

To Chizuma's surprise Mizuki responded by slamming one of the four cards she was holding into her duel disk. "Rune Charm-Ability Snare! This allows me to shut down the effect of any monster in play for two turns, meaning your attack becomes just Tango Dance Partner!"

Tango Dance Partner's hands slipped out of Tango Dancer's and she hit Mizuki head on, but without the same force as she might have before. Mizuki stumbled backwards, but caught her footing quickly. "Looks like I retain the lead." (MLP: 2300)

Chizuma laughed and clapped her hands together, looking surprisingly happily. "Yeah, you sidestepped that one beautifully! I love this duel already and its only a few turns in!"

Mizuki grinned, feeling better than she had in a while during a duel. This was her best duel all semester, if only because her opponent's cheer was so infectious. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

The younger girl drew, her braid bouncing with the force of her draw. "Okay, let's see how you take this next attack! Tango Dance Partner may not have her effect but Tango Dancer does, so he'll attack with their combined total of thirty-seven hundred!"

The dancing duo failed to move at all to Chizuma's surprise. "Ummm…how come they aren't attacking?"

Mizuki laughed and pointed her thumb at Rune Centurion. "This monster lets me select a monster on your field and prevent that monster from attack. I chose Tango Dancer because I knew he still had his effect. So you can now only attack with Tango Dancer Partner, but she doesn't have her effect and is too weak to beat Rune Centurion."

Chizuma scowled, but then responded by holding up a magic card from her hand. "You Can Dance If You Want To! This card forces all monsters on our fields to attack each other now, combining their attack totals together!"

Rune Centurion rushed into the center of the field, only to be met by the dance partners. They crashed together and Rune Centurion exploded, filling half the field with smoke. "And looks like your Centurion wasn't up to that tough of a dance!" (MLP: 400)

The Rising Star motioned to her set card, causing it to flip up. "Rune Blessing-Holy Restoration activates when a Rune monster is destroyed! It special summons that Rune monster back onto the field and increases my life points by its attack points!" (MLP: 2200)

Both Obelisk Blues narrowed their eyes at each other as their life points settled at an equal level. But Chizuma was now at a disadvantage since she had used up her card that allowed her to battle while Centurion was keeping her monsters locked. "I set up one card. End turn!"

Mizuki drew and glanced down at her card. "Perfect, this will shut you down for the time being! I activate Rune Symbol-Isa which prevents magic and trap cards from being activated this turn. So now Rune Centurion attacks Tango Dance Partner!"

Chizuma winced as her face down card was covered by frost. Then the Centurion cleaved her female dancer in half with a single stroke of her sword. "Dang it…that was a nice move." (CLP: 2100)

The Rising Star slid one of her other hand cards into her duel disk. "Turn End!"

Immediately the other Obelisk Blue drew. "I activate Warrior Returning Alive, picking back up Tango Dance Partner. And now I summon her back to the field."

The same female monster from before appeared, and immediately she moved into Tango Dancer's arms. Mizuki's eyes widened as she realized that since it was back Tango Dance Partner's effect was no longer sealed. "That's right, Tango Dance Partner attacks together with Tango Dancer (3400)! Dance Battle!"

Both monsters danced over the field together and did a joint spin kick, catching Rune Centurion in the chest. It fell backwards and then exploded, taking a large chunk out of Mizuki's life points in the process. "Yeouch…" (MLP: 600)

Mizuki motioned to her set card which flipped up and Chizuma screamed as she was engulfed by a red aura. "Rune Symbol-Kenaz drains you of eight hundred life points!" (CLP: 1300)

Chizuma shook her head to clear it, and then glanced down at her hand, then at her face down card. "I'll end my turn at that. Looks like this dance is almost over pretty little Rising Star. And it looks like I've almost made my way to victory!"

The Rising Star drew, and then held up her drawn card. Immediately a burst of light shot out of it and struck Chizuma's face down card, blasting it into pieces. "Rune Symbol-Hagalaz destroys one magic or trap card on your field."

Next she took the last remaining card in her hand and placed it down onto her duel disk. Seconds later a blonde man in a white robe with runic gauntlets appeared. "Rune Fighter (1650/1200) appears and takes out Tango Dance Partner!"

Rune Fighter lunged across the field and smashed his glowing right gauntlet into the woman's face. She was knocked out of Tango Dancer's arms and then blew apart on impact with the ground. Chizuma winced, seeing her combo monsters beaten again. "You just don't give up do you Rising Star? I love that in a dance and a duel! I'm really starting to like that about you…" (CLP: 1050)

Since Mizuki had no cards left that she could play the turn moved to Chizuma who drew her card for the turn. That gave her two cards in hand, but she didn't seem satisfied with that. "I activate Pot of Greed, and as you well know it lets me draw twice."

A green grinning pot appeared and then shattered seconds later once Chizuma had drawn her two cards. "Ah, that's even better! I activate Spell Reproduction, discarding two magic cards from my hand to add a magic card from my grave to my hand."

She tossed out her two other hand cards and then held up her chosen magic card. "I play Warrior Returning Alive to pick up Tango Dance Partner. Now I summon her to the field and have my monsters attack together! Dance Battle!"

Rune Fighter took a hit in the chest just like Rune Centurion had and went down just as easily as the previous rune monster. But the difference was the damage. "When Rune Fighter is destroyed all damage to my life points for the turn is reduced to zero!"

Chizuma laughed brightly, appearing happier than ever before. "You're great to prevent yourself from losing there, but its still end game. I've got my great monster combination and you've got nothing but your next draw. Show me the grace you've got in that pretty body by at least going out fighting!"

Mizuki reached for her deck and snapped up that top card that Chizuma had spoken of. "Let me show you exactly the sort of dancing I do when a duel comes to its end! Rune Symbol-Fehu lets me draw two cards!"

Just like Chizuma had in her turn Mizuki drew twice, giving her a grand total of two cards in hand. "In order to defeat your dance style I'll oppose you with my very own dancer! I summon Rune Dancer (1700/900) to the field!"

A blonde woman in long white robes appeared, her white robes glowing with blue rune symbols that moved all about it. Shiro's eyes widened at the sight of the monster. "I've never seen that monster before. It must be a new one."

Chizuma's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together. She looked positively enraptured by the sight of the dancer on Mizuki's field. "You've got a dance monster in your deck? You're pretty, talented, and you've got great taste in Duel Monsters! What a wonderful opponent to dance with!"

Mizuki smirked and held up her other drawn card. "By discarding a Rune Symbol from my hand and lowering her attack by five hundred for the turn my Rune Dancer gains the ability to attack directly! This is the end, Rune Dance Battle!"

Rune Dancer weaved her way across the field, her robes flowing outwards as she dipped and ducked in a graceful economy of motion. Chizuma watched it the whole way until it ducked under her two dancers and flicked her in the nose. "Wow…" (CLP: 0)

The holograms shut down and Chizuma closed down her duel disk. The preacher Obelisk Blue looked somewhat subdued now that Chizuma had been beaten. "You were amazing Rising Star! I absolutely loved dancing with you, it was the greatest! And that Rune Dancer, it says to me that we were meant to dance together, just you and me!"

Mizuki looked at the younger girl uncertainly as she spun on her heel and the grabbed her hands, holding them tight. "Umm…I enjoyed err…dancing with you as well. It was a fun duel, and the DDR was fun as well. I'd be glad to be friends and I guess…uh…dance with you again."

Chizuma hopped backwards and spun again, her eyes sparkling. "Yes! That's the sort of answer I like! Us two pretty dancers together as friends and so much more, against the rest of the school and anyone who opposes us! The Rising Star of Duelist Academy and the Dancing Genius Chizuma Takashi!"

She laughed and winked at Mizuki, and then gestured to her friend, who passed the pot of money to Mizuki. "I'll see you again later Rising Star Mizuki. Maybe then we can get to know each other better on a more personal basis!"

Together with her preacher she left, ignoring the fact that she had left behind the giant DDR machine. The crowd grumbled that the show was over and started to disburse, leaving only Mizuki, Shiro, Aya, and Kara left. Mizuki reached into the pot of money and handed Shiro five hundred Yen. "See, told you I'd pay you back. Now, I've got to start packing my stuff up, so I'll see you up at the room."

Carrying the thing of money she started walking back toward the Dorm, Kara following her. Shiro stepped up beside Aya, and then glanced back in Chizuma's direction. "Hey Aya. Did Chizuma strike you as a bit…off?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, all that talk about dancing was a bit excessive. She's really way too enthusiastic about that stuff."

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck, seeming frustrated by her response. "That…that's not exactly what I meant. I mean…did she seem like she was…you know…with Mizuki."

"You know? No, I really don't. What are you talking about? You're so weird sometimes Shiro…" Aya shook her head and started walking after Mizuki and Kara, leaving Shiro standing alone in front of the Ra Yellow girl's dorm.

He looked back towards where Chizuma had gone and scratched his chin. "Could she be? Eh…guess I really don't know…but I'll be watching her."

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Author's Note: Huh? What's Shiro talking about I wonder?

_Next Time: At long last the newest major player at Duelist Academy shows his face, dazzling ever student. Saint Beatrix is more than he appears, and to Mizuki's shock he was the Kaiser and Hero Saint of Duelist Academy five years previous, the man whose title Sanzo inherited!_

_See it all in, The Beautiful Saint Descends to Duelist Academy!_


	34. The Beautiful Saint Descends

Author's Note: And now for the revelation of the villain of this season of Rising Star to Heaven.

**Chapter Thirty-Four: The Beautiful Saint Descends to Duelist Academy**

The waves bounced the boat up and down gently. Normally this boat was used to ferry students to and from the island of Duelist Academy, but in this case its only occupants were the crew and their V.I.P. guest. "Ah, such a beautiful day."

The V.I.P. guest sat on a fold-out chair on the deck and he was looking out at the ocean and the island that they were coming closer to. Smiling he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone, then pressed a speed dial button. "Ah, Envy, good you're not in class."

He paused as the person on the other line spoke briefly, he smiled the whole time. "Interesting. Have you spoken to Wrath yet about his interactions?"

Again there was a pause, and then the man spoke again. "I see. Very well, be prepared for my arrival, I'll be at Duelist Academy within the hour. Tantei has informed me that he and the Dorm Heads will be waiting to greet me, and then I'll be introduced to the students. It sounds as if they intend to show my graduation duel."

He laughed at whatever he heard on the other end. "I apologize Envy; I didn't intend to make you jealous of the other students. I honestly believed that I had shown you a tape of my graduation duel. Don't worry; you'll see it later today."

He pulled the cell phone away from his ear and tilted his sunglasses down, taking a closer look at the academy. It didn't look any different from when he had last been there years before. "I'll speak with you later, I have to go. I'm going to take a catnap before I arrive so that I'll be ready for a long day. Goodbye."

The phone clicked shut and he slid it into his pocket. Then he pulled the sunglasses back up and leaned into the folding chair. "Ah…truly such a beautiful day out."

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Tantei and the three Dorm Heads waited patiently at the docks as the boat was moored and anchored. Then at long last one of the doors opened and their V.I.P. guest exited. He was a tall man, over six feet in height, and wearing an expensive looking Italian suit. In one hand was a black briefcase and in the other he was holding a pair of sunglasses.

He smiled down at them and gave them a brief wave of his free hand, his white teeth gleaming in the sun. Even Tantei couldn't help but smile back, just as he had when this man had a been a student. His wavy golden blonde locks also shone in the sun, and were accentuated by the bright blue eyes he possessed. "Mr. Beatrix, it's a pleasure to have you at our academy once again."

This brought a laugh from the tall, broad-shouldered blonde man. "Please Tantei, call me Saint. I may no longer be a student, but I like to feel as if I belong here still."

Tantei smiled right back at Saint Beatrix, looking pleased even without much of a reason. It was simply that Saint had that sort of effect on people. "Of course Saint. I'm glad to have you back. If you'd be willing, we'd like to introduce you to the students you'll be scouting. Then we're going to do a screening of your graduation duel."

Saint smiled warmly and placed a hand on the older man's shoulders. "Of course. However, I was wondering if you'd be willing to tell me a bit about this genius I've been hearing of. A student so bright that she's allowed to teach a class. Would you mind if I sit in on that class?"

"Oh yes, Miss Mitsuhiro. Certainly, I'm sure she'd find that acceptable. Her students have been very receptive so far and seem to enjoy her as a teacher. She's considered to be our most promising student, and some at the school have even given her a fitting nickname. They call her the Rising Star of Duelist Academy." Saint smiled even brighter than before and gazed off at the main building ahead.

"Ah yes, the Rising Star. I'm very interested in meeting her. Very interested indeed."

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Sanzo sighed and sat down in the upper section of the bleachers, as far away from his crowd of fan girls as he could. He liked the thought of being a hero, he liked helping others, but he didn't like the way those girls idolized him like a god. "And after all this time, you've come back…Saint."

He watched the Dorm Heads and Principal Tantei walk out onto the floor of the arena, with none other than Saint Beatrix walking with them. Saint looked almost exactly like he had three years ago, the last time that Sanzo had seen him. "Have you come back looking in general for new students to sponsor…or have you come back for me like you said you would?"

Sanzo was completely unsurprised when Saint's smiling face swept through the crowd and settled on Sanzo himself. Sanzo could hear many of the girls in the audience sighing as they always had at the presence of Saint. _'The girls react to him just like always, and though I don't mind the distraction I'm somehow also jealous…'_

"Students, I'm happy and proud to introduce to you a former student. Five years ago was his last year at this academy, and today he is a successful businessman and CEO of the Saint Corporation. He currently sponsors several top Pro League Duelists and has come to the academy for the year to choose out potential new duelists to sponsor. So show him your absolute best." Saint waved at them all, and then gladly accepted the mike when it was passed to him.

"Fellow duelists, I'm glad to be back at Duelist Academy after these five long years. The quality of duelists here is excellent I'm sure, and I want to see just how wonderful you've all become in my absence. But at the same time I suppose I was also nostalgic for this place. Once you come, you never fully leave." This drew a laugh from the student body, many of whom weren't sure why they were laughing.

"Please, don't become stressful because of my presence and don't go out of your way to impress me. I simply want to observe you as students and duelists, to judge whether you are the type of person I want to sponsor. You see, I'm looking for not just talented duelists but unique duelists who bring a certain different flavor to the Pro League. Perhaps it could be one of you who will next bring that taste to the Pro Dueling League?" The audience stirred, all of them wondering if maybe it could be them.

"Ah, but I ramble on as usual. You know, Principal Tantei informed me earlier that he wanted to show a video of my graduation duel. You see, five years ago I held two titles at this school, the first was Kaiser, and the second was Beautiful Hero Saint." There were many whispers at this, both surprise that he held the title of Kaiser and that he held a title so very similar to their second ranked duelist.

Down at the very bottom, wearing his strange blue trench coat, was none other than Harrison. He watched Saint Beatrix carefully, judging him and considering his strength. _'So this is him, the one that Sanzo spoke of. The Beautiful Hero Saint of Duelist Academy, the man whose title Sanzo inherited.'_

"Now that I've gone on like an old man, I think I'll turn this over to the video and allow you all to see my graduation duel. I hope you enjoy it." He lowered the microphone and walked off the dueling arena with the Dorm Heads and Principal.

Suddenly two holographic figures appeared on the dueling field, one which looked like a somewhat younger Saint wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform, and the other a brown haired teen also wearing blue. "I'm ready for you whenever you're prepared to begin Michael. I've even chosen the deck I'll be using this duel." (SLP: 4000)

The other Obelisk Blue, the one named Michael, reached for his duel disk and drew a sixth card. "Don't worry Beatrix; I'm going to make sure that this duel is as great as can be expected against somebody like you. I'll let you graduate on a high note, Hero Saint!" (MLP: 4000)

Michael fanned out his hand and immediately held up three cards. "I activate the power of Polymerization, fusing together Rikaboo Screwdriver (500/600) with Magma Diver Beast (1600/1400) in order to create Magma Gear Beast (2600/300)!"

A huge four-legged monstrosity with a body made of level stomped out onto the field. Poking out of its volcanic sides were charred looking gears, including a black gear embedded in its canine forehead. "I now activate Magma Gear Beast's effect, discarding a pyro type, in this case my Darkfire Soldier #1 (1700/1150) to deal you five hundred damage."

As soon as Michael discarded the chosen card the lava beast opened its mouth up and spat out a fireball which hurtled across the field and exploded against Saint Beatrix. Saint was engulfed in smoke, but once it faded he was revealed to be unmoved and smiling. "First blood goes to you. Certainly to be expected from a magnificent burn style duelist like yourself." (SLP: 3500)

Michael smirked and took the last two cards in his hand and slid them into his duel disk. "I set two cards face down and end my turn!"

Saint drew, and then held up his drawn card. "Its time I begin and show you the power of why I am known as one of the reasons I have my title. The power you used, the power of Polymerization!"

Michael gritted his teeth as Saint took two cards from his hand and held them out. "I fuse together Elemental Hero Featherman (1000/1000) with Elemental Hero Burst Lady (1200/800) in order to fusion summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100/1800)."

A green winged hero jumped out into a vortex along with a female hero in red and grey spandex. What emerged was a tall hero in red, green, and black with a single angel wing and a dragon arm. Michael frowned, but didn't seem that worried. "Your Flame Wingman is still weaker than my Magma Gear Beast."

"Perhaps, but his power is incomplete. I activate Double Spell, discarding Premature Burial to copy the effect of the only magic card in your cemetery. I use Polymerization to fuse together Flame Wingman with Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400) from my hand…" A yellow and blue clad hero jumped into another vortex with Flame Wingman.

The monster that appeared looked almost machine-like; with wide spread armored angel wings and a angular head with one eye. It was also glowing with an intense inner light. "Together they create Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman (2500/2100). Shining Flare Wingman gains three hundred attack for every Elemental Hero in my grave, which is four."

Shining Flare Wingman's attack power shot upwards to thirty-seven hundred, putting it well above Magma Gear Beast. "Shining Flare Wingman, attack and destroy Magma Gear Beast. Shining Shooter!"

The wingman shot forwards and collided with the magma beast. It exploded, knocking Michael a few feet backwards. "In chain to its destruction I activate the trap card Backfire, which deals you five hundred damage whenever one of my fire monsters dies in battle!" (MLP: 2900)

Saint continued smiling even as a wall of flame burst up around him, further draining him of life points. "Skilled of you to turn a loss into a gain like that. But not quite good enough, as Shining Flare Wingman deals you Magma Gear Beast's attack as damage." (SLP: 3000)

Shining Flare Wingman stood in front of Michael and flared itself, becoming brighter and brighter as each second past. Michael screamed as it burned him with its pure light, nearly finishing him off. "That damned super power…" (MLP: 300)

Michael recovered as the hero returned to Saint's field, and he now motioned to his remaining set card. "I activate my second continuous trap card, Pyro Revolution! During my standby phase I may either special summon a pyro monster from my grave to the field or add a pyro monster from my cemetery to my hand. And now, since you've got no cards left, I draw!"

He drew the top card of his deck, giving him only one card in hand. Then a fireball erupted on his field and Magma Gear Beast was restored into existence. "A monster special summon by Pyro Revolution cannot attack the turn it is summoned. So I'll activate Magma Fireball, which destroys one monster on your field and deals you 300 damage for every fire type monster on my field!"

A burning ball of magma shot out of nowhere and connected with Shining Flare Wingman. The hero exploded flames and sparks raining down all around Saint. "Another impressive recovery. I'd have just about lost by now if not for the side effect of Pyro Revolution." (SLP: 2700)

"Well the duel isn't over yet. So I'll just end my turn right there." Saint nodded, smiling the whole time as he drew his card. He seemed to be enjoying the duel and far from worried.

He glanced down at the drawn card and then placed it sideways on his disk. "Since he is the only card in my hand Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200) is special summoned to the field. And because there were no cards on my field at that time I draw twice."

The blue armored aqua hero appeared and struck a dramatic pose, his cape flaring out behind him. Then Saint drew two cards and looked at them. "Ah, perfect. I activate Fusion Recovery, returning Polymerization and Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400) to my hand."

Still smiling Saint flipped over the other card he had drawn from Bubbleman's effect. "Warrior Returning Alive lets me pick up Elemental Hero Featherman and add him to my hand."

Michael grimaced, realizing what was coming. "I activate my returned Polymerization to fuse together Bubbleman, Featherman, and Sparkman into Elemental Hero Tempester (2800/2800)!"

A green muscular hero with wide wings and a helmet descended onto the field, a gun barrel for a right hand pointed at Magma Gear Beast. "Now that I have him I'll just attack your monster. Chaos Tempest."

Michael threw up an arm in self-defense as a blast from Tempester's gun hit his Magma Gear Beast head on and burst it into chunks of lava which rained down on the field. "Just one hundred points shy of the finisher." (MLP: 100)

The other Obelisk Blue snapped his arm up and a wall of fire exploded around Saint. "Backfire deals you five hundred points of damage at this time!" (SLP: 2200)

"Of course. End turn now." Michael grimaced and drew for his turn, causing Magma Gear Beast to reappear on the field.

Looking slightly relieved Michael slid his drawn card into his duel disk. "Pyro Energy increases the attack of all Pyro monsters in play by five hundred. And by paying half my life points a monster can attack even after being summoned by Pyro Revolution! So now my Magma Gear Beast (3100) will destroy Tempester!" (MLP: 50)

A massive fireball hit Tempester, destroying him utterly. Saint merely smiled, appearing pleased at the defeat of his hero. "At this time the second effect of Magma Gear Beast activates, dealing you three hundred points of damage and giving me three hundred life points since he slew a monster in battle!" (SLP: 1800) (MLP: 350)

Saint drew and suddenly sighed. "A pity that this duel had to end so soon. I activate Alternative Fusion, which lets me select one fusion monster in my cemetery or on my field. I may return that monster to my fusion deck to special summon a fusion with the exact same fusion components."

He held up his Tempester from the grave and then placed it into his fusion deck slot. Then he took a different card from it and placed it onto his duel disk. "I now special summon Elemental Hero Storm Guy (2800/2800) into play."

The new monster looked exactly the same as Tempester; the only difference was that he was red and black rather than green and white. "Now, end turn."

Michael eyed him questioningly as he drew, not quite sure he understood exactly what had happened. "During my standby phase I pick back up Rikaboo Screwdriver from the cemetery thanks to Pyro Revolution. Now, I activate Magma Gear Beast's effect and discard it and Inferno from my hand to deal you one thousand damage!"

Saint was engulfed by the fireball that Magma Gear Beast shot out, which drained him of most of his life points. But despite that he was still calm and amused. "Truly an impressive display." (SLP: 800)

"It'll be more impressive when I beat you! Magma Gear Beast attacks Storm Guy and destroys him, activating his effect!" Saint continued to smile even as his fusion hero was destroyed and he took severe damage while Michael gained life points. (SLP: 200) (MLP: 650)

Suddenly a blast of lightning shot out of the sky and hit Magma Gear Beast, blasting it into oblivion. "When Storm Guy goes from the field to the cemetery all of the opponent's monsters are destroyed. And since it fell by effect I take no damage from Backfire. Now, it's my turn I believe."

Michael's eyes widened as Beatrix drew and casually placed down the drawn card. "I summon Elemental Hero Wildman (1500/1600) and have him attack you directly."

The wild barbarian hero roared his battle challenge and slashed Michael across the chest with his sword, bringing the duel to a close. "Victory is mine." (MLP: 0)

The holograms of the two duelists faded, and the entire audience burst into applause. They had seen a true Kaiser at work dispatching his opponent with great skill, and he amazingly enough used an Elemental Hero Deck just like their own Hero Saint. "Thank you for the applause everyone. It was an enjoyable duel then, and as much fun to watch now."

From their two different positions Sanzo and Harrison had the exact same thought at the exact same time. _'Are you as strong as you were back then, or have you gotten stronger since that time?'_

Everyone else was busy being entranced by his beatific smile.

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Mizuki paced at the front of the room, desperately trying not to nibble at her fingernails out of sheer nervousness. She never would have guessed that Saint Beatrix, the dueling mogul and former Kaiser, would want to sit in on her class.

She had given one last problem to the class to work on and was waiting for them to finish working on it before the class was over. Even though she knew the material she had been jittery the whole time, not just because there was a famous and powerful man in the class, even if he was terribly handsome. _'What if he really is the guy Vlad warned me about? It's hard to believe that a guy that looks like that could be evil, but still…'_

Her reverie was shattered when the bell rang, signaling the end of class. She briefly brushed imaginary dust off of her Obelisk Blue blazer and tilted her head up to address the class. "Alright everyone, I'll want the results of that last problem on my desk as you leave. If you failed to finish it, that's your homework. Otherwise just look over this week's material for the quiz tomorrow. Class dismissed!"

The students filed out, passing her by, only a few of whom actually turned in the assignment. The last one in line was Saint Beatrix, who was still wearing that expensive looking Italian suit. "Ah, Miss Mitsuhiro, the Rising Star of Duelist Academy. I've been waiting for a chance to meet you for a while."

She blushed as he smiled down at her. "You have? How come?" She silently berated herself for sounding like an idiot.

All he did in response to her question was smile. "You're of great interest to many people, and word reached far outside of Duelist Academy at your level of talent. Why even the Academy's top ranked duelist was so impressed with you that he requested you as his graduation duel opponent. And as you saw, you did better against him than my opponent did against me. And the difference?"

Mizuki shrugged, not sure. "The difference was that Michael Bostwick, my chosen opponent, was the second highest ranked duelist at this school during my graduating year. In other words you were stronger as a first year student in Ra Yellow than the second strongest Obelisk Blue in the entire school five years ago."

Saint placed a hand onto her shoulder and then patted her on the head as he smiled. "I'll be watching you carefully Rising Star. You're my favorite candidate out of the whole school even over my former student."

"Former student? You taught somebody at this school?" Saint smiled warmly and drew back, then reached into the inner pocket of his suit. He pulled out a deck and set it down in front of her. When he picked up the top card it was shown as Elemental Hero Edgeman.

"Indeed. You see I'm of German descent, but when I was fourteen I became part of an exchange program to Japan. I lived with the Uzumaki family, whose eight year old child was Sanzo Uzumaki, whom you know. I taught him how to duel and passed on my love of Hero Decks to him. I also taught him how to be a hero and what that entails." Mizuki felt a sense of awe falling over her, just looking at the man who taught Sanzo how to duel and be a hero.

When Mizuki didn't respond he patted her on the shoulder and stood to his full height. "I'll be watching you Rising Star. Please, have a nice day."

Then he walked out of the room, waving at her as he departed. She belatedly waved back, feeling a bit dazed. "That guy…he's got a lot of presence to him. Is he really who Vlad mentioned?"

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Later that night, in the large Obelisk Blue room that Saint had been given for his stay, the beautiful German man sat on his bed, seven figures of varying sizes and shapes standing opposite him in the room. "I'm glad you've all come. Its time to begin testing them, and seeing exactly what this school is made of."

"I must make it clear that Mizuki Mitsuhiro is not to be the target of any of you directly, at least not directly. If you cannot figure out one of her friends to target yet, then simply come to me for advice. And do not move all at once, you will move only as I order you." Of the seven one of them in the back, a tall young man with dark hair that fell wildly to his shoulders spoke up.

"And which of us is going to be moving first? I'm eager to take my crack at all of them and be the first one of us." Saint sighed and shook his head, and then looked from face to face amongst the seven duelists he had amongst him.

"I'm afraid not Greed. You're being, as usual, rather greedy about your prospects. No, the one who will go first will be Envy. She's been waiting quite patiently, and we of course know she'd be jealous if any of the rest of you got first dibs. So Envy, the first target is yours to take." Kara, also known as Envy, smirked and patted the duel disk on her arm.

"I'm glad. If it can't be that Mizuki whom I jealous of, then I know exactly who my target is going to be. I'm going to make the Rising Star jealous of my true power when I use it to crush her former roommate with my real deck." Saint smiled warmly and snapped his fingers.

"Excellent Envy, I'll make the appropriate preparations. Please be sure to crush her completely." Envy nodded and rubbed her hands together with glee.

"Aya…get ready, the first of the seven deadly sins is coming for you!"

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Author's Note: Uh-oh spaghetti-o!

_Next Time: Although previously hiding her identity, Aya's roommate Kara reveals herself as one of Saint Beatrix's seven pupils, the deadly teen who has rocked the Pro Leagues under the dueling title of Envy. This self-proclaimed incarnation of one of the seven deadly sins has more power than anyone had guessed, and she's ready to use it._

_See it all in, Envy's True Power Unveiled!_


	35. Envy's True Power Unveiled

Author's Note: And now for the revelation of Kara/Envy's true power!

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Envy's True Power Unveiled**

Aya frowned at the empty bed on the opposite side of the room. It was the bed that Mizuki had once occupied, but it was now emptied since Mizuki had her own room in the Obelisk Blue Girls Dorm. _'Which means I'm all alone here with Kara, and she's annoying company since she gets jealous so easily.'_

The little Ra Yellow girl was already up and about, and she seemed to be dressed with her duel disk on her arm. "Aya…there's a message on the door."

The blonde sighed and hopped out of bed, pausing briefly to brush out her sleeping shirt. Then she walked to the door and pulled off the note. "Aya Yukio, by request of Saint Beatrix you will be participating in a special duel at 1:00 P.M. Please be prepared."

Aya's eyes lit up as she realized exactly what that meant. "This means that Saint Beatrix is interested in me! He must want to see what I can do to decide about whether to sponsor me or not! Awesome!"

Without wasting a moment she rushed into the bathroom in order to get clean so that she would be ready for later this afternoon. She had to check up on her deck before this duel took place so she'd be at her absolute best. She was in such a rush that she missed the dark smirk on Kara's face as she replied. "I'm so jealous…"

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Aya brushed imaginary dust off of her Ra Yellow uniform blazer, then off of her white skirt. The duel disk on her arm felt abnormally heavy, but that was just because she was nervous. At the front of the stands Taylor stood, grinning at her and waving. She smiled and waved back, appreciating the support. _'Okay, just stay calm Aya, you can do this.'_

She knew that the entire school was watching her, including her friends, so there wouldn't be any slip-ups in this duel. "Ah, Miss Yukio. I'm glad you're willing to participate in this duel to satisfy my curiosity, however…please try not to be nervous."

Aya yelped and spun around, finding herself face to face with none other than Saint. He was smiling down at her in that captivating way he seemed to have, and she couldn't help but feel her worries drift away. "Thank you Mr. Beatrix, I'll do my best!"

Saint continued to smile and placed a hand on top of her head, then leaned in close to look her in the eye. "Do enjoy yourself Miss Yukio; I know I'll enjoy watching you at work. I believe you have great potential, I'd just like to see how much."

He pulled back and turned around, then started walking away. As he walked he raised his right hand and waved backwards at her. "Do your best Miss Yukio!"

Saint walked up the stands and all the way to the spectators' booth, where he would be watching with the principal and the Dorm Heads. Aya took a deep breath and then turned around and stepped up onto the dueling ring. "Okay…even he wants me to do my best. So here I go."

When she turned around she found herself facing her opponent, and to her surprise it was none other than Kara! "Kara…you're going to be my opponent in this duel? But you're just a low-ranked first year…no offense."

Kara smiled, her eyes lighting up brighter than Aya had ever seen them. It was then that Aya registered that Kara had changed out her glasses to little square ones that rested lightly on her nose and covered half her eyes. She had also changed out of her Ra Yellow uniform and was wearing what looked like a male first year Obelisk Blue uniform, only it was solid grey rather than blue. "What are you wearing?"

The younger girl looked down at her outfit and then smirked, doing a little spin in it. "This little thing? Oh, it's the outfit that Mr. Beatrix supplies to his youngest sponsored duelists, modeled after school uniforms here. And me…I'm not a low-ranked first year either."

There were whispers amongst the audience, particularly from the group of students who knew Kara. A spotlight suddenly went up on the spectators' booth and Saint could be seen leaning forward, a microphone in his hand. "I'd like to announce to the student body that, with the permission of the school, Miss Kara York has been attending as a student here this year. However, she is one of my youngest sponsored duelists. I'm sure some of you have seen her perform in the Pro League."

Aya's eyes widened in horror as she heard this, and she looked back at Kara who was smirking in a way she had never seen before. A hologram appeared in the middle of the dueling field, showing Kara standing in that same outfit in a crowded building, with an older man in his forties on the ground, his life points showing zero. "Ladies and Gentlemen, those of you who are fans of mine should know that the Saint Corporation has sponsored seven of the top duelists in the Pro League, each of whom has a dueling title corresponding with one of the Seven Deadly Sins. They are of course called the Seven Sins."

An image of Kara standing in front of a group of six other duelists, all of whom were darkened out, appeared in place of the previous image. "Now allow me to introduce the first of the Seven Sins, Envy!"

Kara leaned forward, one hand on her hip as she continued to smirk. "Care to guess how I got my title?"

Aya scowled, feeling angry and frightened at the same time. "But…you lied to us! And…and you lost to Mizuki so easily! Kara, you can't be a Pro League duelist."

Kara laughed and placed her other hand on the opposite hip. "Please, call me Envy. And don't be jealous of my duel with Mizuki. After all, I was only using a weak test deck to act like a new student. My real deck is far from weak."

Saint spoke up again, drowning out the students comments. "During this year I will be gauging which duelists amongst your number are capable of the sort of power you will see from my Seven Sins this year. Some of you could be the next generation of sins!"

The two duelists watched each other, Aya with trepidation and Envy with smugness. As they stood there two men in business suits and sunglasses approached. Aya turned and looked at the one approaching her, as he was opening up a small case. "This is a special headset which will allow you to be heard by the entire audience. If you wish to have only your opponent hear you, simply click this button."

Aya nodded and accepted the headset, then fitted it and made sure it wasn't irritating her. "Thank you." The man bowed and backed away, leaving her to herself.

She saw now that Kara, or rather Envy, had gotten a much bigger case along with the headset she had just put on. The suited man opened up the briefcase, revealing a dark forest green DD6, which he handed to Envy. She slid the duel disk onto her arm and then picked up the deck that was also in the case. "Thank you, now go away."

Once she had her disk on and the man out of the way she walked forwards and Aya moved to meet her in the center of the ring. Smiling the whole time Saint announced the next part to the audience. "Because of the difference in rank this will be a slightly different duel than you might expect. First, the two duelists will shuffle each others decks."

Aya handed off her deck, and Envy tapped the top card. "I'm done. I doubt you'd cheat, so I don't see a reason to really shuffle it. That, and though I'm jealous of your appearance in terms of dueling skill I've got nothing to be jealous of."

Growling the blonde girl shuffled Envy's deck furiously. Already Envy was getting on her nerves worse than she ever had when she knew that she was just Kara York. "Take yours back and I'll prove to you that I'm plenty to be jealous of!"

With Aya scowling and Envy smirking both girls returned to their respective positions and then turned around. Saint spoke again once they were in position. "In order to make this duel slightly more fair Envy will be starting with one thousand life points, a fourth of the normal starting amount. That is the only additional rule."

Envy smirked and pressed a button on her disk, activating it. "One thousand life points will be all I need to beat you with my true deck and true power." (ELP: 1000)

Aya grimaced and activated her own disk, and then reached for her cards to draw her opening hand. "I'll wipe that smug smirk off your face before this duel is done!" (ALP: 4000)

Saint snapped his hand down, laughing as he did so. "Let the duel begin! And let both duelists play with honor and great skill. Miss Yukio will start first."

Aya drew fiercely and slammed the card down onto her duel disk. A knight with a banner of a lightning bolt rode out. "Lightning Teutonic (1600/1200) in attack mode!"

She looked through her hand and then selected one card, which she slid into her disk face down. "I throw a card face down and end my turn!"

Envy reached for her deck and drew slowly. Once she had it her eyes color flickered and changed to a very bright green. Aya's eyes widened and she watched with fascination as Envy clicked the button on her head set, allowing them to talk freely. "We Seven Sins…we're not normal humans. In fact, we're a lot like your friend Mizuki."

Aya blinked, not quite sure how to respond. "You see, we're humans but we're above you mundanes. Each of us possesses a unique talent, and that's why I dueled Mizuki, because I knew she had one as well. We Seven Sins are truly named for our special abilities…and mine is called Aura of Envy!"

Aya gulped as Envy's green eyes began to shift, spinning inwards like a whirlpool. "What's that?"

"Aura of Envy is my special ability which allows me to target someone whom I am envious of, which is generally everyone to one degree or another…and still their own confidence away to bolster myself. So as long as we're facing each other and I'm jealous of you…your own confidence will fade, making you a nervous and weak wreck. And when I win, you'll likely never duel again." Aya's eyes widened and she reached to switch her headset to normal mode so everyone could hear, but she stopped just before doing it, her hand shivering.

"They'd never believe me, would they? I just have to duel you and beat you so that I don't succumb to your freaky power. I'm not going to be some quivering wreck that's envious of everyone like you are!" Envy laughed and switched the headset back to normal, then slapped a card onto her duel disk.

"I summon the first of my beautiful monsters that inspire envy in others, Apprentice Geisha (400/400) in attack mode!" Aya stared in awe as a beautiful woman with a painted white face wearing a beautiful pink kimono appeared on the field, her hair done up and her kimono trailing out behind her.

Envy snapped her fingers and suddenly Lightning Teutonic bowed his head and sheathed his sword. "When Apprentice Geisha is summoned one monster on your field is changed permanently into defense mode. As long as that monster is in play and in defense mode, Apprentice Geisha can attack directly!"

Apprentice Geisha held up one palm and blew into it, sending flower petals flying towards Aya. She looked down at her set card, and then did nothing. The flowers floated over her, not dealing physical damage but still damaging her. "Weird monster." (ALP: 3600)

"Perhaps it is, but you'll learn soon enough. I set up one card and end my turn. Be prepared, because this deck has defeated every Pro League opponent I've ever faced!" Aya grimaced, and drew, feeling her hand shaking slightly. Envy's power was already affecting her.

"I summon Torrent Teutonic (1100/500) and have it attack your Apprentice Geisha!" Another knight, this one with a banner of a roaring river, appeared on the field and immediately charged on its horse towards the beautiful woman.

Envy laughed and pointed to her face down card. "I can't allow that, so I activate Art of Enchantment! I can only activate this card when I have a Geisha in play, and since I do I can switch your monster permanently into defense mode."

The Teutonic moved back to Aya's field and then the horse lay down, allowing the knight to hope off and into a crouch. "Dang it…I end my turn!"

Envy drew and looked down at her newest card. "Ah, this will do perfectly. I summon Hokan Geisha (1000/300) in attack mode."

To Aya's surprise the new monster was a man wearing white face paint, and a slightly less ornate kimono, obviously one designed for men. "This monster gains three hundred attack points for every monster on the opponent's field in defense mode, which is two."

The geisha's attack points rose to sixteen hundred. "Also, for the duration of a single turn he can transfer any bonus points he has to another Geisha in play. So I'll give them to Apprentice Geisha."

The female Geisha's attack points rose to one thousand as Hokan Geisha's attack points fell to their original state. "Of course during my end phase their attack points return to normal, but I'll make good use of it. I attack you directly with Apprentice Geisha!"

Realizing that this wasn't the time to be waiting, Aya finally pressed the button on her disk. "Activate trap card, Waboku! This reduces all battle damage from you this turn to zero!"

Three priests stood in front of the two knights, raising their hands to block the oncoming flower petals. Envy sighed as the battle failed. "Oh well, I can do the same again next turn. I'll just set this card face down and end."

Aya snapped a card off her duel disk, then grabbed a different one and slapped it down. "Let's see how you deal with a double summon! I bring out Fire Storm Teutonic (1400/1300) whose special effect now lets me special summon Wildfire Teutonic (1100/1000) from my hand because it has less than two thousand defense points!"

Two brand new Teutonic knights appeared, each one brandishing their swords. Aya looked at Hokan Geisha, seeing that it had its sixteen hundred attack points again, meaning she couldn't kill it this turn. "Firestorm Teutonic attacks Apprentice Geisha!"

Envy laughed and her face down card flipped up. All of a sudden Aya's two new monsters hopped off their horses and knelt in front of the two Geishas. Then the Hokan Geisha held out a small cup, while the Apprentice filled it. "Art of the Tea Ceremony is a trap card that I can activate when I have at least one Geisha in play. During this turn battle cannot be conducted, and I gain three hundred life points for every monster on your field in defense mode." (ELP: 1600)

The two knights took sips from their cups of tea and let out sighs of contentment. "Next, for every monster on your field not in defense mode you take three hundred points of damage." (ALP: 3000)

Aya grimaced and took one of the three remaining cards in her hand and slammed it down. "I place a card face down and end!"

When Envy drew she smirked, and Aya felt a shudder grow through her body. Those strange swirling green eyes met Aya's and she shrugged away, feeling her body shake again. "Nervous Aya? Here, let me make things better. I have Firestorm Teutonic."

Now it was the male Geisha's turn to open his hand and blow flower petals at Aya. The blonde girl grimaced and watched as they pelted her monster. He smiled warmly and then shattered. "Dang it again…" (ALP: 2800)

"Ah, now I transfer Hokan Geisha's bonus attack points to Apprentice Geisha, once again putting her at a thousand attack points. And then she attacks you directly!" The flower petals this time struck Aya head on, and again it didn't hurt, but she still took the damage. (ALP: 1800)

Aya reached for her deck which spat out a card. "Since you destroy a Teutonic this turn I'll special summon Back-Up Teutonic (1000/1000) to the field in attack mode!"

The knight with rusted armor appeared, swinging his chipped and battered sword experimentally. "He's just a hunk of junk, so I'm not worried. I set one card face down and end my turn."

Up in the stands Mizuki shivered, feeling weird vibes coming off of Kara in this duel. _'She's really a Pro League Duelist and she shows it. Her real deck and her skills are much greater than what she showed me. But what's with Aya, it's like she's unsure of herself…is it because Envy is a pro?'_

Near the spectators' booth Sanzo was watching the duel, and he cast a worried look at the booth itself where Saint was. _'You recruited this girl? Then that means she's not normal, since you never picked normal duelists to work with. What makes her worthy of you Saint?'_

Aya drew, but was surprised to see that already Envy's set card was activating. "I activate Ohana-Flower Fees! By switching my Geishas into defense mode I can force your monsters to pay a fee for their services. For every monster on your field in defense mode you must give me two hundred of your life points." (ALP: 1400)

Envy smirked smugly as her life points took a corresponding increase, finally putting her above her opponent in terms of life points. "Thanks for that increase Aya, I appreciate it." (ELP: 2000)

The blonde shivered and when she looked down she saw that her hand and her drawn card were shaking. _'She's so good…how am I supposed to face her like this? She's just too good…'_

Enzeru and Kane looked at each other with confusion. They had never seen their sister shaking like this in a duel. It was like she was truly afraid of her competition and didn't believe there was the slightest chance of victory. Enzeru bit his bottom lip and frowned. _'Nervousness I can understand, but this is beyond nervous. She's so nervous she can barely duel or think straight. It's impossible to duel under such conditions, so what's making her like this?'_

Slowly Aya picked up her two defense mode monsters and slid them into her cemetery. "I sacrifice my two monsters for Shining Flame Teutonic (2700/2300) and…"

She bit her bottom lip hard, drawing blood as she looked back and forth from her field to Envy's. Her towering and majestic Teutonic knight, whose banner depicted a brilliant gold ball of fire, stood head and shoulders above her others, but seemed useless in her eyes. _'I…I can't remember…what's my set card?'_

Envy's lips curved upwards as her green eyes continued to swirl, her Aura of Envy extending out farther, draining her opponent's will to continue. _'Not much longer now…'_

"I…end my turn." The student body made a loud complaint at this, all of them, even the Osiris students, seeing that she was wasting the chance to eliminate her opponent in one move.

Had she attacked with her two weaker monsters she could have beaten both of Envy's monsters and then finished it with a direct attack with her Shining Flame Teutonic. "Oh, you're done? I guess I draw then."

Envy reached down and switched the mode of her two monsters, moving them into attack mode. "I play Entrancing Dance of the Geisha, which lets me sacrifice one monster on my field to switch a monster on your field permanently into defense mode. I sacrifice Hokan Geisha!"

Her male Geisha shattered and then Shining Flame Geisha and his horse knelt down. "And like before, as long as you have a monster into defense mode that I select, as long as that monster is in play and in defense mode Apprentice Geisha can attack directly. So here she comes!"

She opened her palm again and blew out the flower petals. Aya looked nervously down at her set card, but did nothing as she still couldn't remember what the card was. "Still nothing you can do? You're looking a little out of sorts Aya…what's wrong? Jealous of my skills?" (ALP: 1000)

Aya didn't respond, she was too busy staring down at her feet, her shoulder shaking as she tried to think of something, anything that she could do. _'How do I fight her? She's too strong…too good…I can't…can't…can't…'_

The younger girl shrugged and took one of her last three cards and plugged it into her duel disk. "I guess my turn is over. See if you can muster up the courage to at least draw, I don't want this to be too terribly boring. And to think I was envious of you…"

While Aya stared blankly at the top of her deck, unable to will her arm to move, Saint watched from the booth with his fingers crisscrossed together and his chin leaning on his hands. _'It seems as if Envy's unique ability is too much for this little one to handle. I wonder…how will Miss Mitsuhiro react to the harsh defeat of one of her friends, especially considering what will happen thanks to Envy's ability.'_

Slowly the blonde girl raised her hand to reach for her duel disk. She barely registered the catcalls of the other students, all of whom were feeling embarrassed to even call someone who would act so cowardly a member of their school. _'What should I do? I can't beat her…'_

The arena went silent when Aya's hand was set on top of her duel disk. They all knew what that meant, they all recognized it. It was the duel move that signaled a player was surrendering. "I…I can't win. I forfeit." (Aya: Loss by Forfeit)

Their monsters vanished as the duel came to a conclusion, and Aya fell to her knees, her arms wrapped around herself. Envy's eyes returned to their normal dull color and she walked forwards until she was standing over Aya. She leaned down and smirked. "Anyone who makes me envy them pays the price, and you've paid for it. You shouldn't have been pretty, shouldn't have made the students like you by winning that duel. If you hadn't, then I wouldn't have been forced to strip you of everything you have."

Moving away from Aya she tilted her head back and shouted out her next words to the entire audience. "Aya played well, but against a Pro Duelist sometimes its best to know when to surrender! She played wisely in that last move, because she knew that she couldn't win. So don't any of you make fun of her, or you'll have to go through me!"

She smirked and pointed her thumb at her chest, her eyes brimming with confidence. The audience was stunned silent, and then they stood up and burst into applause, cheering on her inspiring words. Envy glanced down at the fallen Aya and smirked smugly. "Thank you for your confidence, I'll use it well until it fades. And thank you for making me popular…but don't be too envious."

Sanzo jumped to his feet as well, glaring at Saint who simply stood there watching the entire debacle. _'You knew this was going to happen, didn't you Saint? What is that girl?'_

Aya's friends and two siblings rushed down to the dueling field and gathered around her, talking to her, trying to make her listen. But they were shocked to silence when, with a tearstained face, Aya looked up at them and spoke. "I can't do it anymore, I can't keep this up. I'm leaving Duelist Academy; I'm not cut out to be a duelist."

Enzeru turned his head to glare at Envy's departing back, the pro duelist waving at her now adoring fans. Kane wrapped his arms around his sister and whispered to her, trying to get her to say why she was leaving. But all Enzeru could think of was that this had to do with Envy. _'What did you do? What are you?'_

"Please, stand aside, let me help. I feel responsible as I requested for Aya to duel Envy." They all parted, letting Saint step through. He crouched down and with one hand helped Aya stand up. The girl wiped at her tear streaked face, trying to hold back sobs.

"You performed admirably Miss Yukio; losing is nothing to be ashamed of. Before you make any decisions, let me talk to you in private. I'm sure I can offer words of wisdom that might make you reconsider leaving this wonderful Academy." He smiled warmly at her and the rest of them, and then walked off with her in tow. Somehow none of them could manage to move to complain or think up a reason why he shouldn't talk to her.

Mizuki looked from Saint to Enzeru, and then up at Sanzo who was glaring down at Saint. _'Vlad…I wish you were here to tell me what's going on. This whole thing doesn't seem right. I don't understand this…'_

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The next morning found Mizuki, Kane, Enzeru, and Shiro all standing in the room that Aya, Mizuki, and Kara had shared. There, on a blank bed, was a note from Aya. _"Everyone, thank you for being so kind and encouraging to me. I spoke to Mr. Beatrix, but even though he tried to encourage me as well I couldn't stay, I knew I would just be a burden. I've gone back home to attend a normal high school, I'm just not cut out to be a duelist. Thank you for being my friends, and goodbye."_

Enzeru spun on his heel and glared at Envy, who was sitting on her bed still wearing the grey uniform that she had worn the other day. "This is your responsibility! Somehow you drove my sister to leave the academy!"

Envy's lips curled up into a curious smile, and she shrugged her shoulders. "I can't say that I'm responsible. Maybe you and your brother didn't offer her enough support. Did that ever cross your mind?"

His hands shook with fury and he stomped forwards, stopping right in front of her. He grabbed her by the front of her uniform and tugged her forwards. "I swear to you that if I find out that you were somehow to blame that I will be without mercy, and I will bring justice down on your head for hurting my sister!"

Right behind him Kane planted his feet and folded his arms over his chest, glaring at her. "And I'll be right behind him the whole way, ready to kick any inch of your ass that he might miss."

Suddenly Envy narrowed her eyes and raised her left arm, pointing towards the door. "Get out. This is my room and none of you have any friends left here, so I order you to get out. Don't make me call in Professor Gorishi, because he will have you removed by force if I say so."

Begrudgingly the four of them all walked out of the room, glaring at her on their way out. Once they were out, Envy jumped up and slammed the door shut. "I want to crush one of them…any of them next! They can't talk to me like that!"

A spot at the back of the room shimmered and to Envy's surprise a tall young man stepped out from it. He was at least six feet tall, wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform and seemed to be well built, with bright blonde hair pulled tight to the back of his neck in a little dragon tail. His jade eyes met Envy's dull ones, and hers flashed green in response. "I'm afraid they can. At least unless Saint informs you that you can strike. Should you move without orders, I will have no compunctions about stopping you personally."

Envy glared at the tall young man and then plopped down onto her bed. "Fine, I won't move without Saint's orders. But don't expect me to take orders from you, you're not my leader."

"Of course not, I wouldn't want scum like you under my command. Be wary, I'm watching this academy carefully, making sure that Saint doesn't go above his duty." With those last words the young man faded away, his body rippling and then vanishing.

The embodiment of one of the Seven Deadly Sins continued scowling, until she picked up her deck and flipped through it. "I wonder…which of those envious losers I'll get to crush next…."

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Author's Note: Oh no! Aya is gone!

_Next Time: Thanks to Envy's power Aya has fled the Academy. However, her departure marks another surprise. After missing out on months at the Academy a former student returns. Everyone is shocked at first, and it seems as if nothing can be the same as it previously was. Determined to discover the true reason for the return, Sanzo steps forward and unleashes the power of his heroes!_

_See it all in, Revival! Return to Duelist Academy!_


	36. Revival! Return to Duelist Academy

Author's Note: And now for a return to our regularly scheduled program. No wait…that's not it….

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Revival! Return to Duelist Academy!**

Mizuki sighed as she shifted her bag onto her right shoulder, feeling the weight of the papers and books inside digging down. Somehow her teaching a class had lost some of its interest after she had seen what happened to Aya. _'Something about Envy just seems strange, abnormal, and the same for Saint.'_

"What I wouldn't give for a friendly face." She sighed out loud, but stopped when she heard the snapping of a twig. She spun around and stopped dead.

"Do I qualify?" Mizuki could no longer tell if her heart was beating. Staring right back at her was a face she easily recognized; only she hadn't seen it in many months.

Standing just a dozen feet away, wearing what looked like a deep crimson Academy uniform was none other than Janice. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Janice? But…I thought you went home to America after everything that happened last year…what are you doing here?" The dark skinned girl shrugged her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"I honestly didn't want to come back to Duelist Academy after what had happened, so I transferred Academies. I'm now a student at East School Duel Academy and unfortunately I'm here at the behest of one of the Tsar of East School." Mizuki blinked rapidly, trying to absorb that flood of information.

"I don't get it, I mean, not the part about who sent you. I know East School has a Tsar, Duelist Academy has a Kaiser, and North Academy has a King, and so on. What I'm asking is why you were sent." Janice sighed and looked away slightly, fiddling with the DD6 strapped to her left arm.

"Sorry, but I can't tell you that, that's what he told me. It was good to see you again Mizuki, even if for just a minute…but I can't stay. I've got to deal with things here, and then I'll be leaving back to East School." She turned and without uttering another word walked away.

Mizuki stared at her retreating back and then began to run full speed, pulling out her PDA as she ran. _'They've got to know about this! This is a huge occurrence!'_

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The moment he had received Mizuki's message on his PDA Sanzo had gone in the wrong direction. Instead of racing to meet her and the others outside the abandoned dorm he went for one of the other Obelisk Blue rooms, the special V.I.P. room.

Before he even managed to knock the door slung open and he was confronted by a teen slightly older than he was. The man had messy and greasy black hair that hung limply nearly to his shoulders, and was nearly six feet tall. He was also wearing the grey uniform that Envy had worn, except it had a yellow-gold armband on the left upper arm. "What do you want hero dork?"

Sanzo was taken aback by the greeting, but he pressed on anyways. "I want to speak with Saint right now. About…several important matters."

The older teen shorted and without any tact he stuck a finger in his left ear and wiggled it around, looking bored the whole time. "Well the name's Greed, and I'm not letting you by unless you've got something to offer me in exchange."

There was a familiar warm laugh from within the room, and suddenly Saint was standing behind Greed, a handful of inches taller than the younger man. "Now Greed, what have I told you about trying to extort my guests?"

Greed rolled his eyes and walked back into the room, ignoring Saint's comment. Sanzo glared after the teen, automatically disliking him. "Oh pay him no mind Sanzo; he's just an uncouth vagrant. Not a hero of the likes of you or I. Don't you agree?"

Saint stepped aside and gestured for Sanzo to enter. The Hero Saint did so, following the taller man into the room. There he was unsurprised to see Greed and none other than Janice in the room. "I was expecting to find you here."

Janice jumped to her feet, looking startled. "Sanzo! What are you doing here?"

Again Saint deflated the situation by laughing and placing a cool hand on Sanzo's shoulder, placating him. "She's here as a guest. An acquaintance of mine, the Tsar of East School, sent her to me in order to let me see her strength. He said "Pick out whoever you want to test, and see how she handles them."

Sanzo raised an eyebrow, surprised that somebody from an entirely different dueling school would be trying to get somebody else recruited into the Saint Corporation. "Did you agree?"

Saint smiled and nodded, motioning with his free right hand to the seated Greed, who still looked bored. "Of course, it was a favor to a friend. I was just making the arrangements for Janice here to duel my pro duelist Greed, one of the other Seven Sins."

The Hero Saint looked between the three others in the room, and then stepped past Saint. "I demand to duel Janice in Greed's place."

The older man raised an eyebrow, looking pleased and amused. "Eager to show me your growth after all these years? I've already told you that you stand amongst my"

He was cut off by a sharp look from Sanzo, so he merely smiled. "I thought that might be why you were here. Recruiting for your corporation you said. No, you're recruiting for six more, that I'm sure of. And here…I stand to face Janice to find out exactly why she's back, without any half-assed reasons like she was sent here by the Tsar."

Janice started to open her mouth to protest but was silenced by a wave of the hand from Saint and a smile as well. "No, that's perfectly fine. I'd enjoy seeing you both duel each other, so why not come with me down to the field and we'll see exactly what happens."

Because it was Saint's way to have people follow what he said it was less than surprising when Janice and Sanzo both followed him as he left. Greed just flopped down on the bed and pulled out a comic book, then flipped it open. "Sheesh, if I ain't getting anything out of this I'm not gonna bother."

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Fifteen minutes later Janice and Sanzo had found themselves out on one of the many open fields of the island with their duel disks at the ready. Saint stood off to the side, watching with an open smile on his face. He raised one hand and then casually brought it down. "Duel." (JLP: 4000) (SLP: 4000)

Janice drew from her deck harshly, a cold look in her eyes. "Sanzo, you're dueling me for some stupid reason again, and even though I think it's dumb for me to fight just because you don't believe me, I'll still prove my strength to Saint and to you! If I were still at Duelist Academy I'd show you that I'm just as strong as any Obelisk Blue, if not stronger!"

She slammed one card from her hand into her duel disk and began to explain as it appeared on the field. It was a magic card that depicted a man hunched over a table drawing designs of huge robots. "Mecha Designer is my magic card, and it lets me discard machine sub-types from my hand to add machine sub-types from my deck to my hand."

Without pause she held up three cards from her hand. "I discard Cyber Wolf, Cyber Goblin, and Cyber Giraffe to the cemetery in order to add three machine sub-types to my hand."

Three cards popped out of her deck from various places, one of them near the top, another fairly close to it, and the third all the way at the bottom. "The cards I've chosen are my three Cyber Dragons, the cornerstones of my deck!"

Sanzo braced himself, feeling as if he knew what was coming. _'So already she's going to summon out her ultimate monster. She is stronger than I would have guessed.'_

Janice took one of the two cards that wasn't a Cyber Dragon and slid it into her disk. "Next I'll activate the magic card Fusion Life. This continuous magic card absorbs the attack points of any monsters used in a fusion, and when that fusion is successful it is destroyed and I gain the total attack points of all fusion components as life points. Then if the fusion monster required more than two monsters I gain an additional two thousand!"

This part Sanzo hadn't been expecting. _'That's a really rare card…I had to use my contacts with Saint to get one. Did she get it from Tobias last year?'_

Her eyes were filled with determination as she held out the last four cards in her hand, three of which were the Cyber Dragons. "Its time for me to show you the power I've gained with the power of an all out rush with Cyber Dragons! Go, Power Bond!"

Sanzo grimaced as the three mechanical serpentine dragons were pulled into a swirling vortex. _'Damn…Power Bond is a fusion for machines that doubles the attack power of the summoned fusion monster.'_

A tremendous three-headed machine dragon floated down onto the field and spread out its wide wings, roaring. "Power Bond's effect now doubles the attack of Cyber End Dragon (4000/2800) giving it a total of eight thousand!"

Janice's continuous magic card shook and then exploded, raining glittering dust down all over her field. "Since I completed a successful fusion summon my Fusion Life card now grants me the total attack of the fusion components as life points. And with the two thousand bonus that's eighty-three hundred!" (JLP: 12300)

Sanzo couldn't help but be impressed. _'She's skilled. Using Fusion Life gained her a huge advantage in life points, and she's using that to get around Power Bond's side effect which will deal her the original attack of the fusion summoned monster as damage during her end phase. Under normal circumstances four thousand damage would have ended her, but now she's safe!'_

The East School student clenched her empty right hand into a fist as her body was covered by a red light. "I end my turn, and now I take four thousand damage from Power Bond's side effect!" (JLP: 8300)

Once the red light faded she glared at Sanzo and planted her left hand on her hip. "What do you think of that hero boy? Impressive enough for you or do you not believe me that it happened?"

He frowned and placed two fingers on the top card of his deck. _'She's much more aggressive than she was last year. Something unusual is going on here…and you know what it is, don't you Saint?'_

When he shot a glance Saint's way the blonde man merely smiled as if he were perfectly innocent. "I draw!"

He fanned out his hand and registered the cards that were in it within that brief moment, and then he looked back up at Janice. "I'll respond to your impressive play by attacking with my full strength! I'll dig the truth out of this situation and defeat you at the same time!"

Without waiting for a reaction he slapped down his first card and a blue armored superhero appeared on the field, striking a dramatic pose. "Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200), when summoned, lets me draw two cards if it's the only card on my field!"

He drew two cards and saw that one of them was another monster, while the second card was a trap. "Janice, prepare yourself! I activate my magic card, Super Fusion!"

Saint smiled faintly as a huge vortex of blue energy appeared in front of Sanzo. _'Ah, Super Fusion. How fitting considering I was the one who gave him that card…'_

Sanzo snapped two cards up out of his hand and showed them to Janice. "Super Fusion acts like Polymerization, or rather it acts like a universal Power Bond! So I fuse Bubbleman with Featherman (1000/1000) and Sparkman (1600/1400) from my hand!"

All three monsters were sucked into the vortex, and then it closed in on itself. Finally there was a flash of blue light and a tall and muscular hero in green and blue floated out. He had expansive wings, a helmet, and his right arm was a gun. "With doubled power, here is Elemental Hero Tempester (5600/2800)!"

Janice's surprise faded and she laughed. "Even though you've got a card that can match Power Bond you certainly can't produce a fusion with that deck which can match the eight thousand attack points of my Cyber End Dragon!"

Saint continued to smile, watching both duelists carefully. _'You've sent me an interesting duelist my friend, however this one can't match my pupil. I'm curious to see your next move Sanzo. With your reckless and straightforward dueling style, I'm certain it will be interesting.'_

Sanzo placed one card into his disk, causing it to appear face down behind Tempester. "Tempester is now going to attack Cyber End Dragon!"

The dark skinned girl shrugged and pointed at the oncoming hero with one finger. "Cyber End Dragon, counter-attack and wipe that stupid hero out!"

All three mouths opened wide and a triple blast of blue energy exploded from their jaws. All that energy came pouring towards Tempester, but suddenly the super hero began to glow as Sanzo's face down card shattered. "By sacrificing a magic or trap card on my field Tempester can prevent his destruction during this turn!"

Suddenly the faint glow that had surrounded Tempester erupted into a burning red aura and he flew straight into the air, avoiding the energy blast completely. "The card I sacrificed was Tempest Vortex! When this trap goes to the cemetery all damage to my field for the turn is negated, however if it went to the grave through Tempester's effect his attack now becomes a direct one!"

Janice gasped as Tempester flew straight over her Cyber End Dragon and dropped down in front of her, gun hand extended to point directly at her. "Tempester, attack her now! Chaos Tempest!"

His opponent screamed as a burst of energy engulfed her, burning a huge chunk out of her life points. She shuddered and nearly fell to her knees, but managed to catch herself in time. "That was quite a move Sanzo…" (JLP: 2700)

Saint chuckled at the determined look on his former apprentice's face. _'Such a wonderful move. To be expected of a Hero Saint.'_

"I set two cards face down and end my turn, activating Super Fusion's side effect, dealing me twenty-eight hundred damage!" The aura around Tempester faded, and then a blue aura burned around Sanzo, draining him of almost all of his life points. (SLP: 1200)

Janice drew for her turn, and then held up the drawn card. "Activate magic card, Renewal of Triplets! When I have three copies of the same monster in my cemetery they are all special summoned! Come out my Cyber Dragons (2100/1600 X3)!"

Then she raised her right hand and thrust it out towards Tempester. "He may be tougher, but he's still going to fall right now! Evolution Annihilation Burst!"

Cyber End Dragon opened its mouth and shot out a huge wave of energy just like before, only this time with an entirely different effect. "Since sacrificing a card wouldn't negate the damage I'll just chain with Defusion!"

Tempester split apart and the energy blast sailed right through the area he had been occupied and then exploded about a dozen feet behind Sanzo. "Defusion lets me return my fusion to my fusion deck and special summon the components back to the field, so all are here in defense mode!"

His three heroes all appeared in crouched positions, even though it was going to be in vain. Janice laughed and snapped her fingers together. At the same time her three machines opened up their mouths and powered up attacks. "Cyber Dragons, attack together with Triple Evolution Burst!"

Three separate bursts of energy shot from their mouths, each one striking an individual Elemental Hero. But the destruction was the same and in mere seconds Sanzo's field had been emptied of heroes. "Pathetic, all of that for nothing."

Sanzo responded by pointing with his left hand to his remaining set. "Not nothing, they've got back-up! Reverse card open, Hero's Rule #2-Defense of Life! I can now special summon level four or lower heroes from my deck equal to the total number of monsters on my field destroyed so far this turn. That's three!"

Three separate cards were spat out of his deck and he placed them down onto his duel disk. "I special summon Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000), Elemental Hero Burst Lady (1200/800) and Elemental Hero Wildman (1500/1600) all in defense mode!"

A brown rock-like hero, a lithe red-suited female hero, and a wild barbarian all appeared crouching down on Sanzo's field. Janice shrugged and placed her hands on her hips. "Those wimps won't stand against my Cyber Dragons, so I'll just end my turn."

Sanzo drew calmly, getting a look at a trap card. He placed it next to his remaining card, then took that last card and flipped it around. "I activate the card I withheld last turn, Polymerization! I fuse together Clayman and Burst Lady to form Elemental Hero Rampart Gunner (2000/2500) in defense mode!"

His two monsters warped together, creating a blocky looking hero in clay brown and red, wielding a shield in one hand and a hand that appeared to be a multiple rocket launcher as the other. "While in defense mode this monster can attack the opponent directly for half damage, so here it comes!"

Janice winced as the super hero fired a barrage of mini-missiles at her. They exploded all around her, buffeting her about and knocking her life points down. "Dang cheap hero…" (JLP: 1700)

The Hero Saint threw the card he had drawn this turn into his duel disk causing it to be appeared between his two monsters. "One card face down, and then I conclude my turn."

Now it was Janice's turn and she glanced at the card indifferently before pointing at Rampart Gunner. "Take care of that eyesore and knock out the rest of his life points now Cyber End Dragon. Evolution Annihilation Burst!"

"Open set card, Hero Barrier! When I have an Elemental Hero in play I can negate one attack this turn!" The huge attack fizzled out in mid-air, halted from striking Sanzo's fusion hero.

Janice scowled when she realized that her remaining monsters couldn't break the defense of Sanzo's fusion. "Fine, one Cyber Dragon will slay Wildman!"

Sanzo watched quietly as the Cyber Dragon's attack punched a hole in Wildman, destroying him seconds later. "I set one card and end my turn."

He immediately reached for his deck and drew. "Since I can't attack with a fusion if I play this card I'll activate it now. Fusionic Greed requires that I sacrifice a fusion, so say goodbye to Rampart Gunner!"

His fusion hero burst apart, leaving his field completely empty. "Fusionic Greed now allows me two choices. Either draw one card for every level of the sacrificed fusion or add one fusion related card to my hand for every two levels of the sacrificed fusion. I choose option two!"

Three more cards slid out of his deck and he fanned them out, and then held up one of them. "Go, Fusion Recovery! This allows me to place one Polymerization from my cemetery into my hand as well as a monster used in a fusion. So I return Polymerization and Bubbleman to my hand!"

He held up the chosen cards, and then took one of them and slapped it down. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200) in defense mode, and since there are no other cards on my field I draw twice!"

As soon as he had those two new cards he took one of the last two of the cards he had previously added to his hand. "Fusion Annihilation lets me send a Polymerization or a fusion monster on my field to the cemetery in order to destroy one card on the opponent's field. This effect cannot be negated in any manner!"

He tossed his recovered Polymerization into the graveyard and then watched as Cyber End Dragon roared and then blew up, sending a plume of smoke into the air. Janice grimaced at the sight of her supreme monster gone. "Damn it…"

"Since my Bubbleman is much too weak to attack I'll just set these two cards face down and then activate my continuous magic card, Mirage of Nightmare. That ends my turn." Two cards along with a face-up card appeared on his field in a matter of seconds, and then it was Janice's turn.

As soon as she had drawn for the turn he reached for his deck and started drawing as well. "During my opponent's standby phase Mirage of Nightmare lets me draw until I'm holding four cards. I draw the full four."

Janice scowled as she glanced at one of his face-down cards. "Since I'm sure I know what one of those is I'm not afraid since there are no dangerous fusion traps you could have picked. Evolution Burst!"

A single blast from one of her mechanical dragons blew Bubbleman to smithereens, leaving Sanzo with just his two sets and his Mirage of Nightmare. "Second Cyber Dragon, direct attack!"

Sanzo pointed with his free hand at the middle card on his field. "This may not be dangerous, but it's a life saver! My chosen trap was Fusion Life Core which lets me gain the attack points of one fusion in the cemetery, and since it doesn't specify whose cemetery I choose your Cyber End Dragon!"

Her eyes widened as a burst of light shot out of her cemetery and slammed into Sanzo, empowering him with four thousand life points. "In chain to Fusion Life Core I activate my face down Emergency Provisions, sacrificing Fusion Life Core and Mirage of Nightmare for an additional two thousand life points!" (SLP: 7200)

She shook off her surprise almost immediately. "That means you're still open to attack, so my final Cyber Dragon will join the second in blowing a chunk out of your life points!"

Sanzo took two Evolution Bursts head on, and though it hurt he didn't flinch. Saint smiled at the sight of his determined former apprentice. _'Such power he displays even in the face of the deadly Cyber Dragons. He has improved…but this isn't all his strength.' _(SLP: 3000)

Seeing that he wasn't going to be able to do anything else she held up her drawn card to her eyes and then placed it into her duel disk. "End turn."

As Sanzo drew the entire gang came rushing up. All of them, Mizuki, Shiro, Kane, and Enzeru. A few seconds later Harrison stalked in after them, his coat flaring out behind him. Mizuki looked back and forth between Sanzo and Janice, then at Saint, and then asked the obvious question. "What's going on? Why are you two dueling?"

Harrison placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Let it be Mizuki, I'm sure we'll see. Sanzo wouldn't be dueling her without a good reason, and right now he needs to concentrate on this duel."

The Hero Saint snapped up one of the cards he had drawn from Mirage of Nightmare. "Warrior Returning Alive allows me to bring back one warrior from my cemetery to my hand, so I choose Wildman!"

He picked up the monster and then held up another card from his hand. "Next up, Polymerization! I'll fuse Wildman together with Edgeman (2600/1800) in order to create Elemental Hero Wild Jaggyman (2600/2300)!"

A muscular barbaric man with gold armor plates on his body descended onto the field and slung a sword off from his shoulder. "Wild Jaggyman can attack every monster on the opponent's field, so here he comes!"

Janice responded by pressing two buttons on her duel disk and instantly both of her set cards flipped up. "My first card is Cyber Xerox, which I'll use to copy the effect of Fusion Life Core in your cemetery!" (JLP: 5700)

That card shattered after it gave her the four thousand life points from Cyber End Dragon. "My second card is called Cyber Dragon Creation, which lets me special summon a Proto Cyber Dragon to the field when a Cyber Dragon is destroyed, as well as letting me set one normal trap card from my deck onto the field."

A card appeared face down on her field and then a cruder and smaller version of Cyber Dragon appeared. Jaggyman finished cleaving through the last of the three Cyber Dragons and then turned his attention on it. "Sorry Sanzo, but during this turn Proto Cyber Dragon cannot be attacked." (JLP: 4200)

Sanzo shrugged and placed the last two cards from his hand into his disk. "End turn."

Janice drew and pointed at her set card. "This is where we end it Sanzo! Reverse card open, Raging Summoning of Hell! This lets me choose one monster on my field with fifteen hundred or less attack and special summon all cards of the same name from my hand, deck, or cemetery to the field!"

The Hero Saint's eyes widened as he realized what that meant. "And while its face-up on the field Proto Cyber Dragon is considered to be named Cyber Dragon…"

"That's right, and while normally you'd get to summon as well your monster is a fusion so you get nothing! So now I special summon all three Cyber Dragons (2100/1600 X3) from the grave to the field!" One by one her three machine dragons appeared on the field, their upper bodies shaking as they roared in triumphant return.

Sanzo glanced down at his set cards, reassuring himself. Saint merely continued to smile as Janice held up the card she had drawn that turn. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards of course."

She drew two cards and then began to laugh. "This is really the end Sanzo, just like I said! Let me show you the true ultimate monster of my deck, provided for my use by the Tsar of East Academy for my duel here! Using it I'll blast through you and right into the ranks of Saint's pro duelists, just like he wanted!"

She held up the card over her head and her monsters began to shake. "Overload Fusion allows me to remove machine sub-type monsters on my field and in my cemetery from the game in order to summon a fusion monster. And I'm going to be using up all eight of them!"

Even Sanzo was surprised at her words. The only ones who didn't seem surprised by her remarks were Saint and Harrison. Harrison was scowling while Saint smiled. _'Sanzo, you'd better survive. This is a monster unlike any you've ever faced…'_

"This fusion monster requires that I sacrifice a Cyber Dragon on my field along with at least two other machine sub-types in order to fusion summon. And here it is born, the almighty Chimeratech Overdragon (4800/3000)!" A tremendous roar ripped through the air as a beastly dark dragon at least the size of Cyber End Dragon floated down onto the field.

Unlike Cyber End Dragon it wasn't a mirror-sheen silver, instead its metallic flesh was black and in place of a trio of heads it had dozens of machine-like dragon heads, like a devilish mechanical hydra. "What is that thing?"

"Chimeratech Overdragon is the deadliest fusion monster in the entire game of Duel Monsters! You see, although hard to summon its special effect makes it a true monster. For every monster used in its summoning it can attack once, meaning this monster now has eight total attacks per turn!" Sanzo's eyes widened as he realized exactly what that meant. The horrifying monster could continue to attack unless eight attacks were negated, so even having five monsters on the field wouldn't halt its assault.

But to Janice's surprise Sanzo held his arms out wide and laughed. "I came here trying to get answers, but this is even better than any of that! Come on, bring on your monster and I'll find out if I'm hero enough to beat it down!"

"Fine, if you want it then you've got it! Overkill Evolution Burst!" One of the mouths fired a beam of dark red energy that was otherwise identical to a Cyber Dragon's attack. But Sanzo held up one arm and a shield appeared on it, pulling in the attack.

"Draining Shield allows me to negate one attack and gain life points equal to the total attack strength of the monster whose attack I negated! That's one attack defeated!" His shield shattered and then another of the monster's mouths opened. (SLP: 7800)

"That's fine, here's the second one! Overkill Evolution Burst!" Suddenly she felt a tremor go down her spine as Sanzo's remaining card flipped it. It depicted a Sparkman being surrounded by a crackling blue aura.

"You fell for it, the first attack could have been the end anyways! Hero's Soul Union allows me to increase the attack of one Elemental Hero in play by the attack of one in my cemetery, so I give Tempester's twenty-eight hundred to Wild Jaggyman!" Janice gasped in terror as Wild Jaggyman's attack skyrocketed to fifty-four hundred, more than her supreme monster could muster.

But then it was Sanzo's turn to be surprised when she responded by slamming the remaining card in her hand into her duel disk. "Cyber End activates if I have a fusion machine of level eight or higher in play! It ends my battle phase and destroys all monsters on your field!"

All of the machine dragon's mouths opened wide and smothered Wild Jaggyman in pure energy, vaporizing him almost instantly. But not only that the energy overflowed and hit Sanzo head on, tossing him five feet backwards. "If my opponent has higher life points than I do at that time they take the attack of one monster as damage to their life points! So take your fifty-four hundred!" (SLP: 2400)

She took a deep breath to calm herself as Sanzo picked himself up. "It's over Sanzo, there's no way you can beat me or Chimeratech Overdragon now. Give up, the only hero left in your deck is Necro Darkman, and he's a tribute monster who'd be useless right now. Its over!"

Sanzo brushed himself off and raised his head. To her surprise his eyes were shining as he drew swiftly from his deck. "Don't be a fool Janice, a hero never surrenders, especially not faced with a monster of that level! The strength of the hero will always surpass that of a monster!"

He held up the drawn card and cards began to slide out of his cemetery. "Farewell of the Hero lets me remove all heroes from my cemetery and place them out of play. For every two removed this way I draw one card, and check it out!"

He fanned out ten cards, and then shoved them into his back pocket. "Since that was ten removed I now draw five cards!"

As soon as he had finished drawing the five he flipped one up. "Monster Returned allows me to special summon one monster from out of play to the field, so Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200) returns and I draw two card!"

One quick glance at his cards told him all he needed to do. "I activate Bond of Heroes, which lets me special summon one hero from my hand if I have a hero in play. My choice is Hero Kid (300/600) who when special summoned summons all other copies of himself from my hand or deck to the field!"

A purple haired kid in what looked like a space suit dropped down onto the field, followed quickly by two identical little kids. Janice shrugged, looking bored. "That won't do it, not against Chimeratech Overdragon. He can plow through all four of those monsters and still have four extra attacks."

"You didn't understand, I special summoned them because I have a normal summon remaining. You see Janice, you were wrong to say that Necro Darkman was the only hero I had left. There's one more, the rarest of them all. It's a card said to have been created by Pegasus to honor the very first master of the Elemental Heroes, one of the Academy's first legends, Yuki Judai!" Two of the Hero Kids faded away and a blazing column of light erupted in their place.

He slammed down one of the cards he had been holding, and even Saint's eyes widened. _'Impossible…he never had that monster before. Even I've never managed to obtain one!'_

When the light faded a tall hero in all white stood on the field. He was an imposing monster with rippling muscles, a jewel in the center of his chest, and a little spike extending over the top of his head. "Allow me to show you the rarest of them all, the unique and deadly Elemental Hero Neos (2500/2000)!"

Janice's eyes widened, surprised to see an Elemental Hero she had never heard of. The Tsar's words came to her then. _'Go to Duelist Academy, I've arranged for you to be introduced to Saint. When he sees you face your opponent I know he'll be impressed, and will give us both an excellent idea of that power.'_

Somehow she could tell now what she hadn't realized before. _'He wasn't talking about me impressing Saint; he was talking about my opponent! He knew all along I'd face Sanzo, somehow he knew! And he wanted to gain an idea of Sanzo's strength for himself and Saint. But…why?'_

Sanzo held his right arm up into the air and Neos began to glow. "According to rumor the first Neos was a one of a kind normal monster that worked only with some mystery group of monsters. However, the rare creature created by Pegasus was inspired by that and possesses a unique power, the power of Contact Fusion!"

Bubbleman formed into a ball of blue light while Neos became a ball of white light and then they collided together. "Neos' ability of Contact Fusion lets me shuffle him and any other monsters on my field back into my deck to special summon a fusion from my fusion deck with fusion components the same as those shuffled back. So meet the first of them!"

The new monster that was summoned looked just like Neos, only it had blue armor plates on its shoulders, legs, chest, and a water tank on its back, as well as the same little water jet on its right arm that Bubbleman had. "Meet Elemental Hero Neo Bubble Guardian (2500/2000)!"

Sanzo reached for his deck and drew twice, and then placed those cards into his deck. "Neo Bubble Guardian reflects his component monster other than Neos, so when he's summoned I draw one card for each hero in play, which is two. But that's not his true power."

The Hero Saint raised one arm and pointed at Chimeratech Overdragon. "Elemental Hero Neo Bubble Guardian attacks Chimeratech Overdragon! Neo Bubble Shooter!"

A jet stream of water shot out of the little weapon on Neos' arm, heading straight for the huge chimera. "You're a fool Sanzo, Chimeratech Overdragon responds by attacking right back! Overkill Evolution Burst!"

Suddenly Sanzo slammed one of his cards into his cemetery. "Neo Bubble Guardian lets me discard one card from my hand to create any card related to the fusion component that isn't Neos. And since Neo Bubble Guardian is treated as Bubbleman at this time, I can do whatever I want. For instance, I discard a magic card!"

The card suddenly reappeared on the field as a Fusion Gate, and then its shape began to change as the image and text did as well. "The card that I'm turning it into is Bubble Illusion! This magic card lets me activate a trap from my hand when Bubbleman is in play!"

Sanzo slammed another card from his hand into his duel disk. "Dimensional Tunnel Mirror Gate activates! The two battling monsters now switch control, meaning I'm the one attacking with Chimeratech Overdragon!"

Janice screamed as her newly gained Neo Bubble Guardian was consumed by the huge energy attack. "No…no way!" (JLP: 2500)

"Control still remains with me, so I'll have Chimeratech Overdragon end it with the next shot! Overkill Evolution Burst!" She screamed again as a huge blast of energy struck her, burning away the last life points she had left. The power of her own monster had crushed her. (JLP: 0)

She fell to her knees as the images fading, the duel at its end. Sanzo closed down his duel disk and walked forwards until he was standing in front of her. "We had a deal. Why did you really come?"

Sighing the dark skinned girl picked herself up and brushed herself off. "I didn't realize it at the time, but somehow he knew. Somehow the Tsar knew that if I came to duel that I'd face you. And he wanted to judge your power and give an example of it to Saint as well, as a gift."

Sanzo glanced over at Saint, who was smiling as he walked away, leaving them all behind. "I understand. What do you do now?"

Janice sighed again and shook her head, looking back over at the people she still considered friends. "I only had lease to spend one day on the island to make this duel, so now that I've done the duel I have to return to East Academy."

To Janice's surprise Mizuki rushed forwards, along with everyone but Harrison who hung back. "Hold up there Janice! It's been way too long, so why don't you stick around for at least another few hours. We can hang out and have some fun, eat lunch or something, all of us like before."

Harrison snorted and turned on his heel, starting to walk away. "You can exclude me from that lovey-dovey crap. I don't go in for mush, and I'm certainly not one of you losers."

Mizuki smiled brightly at Janice, and she was unable to not return the smile with one of her own. "Don't mind him; he's just not capable of expressing emotion. So come on, what do you say? Spend some time with us before you go?"

Janice laughed and surrendered. "Guess I'm staying for the time being. Not like the Tsar can do anything about that."

As they began to laugh and talk, catching up after months of not seeing each other, Sanzo could only stare after Saint. _'Who was the Tsar, and why did he want to see my power? And why go through all that trouble just to see it for himself and show Saint. What do those two really want?'_

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Author's Note: Wow, that ended up being a really long chapter. And the scary thing is, that was only ten turns.

_Next Time: Vlad suddenly returns to Duelist Academy and speaks to Beatrix about the man's plans. Unhappy with the way things are going and no longer satisfied with his position, Vlad challenges the former Kaiser to a duel. Vlad's true identity is revealed as he pits Strongman against the strangely beautiful deck at Beatrix's command. But who is Beatrix really?_

_See it all in, VS Beatrix; Strongman Strike!_


	37. VS Beatrix Strongman Strike!

Author's Note: Let's get to it! Vlad versus Saint Beatrix!

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: VS Beatrix; Strongman Strike!**

"Strongman (6700/1200), attack and destroy his Mirage Dragon (1600/600)!" The muscle bound wrestler ran forwards and clothes-lined the golden dragon, stretching its neck back and then blowing it apart. The dragon's controller winced as his life points shot downwards. (LP: 0)

The referee raised his right arm and pointed it towards Vladimir Karishnikov, the Strongman Duelist, and made his declaration. "The winner is the one and only Strongman, Vlad the Impaler! Give it up for the number one rookie of the Pro League!"

Vlad soaked in the audience's applause with a casual but warm smile. This marked his twenty-third tournament victory since entering the Pro League, but it didn't feel entirely deserving. _'With the legendary Seven Sins not competing at the moment, somehow winning these tournaments doesn't feel as good as it might have.'_

Of course the money that came with winning was pleasant, but he never lacked in money to begin with thanks to the fame his father had achieved. And because he represented Russia in these Pro League tournaments he had their support and didn't have to pay for his own entrance fees. _'Everything is provided for me, but something still feels off. Perhaps I merely miss Duelist Academy.'_

Exiting the stadium Vlad made his way to the waiting limo, hoping to beat the press there. The limo was a larger size than normal thanks to his height, so everyone always knew it was his, but that didn't mean they were already there. _'Please let me escape without notice.'_

He tugged unconsciously on the long brown coat that he wore, fixing the lapel. The inside was red, giving him the look of an old time Russian soldier, but he wore a black full-body suit beneath it, and he had refused to wear the fuzzy hat that his countrymen had wanted him to. The coat and the knee-high boots were enough for his taste. _'They must have tailored the coat specifically for me to make it fit.'_

The sudden sound of many voices reached him and instantly he knew that the press was charging in his direction. They would want to interview him and ask him many questions, but he was not in the mood for that. _'Ah…so this is where my pleasant day ends.'_

"Vlad! How do you feel about this latest victory?" He started to turn around to face them, but was caught off guard when someone stepped between him and the oncoming press, making them all stop in their tracks.

"I believe that Vladimir requires time to relax and unwind from his victory. Perhaps you can speak to him at a later moment." The press was hushed in the presence of the newcomer, and all of them, experienced as they were in covering Pro League tournaments, knew this man.

He stood just over six feet in height and wore baggy black pants, with a dark jacket top that was buckled up over his chest. Long and wild dark purple hair hung just to his shoulders, framing a beautiful masculine face and a pair of violet eyes. The young man's calm smile seemed to disarm the press, forcing them to silence. "If you'd excuse us both, I'd like to speak with my fellow duelist. Farewell."

The young man, about Vlad's age, pulled open the limousine door and gestured for Vlad to get in. Not one to ignore a lucky break, Vlad got into the limo, and the other man followed him. As soon as it was closed the limo began to drive, letting them escape the press. "We haven't met, but I recognize you. I am Vladimir Karishnikov, the Strongman Duelist."

His response was a smile from the handsome youth and a nod of the head. "Yes, I've been eager to meet you. I am Kyo Okiayu. However, you may call me Pride."

"Yes, the strongest of Saint Beatrix's Seven Sins, the leader amongst them. The one they say is undefeated as a duelist." Kyo smirked and folded his arms over his chest, looking confident and cocky knowing that Vlad was aware of his nature.

"That's correct, I am undefeated. And as much as I'd like to discuss myself, I've come with a message from Saint. He says that Mizuki Mitsuhiro is going to prove to him whether she belongs with himself, or with another." Vlad's eyes widened at those words, and he sat up to his full height, the top of his head brushing the ceiling.

"Belongs with him? What are you saying? That wasn't what the agreement was…I gave him the information he wanted because it was an order and because he agreed he would only test her, not take her for himself!" Kyo responded by rolling his violet eyes and kicking his feet up on the leather seat across from him.

"It was inevitable really, that she would join our ranks. Of course he would want such a beautiful talent to himself and not let it be shared with anyone else. He will take her and mold her, and she will become a beautiful angel at his side. Saint has told me she will become Hope." Vlad's eyes darkened and he reached across the limo, his huge muscles rippling beneath his coat as he snatched the front of Kyo's shirt and pulled him forwards.

"This was not what was agreed upon! He is violating that trust between us, he is violating his half of the agreement!" Kyo's eyes narrowed and he gripped Vlad's wrist. To the Strongman's surprise the smaller man applied pressure and he could feel his bones creaking under the force.

Kyo pulled Vlad's hand off his shirt and tossed it to the side, letting the Strongman rub his wrist in pain. "You may be larger than I, but in terms of ability in all ways you are my inferior, just as with everyone else. Know this Strongman, you are nothing compared to the might of Pride."

He tapped on the glass and it slid open, the driver looking through the mirror back at them. "Driver, stop the vehicle. I'm leaving now. You can take Vladimir wherever he wanted to go, but I'm finished here."

The limo pulled to a halt and Kyo opened the door and stepped out. He looked back in at Vlad and smirked at him. "Farewell Strongman. Your time is over, know that. Even Shadow has no need of you anymore."

Laughing the young man turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Vlad alone in the back of the limo with his thoughts. "Where to Mr. Karishnikov?"

Vlad looked down at his injured wrist and then finally responded. "Take me to the docks. Its time I return to Duelist Academy…"

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As soon as the boat door opened Vlad found himself greeted by hundreds of cheering students. His eyes widened at the sight of so many of his former classmates awaiting him. _'What is this? How could they possibly have known I was coming?'_

He found his reason almost immediately, because up at the front of the mob of students was Saint wearing another business suit, and next to him was Kyo wearing the same outfit he had been earlier that day. _'He knew I would be coming…'_

Vlad stalked down the gangplank and set foot once again on the island of Duelist Academy. Saint opened his arms welcomingly and smiled warmly at him. "Welcome back Vladimir, we've all been expecting you. It's a rare treat that a challenge is issued between two former heads of the academy."

"So without even hearing it you know that I've come to issue a duel challenge to you?" Saint laughed and behind him Kyo smirked. Vlad felt a wave of cold run down his spine at how warm and inviting the other man was, even though he had experienced it before.

"My dear Vladimir there isn't much that I don't know. Now come, the entire academy is aching to see this duel in action. The Pro League's current up and coming super-star against a former Pro League king? They're all abuzz." Saint snapped his fingers and Kyo pushed forward, the crowd parting in his wake. Saint and Vlad followed after him, making their way to the main stadium.

It took less than half an hour for everyone to get their seats and for the two duelists to take their places on opposite sides of the dueling arena. Lights were dimmed with only the field illuminated, and Vlad was busy fitting his duel disk onto his arm. They were already wearing the same type of headphones that Saint had supplied for Envy and Aya in their duel. _'He seems so confident; I'll just have to crush that confidence.'_

Vlad reached into a deep pocket of his coat and pulled out a deck case. He flipped the top open and pulled out his deck, and then walked to the center of the dueling ring. "Come Saint, I want to face you now. I have a bone to pick with you."

The older man smiled up at him and snapped his fingers. Immediately another man in a business suit approached with a briefcase, which when flipped open revealed a bright silvery DD6, and five decks. _'Five? Why does he have five decks?'_

As Vlad watched the other man put on the DD6 and then looked from one deck to the next, and then finally tapped the second one from the left. The man in the suit pulled it out and handed it to him, and then departed, letting Saint walk forward to meet Vlad. "Here you go dear Vladimir; I hope to enjoy this duel."

They exchanged decks and began shuffling, but Vlad noticed that Saint's shuffling was fairly half-hearted and he was smiling the whole time. After less than a minute of shuffling the two handed their decks back to each other. "Saint, you've gone against your agreement by trying to take Mizuki as yours. I won't allow you to continue like this."

The response was a laugh as Saint slid his deck into his duel disk and flicked it open. "Please Vladimir, call me Beatrix. Ah, and you have to understand that I can't stand by and let someone as beautiful and pure as Mizuki Mitsuhiro get away from me."

"Let's make an agreement 'Beatrix'. If I win this duel you agree to return to our agreement. Should I lose you may continue however you like." Beatrix smiled again and gave his ascent with a bow of his head. Satisfied Vlad slammed his deck into place and stalked back to his side of the field.

The entire arena lit up and the two duelists reached for their decks at the same time, drawing one card after another to create their opening hands. "Duel!" (VLP: 4000) (BLP: 4000)

Everyone in the audience was excited by what they were about to see. Two Pro duelists, and two former heads of Duelist Academy were about to duke it out. Down at his traditional place Harrison was frowning. _'Vlad is the strongest duelist I've ever known, but this Saint is…unusual. Something about this feels off.'_

And farther up in the stands Sanzo was biting his bottom lip, his entire body filled with apprehension. _'Vlad…do your best. Against an opponent like Saint strength may not be the answer but…try as hard as you can and crush him!'_

Mizuki was completely quiet, not sure what to make of the battle that was about to begin. Vlad's words still rang in her head, but something about the duel that was about to start seemed odd.

Vlad reached for his deck and drew, and then he quickly fanned out his hand for Beatrix to see. "I have no monsters in my hand; therefore I may now add Strongman from my deck to my hand."

He covered up his hand of cards and then accepted the card that his deck gave him. "Since I have no monsters on my field or in my hand I can normal summon Strongman (1900/1200) without tribute!"

His key monster, the brutally muscular wrestler, did a flip out of his card and landed on the field. "Since it is the first turn I can't attack, but I'll set two cards face down and end my turn. Show me your power, Beatrix!"

Beatrix smiled and drew casually, his blonde hair shimmering under the arena lights as he did so. "Ah, perfect start. I activate Graceful Charity."

An angel appeared in the air above his head and rays of light fell down upon his deck. "As any beginning duelist should know this card allows me to draw three cards from my deck."

As soon as he had drawn the three cards the angel flew down and extended her hands to him. "Of course as a cost I must discard two cards from my hand."

He held out two cards and the angel took them. Then she flew straight into his discard pile, vanishing from sight. Beatrix continued smiling as he spread out his new hand. "Even better, this will do nicely. I summon Virtue Hero-Tolerance (1100/1000)."

A female figure in light blue skin-tight clothing walked out of the card and onto his field. Over the shoulders, knees, and bottom legs were darker blue armor plates, and a little red mask covered her eyes. In one hand she held a four foot long fan. "Tolerance powers up all Virtue Heroes in play, including herself, by three hundred points."

Tolerance's attack score raised to fourteen hundred, but the audience seemed confused about the move. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Sanzo frowned as he recognized the card played. _'Virtue Heroes? He chose that deck rather than one of his true personal decks. Which means…he doesn't take Vlad seriously? But how can anyone not take Vlad seriously?'_

Vlad drew from his deck, his eyes narrowing as he did so. "I activate the equip magic card, Iron Arm! This will increase Strongman's attack by seven hundred points!"

Strongman raised his right arm and cheered loudly as a metallic covering snapped around it, conforming to his musculature. His attack score then shot upwards to twenty-six hundred. "Strongman Iron Strike!"

Vlad's key monster rushed across the field and swung his iron fist at the female hero. Beatrix smiled slightly and motioned gently with his free right hand to his set card. "Hero's Power Source will double the attack of any hero on the field with fifteen hundred or less until the end phase."

The wrestler guffawed and stopped in his run, and then curled his two arms, flexing them. Beatrix raised an eyebrow as bright light flickered off of the shining biceps and suddenly the trap card shattered. "Oh? What was that?"

"That was my counter trap card, Shining Biceps! This card lets me pay fifteen hundred life points if Strongman is in play to negate one magic card, trap card, monster effect, or monster summon. And since I've done so battle now continues!" With nothing standing in his way Strongman finished his punch, dropping the female hero and destroying her. (VLP: 2500) (BLP: 2800)

Vlad didn't seem like he was going to stop, as he pointed to his Strongman whose muscles rippled. "Since your monster was a level four, Strongman now gains four hundred attack points, rising to three thousand attack points."

The new attack points were displayed, and then Vlad flipped up one of the four remaining cards in his hand. "Strongman Continuous Punch activates when Strongman slays a monster in battle. He may attack once more!"

Everyone in the audience gasped as Strongman raced towards Beatrix with his iron arm outstretched. And with his attack points at three thousand and Beatrix's field empty victory seemed certain. "Strongman Iron Strike!"

Right before the blow hit Beatrix's body started glowing blue, and then the punch hit him in the cheek. He slid backwards from the force of the blow, nearly going off the arena, but stopped at the edge. "Such a powerful blow to be expected of you Vladimir." (BLP: 100)

"What is this? How did you survive that strike?" Beatrix's lips quirked as he held his hand in front of his cemetery slot and caught a card that shot out of it. He held it up, showing the trap that he had previously activated.

"Hero's Power Source is one of the few hero cards that works with any set, and is quite effective. During the turn it goes to the cemetery I gain one hundred life points for every hero in my grave, and it will continue to do so during each of my standby phases." Vlad frowned, doing the math in his head he still didn't understand.

"You only should have gained one hundred life points…unless the two cards you discarded for Graceful Charity…were Virtue Heroes." Beatrix smiled and gave a brief nod, giving silent congratulations to Vlad for figuring it out.

"Ha! You're too strong to be defeated so easily it looks like. So I'll activate my face down Strongman Energy Conversion, which gives me the attack of one monster beaten by Strongman in battle this turn as life points at a cost of one discard." Vlad's life point counter buzzed as he absorbed the power from Tolerance. (VLP: 3900)

Once the life points were in place he took one of his final two cards and placed it into his disk. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Beatrix drew and his body was infused by the same blue light from Vlad's turn. 'Hero's Power Source grants me three hundred life points." (BLP: 400)

He snapped his fingers and a light blue glow sprang up around each duelist. "During the turn after she was destroyed in battle Tolerance lives up to her name by increasing each player's life points by one thousand." (BLP: 1400) (VLP: 4900)

"Finally I set up one card and summon Virtue Hero-Wisdom (1600/1300) whose effect also gives each Virtue Hero three hundred attack points. Although that hardly matters since I'm summoning him in defense mode." His new hero was a man in blue armor similar to the previous hero's, only this man had a golden bow in his grip.

Beatrix spread his arms out, indicating that Vlad should begin. The Strongman duelist drew and pointed at the crouching monster. "Strongman, pulverize Wisdom!"

Using a backhand strike with his iron arm Strongman sent Wisdom hurtling into the far wall where he shattered into a million pieces. "Strongman gains four hundred attack points for destroying your monster!"

The blonde man looked down at his set card and it activated, shooting a beam of light with a V into the sky. "Virtue Signal activates when a monster on my field is destroyed, and now I may special summon any level five or lower Virtue Hero from my deck to the field."

He didn't even look at his deck as he accepted the card that was shot out of it. He placed it down onto his duel disk and a new monster appeared. It wore grey and black armor in the model of the previous heroes, but it had a mantle over it shoulders and was wielding a hand-held scythe with a chain. "Virtue Hero-Loyalty (2200/2200) is my choice."

Vlad frowned as the monster's attack points started to rise. "Loyalty gains three hundred attack points for every Virtue Hero in play, including himself. In addition he gains one hundred attack for every Virtue Hero in the cemetery. That's a total of…seven hundred bonus points."

Loyalty's attack points settled at twenty-nine hundred, an impressive amount for a level five, but not holding a candle to Strongman's attack points. Vlad slid a card into his duel disk and Strongman bulked up slightly. "Sub-Bonus is an equip card that once per turn increases Strongman's attack by half that of his most recent bonus. He gains two hundred attack points."

The Strongman's attack rose to thirty-six hundred and then stayed there. "Since I can't attack again this turn I'll just end it there. Your turn Beatrix."

As soon as Beatrix drew he once again began to gain life points and energy from Hero's Power Source. This time since Wisdom was in the cemetery that amount was increased. "Ah, such a pleasant feeling. I've almost recovered the damage you dealt." (BLP: 1800)

He glanced down at the cards in his hand and smiled as he placed one of them down. Instantly a new hero, this one also in light blue armor, formed on the field. This hero was holding a trident in its hands. "Virtue Hero-Faith (1400/1900) increases all V-Heroes in play by four hundred attack points."

As Faith's attack strength rose to eighteen hundred Loyalty's attack also started to increase. "The combination of Faith's effect and Loyalty's gives my stronger monster an additional seven hundred attack points. And I do believe that makes him equal to Strongman."

Vlad frowned as he realized that both monsters were now equal at thirty-six hundred attack points. "In case you were hoping to use that set card against me I play Cyclone, which will destroy it."

A burst of wind hit his face down card and blew it apart, leaving Strongman alone on the field save for his two equip cards. "Loyalty, prove your loyalty to our cause and attack Strongman."

The two monsters plowed into each other, falling to the ground and rolling around. Loyalty's chain-scythe stabbed into Strongman's chest, but in his dying throes the wrestler crushed Loyalty's skull with his iron arm. Both monsters faded away at the same time. _'Willing to sacrifice his monster for his goal I see…'_

"Faith, attack Vladimir directly." Vlad winced as the trident slashed across his chest, taking the first hit out of his life points for the duel. (VLP: 3100)

"Lastly I place a card face down. I believe the turn is yours Vladimir." Vlad nodded and drew immediately, feeling as if he was missing something. Some integral part of this duel.

"Strongman is added to my hand, and I immediately summon him to the field. And then Strongman (1900/1200) will defeat Faith!" His second of the wrestlers appeared and gave a full body-blow to Faith, knocking him to the ground and crushing his chest inwards. (BLP: 1700)

Beatrix smiled despite the loss of his hero. "And Strongman gains four hundred attack points, reaching twenty-three hundred. Very impressive recovery."

"Power is my specialty, and it will defeat you Beatrix! I place the last cards in my hand onto my duel disk. Now my turn is over." His two cards appeared behind Strongman. Then with that same smile on his face Beatrix drew.

Beatrix's life points rose, this time by six hundred since he had six heroes in the cemetery. "You know Vladimir, unlike you I was truly a Kaiser at this school. A duelist who won based on that nature of perfection." (BLP: 2300)

He held up his drawn card and his body glowed red. "Need for a Hero lets me pay five hundred life points to special summon a hero from my hand or deck to the field." (BLP: 1800)

The hero that descended onto his field wore black armor and held a long staff in both hands. One end of the staff was a blade while the other was a ball with three prongs on it. "The embodiment of justice, Virtue Hero-Justice (2500/1900) appears. And he powers up all V-Heroes in play by one hundred times their level."

Justice's attack strength rose slowly to thirty-two hundred thanks to its special ability, placing it much higher than Strongman. "Ah, and now I activate Minimalist Summon. This lets me revive as many monsters from my cemetery as I want provided their attack and defense becomes zero and they cannot be tributed."

Faith, Loyalty, and Wisdom all appeared on the field exactly the same as before. The difference was that now there were two Faiths and each monster had zero attack points. "Loyalty gains five hundred attack points from Justice, two hundred for the V-Heroes in the grave, fifteen hundred from the five V-Heroes in play, eight hundred from the two Faiths, and three hundred from Wisdom."

Its attack points soared upwards from zero all the way to an impressive thirty-three hundred attack points. "Next my other three special summoned monsters gain fifteen hundred attack points."

The two Faiths and Wisdom each settled at fifteen hundred attack points. Then Justice started glowing and its power shot up as well. "Thanks to the combined bonus effects Justice now has forty-three hundred. And I believe at this point I'll activate my set card, Heroic Virtue-Charity which lets me draw one card for every V-Hero in play."

Beatrix drew five cards from his deck and then smiled as he continued his turned. "Justice, attack and destroy Strongman."

Justice began to run across the field towards Strongman, his bladed staff aimed at Strongman's belly. Vlad however wasn't ready to receive that attack so he stretched out one meaty arm over his right set card. "Iron Abs activates, destroying the attacking monster as if Strongman defeated it in battle!"

The former Hero Saint continued to smile as he flipped up one of his newly drawn cards. "Quick-play magic card, Hero's Safety prevents one V-Hero from being destroyed once this turn. And since your trap doesn't negate battle, it continues."

The halberd shoved into Strongman's gut and then was yanked out. The wrestler fell to his knees and then shattered into a million pixels. "That is my perfection Vladimir, and you will witness it all during this duel." (VLP: 1100)

"Perfection...perfection…I don't accept perfection! There is only the joyful strength of two duelists throwing all of their heart into a duel! Reverse card open, Mega Body Slam!" A phantasmal Strongman launched out of his cemetery and into the air, floating above Beatrix's five heroes.

"Mega Body Slam allows me to remove one Strongman from the grave and destroy all monsters on the opponent's field whose base attack is less than the last known attack of the chosen Strongman. Since I choose my thirty-six hundred monster, your five monsters are destroyed!" Strongman dropped down on them, hurling up dust as each of the five was blown apart by the impact.

Beatrix laughed in excitement and took one of the cards from his hand. "You certainly are an enjoyable opponent, but I will show you my perfection regardless of whether you want to believe it. By discarding a card from my hand Trap Booster lets me play one trap from my hand this turn."

Vlad frowned as Beatrix held up his trap card. "Heroic Virtue-Sacrifice activates, and for every V-Hero destroyed this turn I draw two cards. Which means I draw ten cards total."

The pro duelist drew ten cards, giving him an eleven card hand. Then he played the first of them. "Heroic Virtue-Self-Sacrifice lets me pay half of my life points any number of times to revive that many Virtue Heroes, though during this turn they may not attack. I pay half my life points five times." (BLP: 56)

Justice (4300), Loyalty (5500), Faith (2900 X2), Wisdom (3100).

Not even Vlad had expected Beatrix to recover his five heroes so quickly and easily. Yet with ten cards left in his hand it hardly seemed as if he was finished. "I activate the continuous magic card The Allied Forces, which grants each of my warriors two hundred attack points for every warrior or spellcaster on my field. That's one thousand bonus."

All five V-Heroes shot up by a thousand attack points, making the weakest of them the two Faiths, each with thirty-nine hundred attack points, and the strongest as Loyalty with sixty-five hundred. "Next I activate Mystik Wok, which lets me sacrifice my Loyalty to gain its attack as life points."

A giant wok appeared underneath Loyalty and stirred him up, fried him, and then dumped him into Beatrix's graveyard. The pro duelist continued to smile as his life points shot upwards, more than completely recovered. (BLP: 6556)

"I continue by playing Monster Reborn to revive Loyalty, again at his previous attack points. And last but not least I'll place two cards face down. That is my perfection Vladimir. Enjoy it and try your best to break it with that preponderant strength of yours." Vlad narrowed his eyes as he drew, feeling as if a heavy weight was on his shoulders, placed there by that strangely comforting and discomforting smile of Beatrix's.

Without blinking he took the last Strongman from his deck and slapped it down. "One more time Strongman (1900/1200) appears to confront you! And combined with him is the magic card Strongman's Inner Eye, which lets me name one card and if it is in your deck it is added to my hand."

"I name Coins From Heaven!" Beatrix smiled and searched his deck until he founded the named card and then tossed it to Vlad who flicked it up, showing it to the audience.

"I now activate Coins From Heaven, letting each player draw until they hold six cards. However, since you already have six cards in hand only I benefit!" He drew six times, putting him equal with Beatrix.

He grabbed the farthest right card of his new six and flipped it around. "Super Suplex lets me sacrifice Strongman to destroy all magic and trap cards on your field, dealing you five hundred damage for each one!"

Strongman tackled all three cards and together the four cards blew up. Beatrix winced as the smoke billowed over him, taking his life points down. "That seems rather wasteful of you, eliminating your monster just for measly damage." (BLP: 5056)

"Beatrix, my preponderant strength is superior to perfection in every way, and I will prove it through victory! Strongman's Last Gasp activates during a turn that Strongman goes to the grave. All other cards go with him!" Beatrix's eyes widened completely as his five monster army shattered, leaving his field completely empty.

"Let me show you that strength, Return to the Ring activates, reviving Strongman to the field with no bonus!" His wrestler monster burst out of the ground and landed on one knee, looking up at Beatrix with a confident smirk.

"Next to increase his strength I play Power Press which permanently gives him five hundred points. Then I activate a second Power Press, raising him to twenty-nine hundred attack points! And with that he'll attack! Strongman Strike!" Beatrix gasped as Strongman elbowed him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him and burning away a massive chunk of his life points. (BLP: 2156)

Vlad slammed the last card he was holding into his duel disk, letting it appear behind Strongman. "Turn End! Let that show you the effectiveness of my strength, and let it be a lesson to you! I will not let you take that which is not yours!"

Beatrix shook himself and rose to his feet, his eyes taking on an inner light. "Vladimir I have thoroughly enjoyed this duel, and you've impressed me with your strength. However…" (BLP: 2856)

"However, although you duel purely enough, you lack the true purity necessary to defeat me. My perfect purity will be more than enough to defeat the overbearing strength of the Strongman Duelist." Beatrix's smile sent a chill down Vlad's spine as he flipped up one of the cards he was holding.

"Magic Shard Excavation allows me to discard two cards from my hand to recover a magic card from my cemetery. I select and play Monster Reborn, recalling my Virtue Hero-Loyalty (2200 +900/2200) to the field." His grey and black armored hero appeared, his chain-scythe held at the ready.

"Following that I activate Reflection of Virtue, which allows me to activate the effect of one card in your cemetery. I choose to activate your Battle Training Ground that you discarding for Strongman Energy Conversion's effect!" Vlad's eyes widened as four straw tokens each with seven hundred attack and defense appeared on his field.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I would choose that effect, well this is my reason. I activate Decentralization Prism, which lets me sacrifice one monster on my field to create an identical token of it, one for each monster you have in play." Loyalty's body flickered and spread out until there were five of it.

All five of them shot up to forty-three hundred attack points. "I continue by activating Purity of Virtuous Strength, which increases all V-Heroes in play by three hundred for every other. So all five gain fifteen hundred points."

Beatrix snapped one hand up and pointed it at Strongman. "Loyalty, attack and destroy Strongman!"

Vlad snapped his arm out and his set card flipped up. "Strongman Rage Strike activates when it battles a monster with at least a thousand more attack than it. During this turn it cannot be destroyed in battle and its attack points double!"

Strongman's muscles rippled and bulged as its power shot upwards to fifty-eight hundred, setting it even with Loyalty. To Vlad's surprise Beatrix just laughed. "This is the end of your strength dearest Vladimir! Sacrifice for a Savior activates!"

One after another his four other Loyalty monsters shattered and waves of energy flew from them to strike the attacking Loyalty. "Sacrifice for a Savior lets me target one monster that is to be destroyed in battle and then lets me sacrifice any number of monsters on my field to increase that monster's attack strength by said amount!"

The fire in Vlad's eyes dimmed as a huge red aura surrounded Loyalty, sending its attack points skyrocketing to twenty-seven thousand six hundred. "Loyalty, end it with Loyal Virtue Slayer!"

A wave of white energy swept over Strongman and into Vlad. It then passed through him and crashed into the wall, dissipating. Vlad shuddered and fell to one knee as the damage hit his life points. "No…I fought with my all but…" (VLP: 0)

Beatrix deactivated his duel disk and handed it to his assistant, who replaced it and the deck into the briefcase. "Your participating has been most appreciated Vladimir. But now I leave you, because my own destiny is to be determined. She will stand by my side, that is what will happen. And there is nothing you can do about that."

Vlad raised his head and looked into the audience, meeting Mizuki's eyes. Beatrix continued walking away, a calm and self-assured smile on his face. But Mizuki could only see the dismay and shock on Vlad's face. _'Mizuki…although it was my mission it wasn't what I wanted. I'm sorry…I failed you.'_

He turned and walked away, leaving through the exit reserved for the duelist on his side of the field. But when he entered the hallway he found a tall blonde young man wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform, his jade eyes calm and cool. "You were defeated in a duel you shouldn't have entered into it Vladimir."

"Mr. Shadow, I apologize. I made an agreement with Saint Beatrix; however he reneged on his side of the bargain. I had to act on it." The shorter man narrowed his eyes and shoved his hands into the pockets of his blazer.

"That's because I told him not to uphold your bargain. Mizuki Mitsuhiro is going to belong to either Saint Beatrix or myself, that is the truth of the matter. You were the strongest of my seven heralds Vladimir, but you were the one I trusted the least. You have always followed your heart too far and never followed the cause. Mizuki Mitsuhiro will be one of us, and if she joins me she will replace my useless herald." Vlad's eyes widened as the other man turned on his heel and started to walk away.

"Useless herald? Then you're saying that I'm…fired?" The man called Shadow turned and stared hard at Vlad, making the gentle giant take a step backwards.

"I can't have someone as my herald who disobeys my orders. Vladimir, you are strong just like your father, but like him you failed because your heart was in yourself and not with us. To pursue the changes in this broken world that we seek, you are just a liability. Goodbye Vladimir." He took another step away and then his body rippled and faded away, leaving Vlad alone in the hallway.

He sank to his knees and stared down at his hands, feeling empty for the first time in his life. _'Father…I've failed you as well. But as my last act in your honor…I won't fail Mizuki!'_

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Author's Note: And another huge but ten turn duel. Not to mention Vlad lost!

_Next Time: For the second time Mizuki must face off against Ensui, but this time the stakes are much higher. Bidden by a stranger from East Academy Ensui challenges Mizuki, with the stakes being set in a Darkness Game. Is the master of the Red Eyes Black Dragon ready to face the wrath of Mizuki in a Darkness Game? And who is the Tsar of East School?_

_See it all in, Darkness Battle; Ensui Reappears!_


	38. Darkness Battle Ensui Reappears!

Author's Note: And now for the return of Ensui!

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Darkness Battle; Ensui Reappears!**

"Duel! My turn, draw!" The surrounding spectators, all dressed richly and wearing masks, waited with baited breath as the tall young man in the center of the fenced ring drew his first card.

He was a frightening figure in his black trench coat, dark pants, and dark blue shirt. He had short cut black hair and stern but handsome features, though he couldn't have been older than eighteen. Strapped to his arms, legs, and neck were strange bracers. "Prepare yourself for my fires! I summon Red Eyes Black Chick (800/400) and then I sacrifice it!"

A large egg appeared on the field and then shattered, shooting black flames into the air. A huge black scaled dragon soared out, its horns and ruby eyes giving it an almost demonic appearance. "Appear before this unworthy one, Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)."

His opponent, a skinny fellow wearing a long white coat stared wide eyed at the deadly dragon. "Where did an amateur like you get a hold of the legendary Red Eyes!"

"Amateur? Nobody calls me an amateur, in this Underworld of Dueling; I am the Black Dragon King! Activate magic card, Inferno Fire Blast! By forfeiting Red Eyes' attack for the turn I deal twenty-four hundred damage to you!" The skinny man screamed as Red Eyes breathed a huge wave of flame over him. And then the bracers on his body lit up, shocking him. (LP: 1600)

The audience laughed at the man's pain, as this was the reason they came to these underground tournaments. To see duels that pushed people and hurt them without having to witness a Darkness Game. "Now the killing blow! Instant Replay takes the effect of my last played card and uses it again, so go Inferno Fire Blast!"

His skinny opponent screamed again as he was hit by another blast of twenty-four hundred damage. When the flames drifted away he was on the ground unconscious. The crowd roared at his triumph. _'Again I'm victorious…but this Underworld of Dueling…it doesn't bring me the satisfaction I wanted. I want to enter the Pro League…but without a sponsor I can't afford it.'_

He spun around, his trench coat flaring out, and he thrust his left duel disk clad arm into the air. "Hear me! I am Ensui Tatakawa, the Black Dragon King! And this Underworld is my kingdom! Beware you who dare to step forth onto the king's land!"

Ensui undid the bracers and tossed them onto the ground. Then he left, his trench coat flitting out behind him as he walked through the crowd, ignoring their cheers. _'I am king of the underworld…but I wanted to be king of the real world of dueling.'_

When he reached the lockers he sat down on a bench and held up his deck, looking at his Red Eyes. _'You and I, we'd be dueling with the real pros if it hadn't been for that duel that ruined me. If I had just returned to Obelisk Blue that year, if I had just won that duel…then I would have gotten a sponsorship.'_

_Ensui looked at the Red Eyes Darkness Dragon in his hand, then at his blank field. Finally he looked over at Mizuki's blank field and empty hand. "I…I have no choice but to end my turn."_

_As Mizuki's fingertips came to rest on the top card of her deck, Ensui could feel his heart pounding in his chest. 'The chances of her drawing a monster, or even of drawing a monster strong enough are slim…there's nothing to worry about, right? I'm going back to Obelisk Blue!'_

_Mizuki drew. "Ensui, it's been a whole lot of fun facing you, and this has been by far the toughest duel I've fought the whole time I've been at Duelist Academy. But all good things must come to an end so…it's over. Rune Centurion (1800/1500) is the method of your defeat!"_

_A man in white armor with rune symbols etched into it was summoned, standing tall with a heavy sword in one hand and a bow slung over its shoulder. "Rune Centurion, finish it! Centurion Slash!"_

_The former Obelisk Blue took the blade that slashed across his chest with grace, not flinching even as it drove him back. Not letting himself break even as he could hear the sound of his life points dropping. "Mizuki…you're amazing. I never would have thought I could lose to a first year student or even to a Ra Yellow at all." (ELP: 0)_

Ensui shook off the memory. At the time he hadn't minded really, because Mizuki had given him a fantastic duel and taught him a lot. But because he had lost he had been forced to remain a Ra Yellow, and graduating Duelist Academy as a Ra Yellow didn't get you sponsorships. It got you mocked. _'Because I lost I couldn't fulfill my dream. Without knowing it she ruined me…'_

"Why are you just sitting there wallowing away in your fears when you could be casting them aside with the fires of hell at your command? You could rise up and become the true Black Dragon King who ruled over the dueling world, rather than a mere king of hell." Ensui looked up and saw a young man about his age wearing an Obelisk Blue blazer with blonde hair and green eyes.

"Who are you? And what the heck are you talking about?" Ensui stood up to his full height, making him roughly even with the blonde man. Standing opposite each other it was like dark versus light, fire versus ice with the cold way the other man looked at him.

"Regardless of appearance, I am a student at East School. And you can call me Mr. Shadow. I've come with a proposition. Return to Duelist Academy and duel Mizuki Mitsuhiro. Win and I will personally sponsor you out of my own pocket. Then you'll be able to become the true Black Dragon King." Ensui narrowed his eyes and then suddenly relaxed.

"I'll do it, there's no reason for me not to. And a rematch with her would make me get over my frustrations. But why are you eager to see me duel her?" Mr. Shadow smiled slightly, the look seeming awkward and wrong on the cold young man's face.

"Because I'm interested to see how powerful she really is, and I know you are strong enough to push her to her limits, as you've done it before. Of all the people at Duelist Academy, Mizuki Mitsuhiro claimed you as the one to have pushed her hardest. That is why I want to see it." Ensui nodded, accepting that explanation. It made sense to him, and this was probably someone who wanted to see competition since he went to a different school.

"One final condition. You have to use this field card during your duel with her. That's all." Ensui blinked as Mr. Shadow held out a card to him. He took it and held it up to look at the effect and the name.

"What if I don't draw it?" Mr. Shadow turned around, smirking the whole time as he walked towards the door out.

"You'll draw it, trust me."

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Mizuki yawned and sat up in her bed, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She groped around on her night stand and finally found the object which had forced her awake. It was her PDA, whining because she had a message. "Who calls at this time of night?"

She flipped it open and found that it was a text only message. "Meet me at the Obelisk Blue Arena in twenty minutes, and bring your deck and duel disk. Its time for a rematch between you and I. If you don't come, you'll regret the missed chance."

Mizuki frowned, not sure whether she should go. She was both curious as to who the person was, and also disinterested because it was nearly one in the morning. But the fact that it said rematch and mentioned the Obelisk Blue Arena could mean something. _'Is Harrison looking for a rematch? If that's so this will be awesome, me dueling the Dark Kaiser. I've been hoping to see if I could take him since last time.'_

Pushing away the last remnants of sleep Mizuki got out of bed, pulled on her Obelisk Blue uniform, and grabbed her duel disk and deck. Then she was out the door. Just as the message said she was at the arena within twenty minutes.

"I'm glad you made it Mizuki Mitsuhiro. Or should I say, Rising Star?" Mizuki's eyes widened as the arena lit up, revealing her challenger. Wearing a long black trench coat and a generally dark outfit was an older teen she recognized.

"Ensui! You came to challenge me? But I don't get it; you're a graduate aren't you? Why do you want to duel me?" He frowned and slid on his duel disk, clicking it open. (ELP: 4000)

"Because unless I get this rematch I'll be unsure for the rest of my dueling career. I keep telling myself that it was because I lost to you that I couldn't get a sponsor for the pro leagues. And that's why I was forced to the top of the bottom of the world, where I became the Black Dragon King, the king of hell itself!" Mizuki slowly activated her duel disk, and her life point counter came up. (MLP: 4000)

Ensui thrust his left arm into the air and glared at her. "But I will be reborn from the fires of hell and rise as a king on top of dueling world! All I have to do is take that step and defeat you, and then I will get the sponsor I need to rise to the top! Rising Star, you are my stepping stone!"

He grabbed a sixth card from his deck and then slammed a card onto his disk. "Come out, Pitch Black Dragon (900/600) in defense mode!"

Despite its low stats his monster was a fearsome black scaled dragon with a slobbering maw of sharp teeth. Its wings were folded over its body protectively. "One card face down, then end turn! Come Mizuki; show me the strength of the Rising Star that shot you to my place in Obelisk Blue!"

Mizuki shook her head and drew, determined not to let his talk get the best of her. "I'll duel this for the sake of a fun rematch, not for your weird satisfaction. Rune Mystic (1500/1300) will crush your dragon!"

A white robed man with glowing rune symbols floating around him appeared and then with a flick of his wrist sent a wave of blue energy shooting towards the dragon. Ensui smirked and snapped his left arm out over his set card. "Not yet Mizuki. Negate Attack."

"Protecting that weak monster? Looks like you've got a plan then, so I'll just set a card face down and end my turn." She planted her hands on her hips and waited as the older teen drew fiercely from his deck.

Ensui slapped his card down next to Pitch Black Dragon and a similarly sized dragon appeared. It looked like a dinosaur with a long beak and leathery wings, except it was pitch black. "Meet Black Spear Dragon (2200/0), Spear Dragon's bigger and darker brother! Like him this monster shares a trample effect, so now he attacks!"

A black cyclone of wind shot from the dragon's mouth and tore into her mystic, ripping him completely apart. Mizuki weighed the options and then decided. "When Rune Mystic is destroyed I choose to draw two cards!" (MLP: 3300)

The older duelist pointed with his open right hand at Mizuki's now nearly empty field. "Pitch Black Dragon, attack her directly! Pitch Black Flame!"

Mizuki grinned and wagged her finger back and forth, and then she pointed to her set card. "I activate the reversed effect of Rune Symbol-Thurisaz, which lets me special summon a monster from the grave to the field. Rune Mystic is back!"

"I use the right of recall to end Pitch Black Dragon's attack. Finally I set one card face down. Take your turn Mizuki and I'll crush whatever you bring out with the flames of hell!" Even as he spoke his Black Spear Dragon folded its wings over its body and bowed its head.

"During my end phase after it has battled Black Spear Dragon loses one hundred attack points which go to its defense, and then it shifts into defense mode for the turn." Mizuki nodded, having suspected something like that when he compared it to Spear Dragon.

She quickly pointed at Black Spear Dragon, knowing it to be the biggest threat. "Rune Mystic, attack and destroy that monster!"

Ensui smirked and snapped his fingers. "Black Dragon's Birth in Flames activates when you target a dragon with 'black' in its name for battle. It negates that attack and allows me to add a Red Eyes Black Dragon from my deck to my hand."

He held up the chosen seven star monster and then slid it into his hand. "Now, if you're done I'd like to get on with my turn."

"Not quite, I first set two cards face down and then I'll end my turn." Ensui nodded and snapped a card off his deck, looking eager to make his move. And she knew why, since he was about to bring out his key monster.

He gestured to his two monsters and then burst into flames. "I offer up Pitch Black Dragon and Black Spear Dragon to summon the true king of the flames, the legendary Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!"

His dark demonic dragon swooped down onto the field and roared, shaking the entire room. Mizuki grimaced as its red eyes bore down on her. "Red Eyes, attack her Rune Mystic with Inferno Fire Blast!"

She threw up an arm protectively, shielding herself from the intense flames that consumed her Rune Mystic. After several seconds the fire died down, letting her alone. "That was an impressive attack…but it cost you." (MLP: 2400)

Ensui's eyes widened as suddenly his Red Eyes shattered like so much glass. "What was that? What happened to my dragon?"

"I told you before that I chose to draw two cards, but when destroyed Rune Mystic's second option is to let me destroy one card on the field, so I destroyed Red Eyes. Looks like you lost three monsters just to take out my one." Ensui grimaced and fanned out his remaining four cards.

"I set three cards face down! Turn End!" Three cards appeared in front of him, keeping his field from being completely defenseless.

Mizuki tossed down her newest drawn card and a white robed blonde man with a long spear in his hands appeared, aiming it Ensui. "Rune Spearholder (1900/1200) is going to take a chunk out of your life points! Direct attack!"

Ensui raised his right arm out over his field and his center card flipped up, revealing a graveyard with a purple border. "Call of the Haunted lets me special summon Red Eyes Black Dragon to the field from the cemetery!"

The Rising Star blinked as her Spearholder was now rushing headlong towards a massive black dragon. "Just like you did I'll call back my attack. And then I end my turn."

Ensui drew and suddenly his face lit up and Mizuki could practically feel him revitalized. "This is where my deck and I show our true power! The power to swarm the field with powerful monsters! I activate Graceful Charity!"

He drew three cards and then handed two of them to the angel that flew down. She took them and flew into his cemetery. "Reverse card open, Disgraceful Charity! All cards discarded by an effect this turn return to their controller's hand!"

The same two cards from before popped out of his graveyard slot and he picked them up, pumping his hand size up to four in less than twenty seconds. "Now, reverse card open! Metal Morph equips to Red Eyes, and then I sacrifice it summon Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon (2800/2400)!"

His Red Eyes was suddenly coated by a steel plating that gave it an ever more fearsome, although more mechanical, appearance. "Now I activate Horn of Calling Dragon, which lets me add one dragon from my deck to my hand."

A card slid out of his deck and he held it up, revealing a Red Eyes Black Dragon. "Next I summon Black Dragon Fighter (1600/1500), and using his effect I forfeit my next draw phase to special summon a dragon with 'black' in its title from my hand!"

As soon as the black armored warrior with glowing red eyes appeared a duplicate of his black dragon flew down onto the field next to it. Its feet slammed onto the ground and shook the arena. "This should be enough, so now I attack with Inferno Fire Blast!"

Mizuki smirked and flipped up one of her set cards. "Rune Symbol-Raidho negates your attack and ends the battle phase!"

The fireball puffed out of existence still in the dragon's mouth, not letting it even start the attack. "Very well, I'm not surprised. I guess I really do have to use this after all."

The Rising Star raised one eyebrow, not following him. He picked one card out of his hand and the side slot of his duel disk, the slot meant for a field card, popped open. _'Ah, his field card Darkness Volcano. So that's what he was talking about.'_

"I activate the field magic card, Darkness Game!" Mizuki's eyes widened as a purple dome erupted around them, trapping them within a seemingly endless realm of darkness.

Ensui looked around at the surroundings for the field card. "It's a weird name for a field card, but it is effective. All dark type monsters gain two hundred attack and defense points, and all dark types are reduced by two levels as long as it's in play."

Black Dragon Fighter rose to eighteen hundred attack, Red Eyes Black Dragon to twenty-six hundred, and then Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon to three thousand. "I set one card face down and bring my turn to an end. Let's see what your response is, Mizuki."

When Mizuki didn't immediately react to the end of his turn, he felt a little uncomfortable. She was just standing there staring blankly ahead, her eyes almost empty and not touching him. "M…Mizuki? Are you alright?"

Suddenly her eyes lit up again, refocusing and glowing with a bright inner fire. Those green eyes now practically shimmered with excitement. "Alright? I've never felt this good before! Now, it's my turn!"

She drew and Ensui felt the darkness around them ripple. "Activate magi card, First Day! In the beginning there was nothing but chaos, and then god said let there be light, and it was good!"

A blazing light slammed down from the sky above, piercing the darkness and striking her field. "When First Day is activated all cards on my field go to the cemetery, and then my cemetery and hand are shuffled into my deck."

Ensui suddenly felt nervous and he wasn't entirely sure why. "After that my side of the duel starts over, and my next turn begins." (MLP: 4000)

She drew again, giving her six cards, and Ensui grimaced, realizing she had easily undone all of his effort at damaging her. "I start by summoning Ramiel, Angel of Thunder (3000/0) in attack mode!"

The Black Dragon King watched with horrified fascination as a towering form of pure light with two pairs of angel wings extending out of its back hovered above Mizuki's field. Electricity crackled around its body. "Heeehee, don't be afraid Ensui, Ramiel can't attack."

Mizuki snickered and lifted herself up on her tiptoes, leaning forward and peering across the field at Ensui and his monsters. "See, Ramiel is the sixth leader of the Grigori, or the Watchers. His name means 'thunder of god' and he's watching carefully, ready to protect God's paradise."

Suddenly she flipped around one of the cards she was holding and the ground beneath her feet started to grow grass, with flower beds popping up all over the place. "Growth of the Garden is a continuous magic card that once during each player's turn gains a counter to their field for every light or earth type monster they have. When there are enough counters something special happens."

When she seemed satisfied with that she took another card from her hand and held it up. "I activate the magic card Salt of the Earth, which lets me place one earth type monster from my deck to my hand and special summon it in face down defense."

A monster appeared beneath Ramiel, waiting patiently. "Finally I end my turn with a face down card."

Ensui carefully reached for his set card to start his turn. "This isn't your deck Mizuki, this is entirely different. What's going on with you?"

The teenager put her hands behind her back and stuck her tongue out at him. "Nuh-uh, I'm not telling. You just have to figure it out for yourself. So nyah!"

He grimaced and then flipped over his set. "Jar of Greed lets me draw one card from my deck."

Once he registered the newly drawn card he slammed it down onto his field and a skeletal demon with wide wings and horns arose, its body shimmering with lightening. "Since its level is reduced by two I call out Summoned Skull (2500/1200) with no tribute!"

Suddenly Mizuki grinned and pulled down on her eye-lid, sticking her tongue out at Summoned Skull. "Bah on him! Ramiel, go nuke him!"

The angel's body crackled and then a massive bolt of blue lightning shot out from the center of his chest and hit the Summoned Skull. His new monsters shrieked and then blew apart. "What…what the hell was that?"

"Hehe, that's just Ramiel's special ability you silly. Whenever you summon a monster he destroys it." He gulped, feeling his hand shake. That was such a powerful effect he didn't know how to react.

"Black Dragon Fighter, attack that set monster!" His fighter charged across the field and slashed through the set monster, blowing it apart with a single sweep of its sword.

"Oops, you beat the wrong monster. That was my Cherub of the Garden (400/1200) and when he's destroyed I get to special summon any level four or lower angel sub-type monster from my deck to the field." Ensui threw up both hands as a blinding light filled the field, consuming it all.

When the light was finally dimmed enough to let him look there was another being of pure light, this one with six wings instead of four. "Meet Raziel, Angel of Mysteries (2300/2300). His special effect adds Book of Raziel to my hand!"

Another card appeared in her hand out of nowhere, and then she gave Ensui a brief bow. "Okay, now that I've summoned my monster you can go."

He growled and thrust out his free hand. "Red Eyes Black Dragon, finish off that new angel! Inferno Fire Blast!"

"Ah! Time out!" Ensui blinked as his dragon's fireball stopped in mid-air as Mizuki reached her hands behind her and struggled to reach a spot on her back to itch.

Suddenly she fell backwards onto her butt, and burst out laughing. "Okay, I'm good to go now. I activate my trap card, Watcher's Defense of the Garden! Since I've got an angel in play I can destroy the attacking monster and one weaker monster on your field. Say bu-bye!"

Ensui gasped the fireball reversed directions and hit Red Eyes, sending it flying backwards into his fighter. Both monsters blew into pieces, leaving only his field card and his metallic dragon. "Fine, if that's the way you want to play then so bet it! Flash Flare Blast!"

Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon opened its mouth and sprayed out reddish flames at the weaker angel. Mizuki just giggled and suddenly jumped from her sitting position and did a flip, then landed on her feet. "Raziel, activate your secret ability! Once per turn I can activate a magic card from my hand, so I play Banished from the Garden! This magic card seals one monster out of play for the rest of the game!"

There was a clap of light and suddenly his metallic dragon was no more, leaving his field completely and utterly empty. "I…I end my turn."

He felt afraid in a way he never had, even dueling people in the Underworld of Dueling. _'She's so powerful…and it's like she's not even aware of it. This level of playing, it's like I can't touch her even though she's not taking me seriously. I was once one of the top ten duelists at this school, I was considered a potential for the title of Kaiser at one point…but this girl is surpassing me in every way!'_

As soon as she drew the grass spread out, nearly reaching his side. "I've got four counters on my card, so it's almost ready. Just one more and then we're all ready Ensui. Ah, but until then I get to play Book of Raziel!"

Three points of light shot out of the sky and into her hand. They stopped glowing and showed themselves as cards. "Book of Raziel contains secrets of magic, so naturally it lets me add three magic cards from my deck to my hand, though I can't play them or set them this turn or during my next turn. Of course, what's Raziel's effect?"

Ensui felt the strength draining from his limbs as he realized what that meant. "Raziel lets you play one from your hand during my turn…so you don't have to worry about that."

"Yep, that's right! Good guess Ensui, you're sure smart…but I guess I still have to go after you. Raziel, attack him directly!" Light burst from the angel's body and struck him directly and though it burned it also felt almost…healing. (ELP: 1700)

"Okay! I end my turn." Ensui grimaced and looked around at the darkness. None of this had started until after he played that card. And now he knew. He had been set up.

_'If I get a monster it won't matter since Ramiel destroys whatever I summon. Plus she can play a magic card from hand to negate it with that monster of hers. Unless I get something worth playing I'm finished.'_ He drew, and then let out a deep breath.

"I won't stop yet Mizuki, I'm not going to lie down and lose just because you've got some scary power! I activate Treasure from Hell, which lets each player draw from the bottom of their deck until they hold six cards!" He drew a full six cards while she drew just one.

"I activate Card Destruction, sending Black Illusion Dragon (300/700), Kumouri Dragon (1500/1200), Twin-Headed Behemoth (1500/1000), Black Knight of Vanda (1800/1900), and Black Dragon Egg (0/0) to the grave!" He slammed the five named cards into his grave and then drew five more.

"When Black Dragon Egg goes from my hand to grave I can add two dragons with 'black' in their name from my deck to my hand!" He held up an additional two cards and then slid them into his hand.

"I continue by activating Shadow Touched, which prevents dark type monsters from being destroyed by targeting effects this turn!" A living shadow descended onto his field, giving him just the protection he needed.

"I summon Red Eyes Black Chick (1000/600), then sacrifice it for Red Eyes Black Dragon (2600/2200) and then comes the end! I sacrifice Red Eyes Black Dragon for its next evolution! Be born from the darkness and consume everything in your fire!" Red Eyes was engulfed in fire and a newer and larger shape emerged.

It had wider and sharper edged wings and had blood rubies set into them, as well it looked even more fearsome than before. Its massive shape consumed half his field as it soared into the air. "Red Eyes Darkness Dragon (2600/2200) whose special effect grants her three hundred attack for every dragon in my cemetery!"

He laughed with satisfaction as his monster's attack power began to skyrocket. "I have ten dragons in the cemetery, so my Red Eyes Darkness Dragon (5600/2200) vastly surpasses anything you could face me with!"

Despite having already summoned he still had three cards left in his hand, and he didn't seem like he was going to stop. "I play Fire Burst Revival, which brings back two dark monsters from my grave with one thousand less points, though they die at the end of the turn."

A Red Eyes and his Black Dragon Fighter both appeared, their attack points reduced. "Normally I use this card for tribute bait, but this time it's a different purpose! I'll flood the field with this card, Red Eyes Transmigration!"

Both monsters burst into flames and then Ensui himself was covered by that fire. "This ritual magic card requires I offer a Red Eyes and a warrior, and then it turns me into a mighty monster, the all powerful…"

The fire dimmed down, revealing Ensui wearing black armor that was almost exactly like the body of a Red Eyes Black Dragon. "Lord of the Red (2600/2200)! And with this power I'll take out both of your monsters and all of your life points! Darkness Dragon, annihilate Ramiel!"

A massive cyclone of black flame erupted from the dragon's mouth, shrieking across the field towards the holy angel. Mizuki smirked and flipped up one of the cards in her hand. "Again I'll use Raziel's effect to play Banished from the Garden, removing your monster from play!"

There was a clap of light and the flame along with Red Eyes Darkness Dragon was gone. Ensui laughed and slammed the last card in his hand onto his duel disk. "Dragon's Fang activates when a dragon is destroyed or leaves the field this turn, I deal you five hundred damage!"

A spectral pair of fangs shot across the field and bit down on Mizuki. Yet instead of gasping or screaming in pain like he would have thought, she giggled and batted at the fangs until they left. "That tickled Ensui, that wasn't fair!" (MLP: 3500)

"You…I don't know what you are, but I won't lose to you! During a turn where two magic cards are played as Lord of the Red my effect activates! All monsters besides myself are destroyed!" Mizuki giggled as her two angels shattered into a million motes of light.

"You won't be laughing in a second! Here I come!" He flew across the field and swung his fist at her. But his excitement and anger died the instant she reached up and blocked his punch…with one finger. (MLP: 900)

"I…impossible!" Mizuki giggled and flicked his fist, sending him flying backwards. He placed one hand against the ground and let himself skid to a halt, feeling as if he had just been hit with a sledgehammer.

"You're so silly Ensui, so now it's my turn!" She drew without a care in the world, and suddenly burst into laughter as trees sprouted from the ground and flowers blossomed everywhere.

"If it's in the cemetery Book of Raziel places a counter on my Growth of the Garden during my standby phase. And now that I have five, I sacrifice Growth of the Garden!" Vines shot everywhere and flowers bloomed in seconds, trees hurtling from nothingness straight into the sky. Birds flew through the air, and animals walked across the grass.

In less than ten seconds the darkness had been replaced by a beautiful scene that Ensui could only describe as paradise. Behind Mizuki there was a crystal clear pool of water being fed by the most beautiful waterfall he had ever see. "This is…paradise…"

Mizuki giggled behind her hand, excited at how he reacted. "That's exactly right; this is the field magic card Paradise Garden of Eden. And its first effect is to special summon Lord of the Garden-Adam (1500/1400) whose own effect normally removes your hand from play, but your too silly to have one."

Her monster was a dazzlingly handsome man with no shirt, wearing black pants and with dark hair. "The second effect is that as long as it's in play all monsters of the garden, light and earth types under my control, double in attack points."

Ensui felt his hands shaking as Adam's attack score shot upwards to three thousand, setting him higher than his own weakened attack score. "No…I can't lose…"

"Adam's effect lets me discard a plant type to either raise his attack score by seven hundred or by the base attack of one monster on the opponent's field. So I discard one and choose to increase by your attack!" Adam's holographic attack score pumped upwards to fifty-four hundred, making Lord of the Red pale by comparison.

"It's been so much fun, but it's over almost too soon. Adam, attack Lord of the Red!" Vines shot from the handsome man's wrists and hit Lord of the Red, shattering the armor and hitting Ensui in the stomach. He was hurled backwards and onto his back. (ELP: 0)

"Eden's special effect now gives me the destroyed monster's attack as life points, so thanks!" Ensui felt his head hit the cold arena floor, and he couldn't even move. It was as if there was nothing left, no reason for him to continue trying. He had been crushed almost without effort. (MLP: 3300)

Mizuki skipped over to him and looked down at him curiously, her eyes shimmering just as before. "Ooo…since that was a Darkness Game; I guess I've got to make a Punishment Game. And for you…"

She tapped her nose, her forehead scrunching up as she concentrated deeply. Ensui felt himself sweat drop despite how serious the situation was. _'She's acting like such a little kid…'_

"I've got it! For your Punishment Game you have to eat twelve dozen Cadbury Eggs in one hour. Kay?" Ensui nodded slowly, and then watched as she skipped away. The garden faded as she left the field, and Ensui had the feeling that he had been witness to something very bizarre.

Ensui blinked in surprise as the same blonde man from before knelt beside him and reached into his duel disk, taking the Darkness Game field card from him. "Thank you Ensui, you've shown me what I needed to know. Mizuki's power during a Darkness Game is determined by her attitude entering it. The chemicals in the body produced by excitement and adrenaline enhance her power and make her enter a euphoric state as I just saw. Whereas if she is depressed or serious, the chemical flow is less, so her power is contained and she is immune to the effects of the game."

Mr. Shadow stood, and then pulled Ensui to his feet. "Tell me, how would you like to assist me further? I'm willing to fund your dueling career in exchange for your furthered assistance."

Ensui stared at the door Mizuki had left from and then looked down at his deck. "Yes, I accept. But…do you think I could maybe learn your name, or at least who you really are?"

Mr. Shadow smiled slightly. "Who I am? My name you'll learn soon enough. But I am myself and nothing more. I am the Tsar of East School, and that is all you need to know."

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Author's Note: So that's who he is eh?

_Next Time: Standing second amongst the seven pro duelists brought by Beatrix is the pro duelist who has taken for himself the title of Greed. This duelist's strange and deadly deck clashes against Chizuma, who steps forward to defend Mizuki against Greed's attack. But can Obelisk Blue's number one rookie stand up to the strength of one of the seven deadly sins?_

_See it all in, Unleashed Sin; Greed's Power!_


	39. Unleashed Sin Greed's Power

Author's Note: And now for Greed's power.

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Unleashed Sin; Greed's Power**

"Yo, Envy." The short girl in the grey uniform lifted her head up from the magazine she had been reading, and then sighed when she saw who had spoken her name.

The speaker wore a grey uniform just like hers, the only difference being the yellowish band around his left upper arm. He was tall, at least taller than her, and a handful of years older. He also had nasty greasy dark hair. "Greed…what do you want?"

If there was any amongst the Seven Sins whom she was least jealous of, it was Greed. He was a disgusting as a person both physically and socially, so the only thing she found enviable about him was his unique ability that had gained him the name Greed. "What makes you think I want something eh? Couldn't I just be coming to see a friend?"

Envy glared at him, her eyes flashing green as she reached into herself and drew out the power she possessed, the Aura of Envy. "Because you're Greed you idiot."

Greed snorted and smirked, then plopped down in the grass right across from her. Now they were both sitting in the shade of a large oak tree at the edge of the clearing right outside the Ra Yellow dorm. "Guess ya got me there. Yeah, I do want something. I want to know that Rising Star chick's weaknesses, and I want to know her deck strategy."

Even Envy, who had known Greed for nearly three years now, was surprised by this. "Why do you care? Saint has ordered us not to challenge Mizuki until he says so. We're only to duel those he says to for the sake of his curiosity or whatever it is."

The older teen leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees, and looked into her now green eyes with that steady focused look he got only when he really wanted something. "Because I'm Greed you idiot."

She couldn't help but want to hit him for throwing her own words back in her face like that. But still, she now knew exactly what he meant. "Your own greed is going to get you in trouble Yamamoto. Even if you want something from her, whatever it might be, its not worth facing whatever punishment you'll get for going against Saint's orders."

Greed pulled away from her and placed his hands at his sides, now looking irritated. "I don't care; I want her in a very literal fashion, so I'll take her through force if necessary. But outside of wanting her, I want her genius. A mathematical genius who could calculate all the percentages I'd need to become richer in stocks than anybody has ever dreamed."

He rubbed his hands together gleefully, already anticipating the massive wealth he could attain through the use of Mizuki's mathematical mind. "Yamamoto…you're an idiot. But if you really want to risk it, go ahead. Mizuki runs a Rune Deck and her weakness is her insecurities. She's insecure about her appearance and about what others think of her. If you can play off that, I'm sure she'll be weakened."

The look on his face was one of dark satisfaction by the time she finished speaking. He looked down at his empty palms, and then up at her, a malevolent smirk on his face. His brown eyes flickered and turned to an amber color, and suddenly his hand shot right at her face. "Eeep!"

She squeezed her eyes shut, but nothing struck her. Slowly she opened her eyes and found his arm going right by her head, so that his palm was planted on the tree right to the left of her head. "Tell Saint what I asked you and the one who receives the wrath of Greed will be you, and not this tree. And don't call me Yamamoto; I've fully taken up the persona given to me. I'm the embodiment of Greed, not that poor little brat from before."

He stood up and walked away, leaving her shivering there against the tree. Slowly she tilted her head to the left to see how much she had done. A patch of about a foot in diameter of the bark was now a very yellow color, it was…gold. "The Midas Touch….even now that power terrifies me…"

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Mizuki yawned and stretched her hands up over her head. Today had been a busy day with her classes and her teaching. She had also been tired the past two days, ever since she dueled Ensui. The only problem was she couldn't figure out why she was still tired. _'And I remember leaving that duel so excited and energetic…but I can't remember just how I beat him.'_

"So…you're that little Rising Star chick up close and personal eh? Just as cute as I thought, but a little bit shorter than I had figured." Mizuki yelped and spun around, only to find herself facing a young man who looked about nineteen wearing the same uniform as Envy. And his hair was a disgusting greasy looking black color.

"You…you're one of the Seven Sins!" The greasy haired youth did a bow, smirking at her as he did so.

"That's right, Greed at your service. Of course if you want my services, it'll cost ya. I don't come cheap ya know." He pulled up from his bow and ran a hand through his greasy hair. It was at that moment that she saw the golden duel disk on his left arm.

Mizuki suddenly felt apprehensive, remembering what had happened to Aya after her loss to Envy. She was also wary because if Greed was anything like Envy, he embodied the sin whose name he retained. "What do you want?"

Greed snickered and shoved his right hand into his pocket, and then pulled out a deck. "People just keep asking me that today. And I'd ask ya why ya think I want something, but my name _is_ Greed after all."

When Mizuki just stared at him blankly he sighed and his duel disk flipped into position. Then he began shuffling his deck. "It's simple see, I want your analytical ability, and since you've got that genius brain you'd be perfect to help me with my stocks. And even though I've already got a neat plain to stack my stocks, you'd really help me out."

"And the deck and duel disk are here why? Because you know before I say anything that I'm going to refuse you?" Greed smirked and tapped his thumb against his forehead twice.

"Hit the nail on the head little Rising Star. That's right, I'm going to duel you, and if you win I'll just walk away. But if I win then you'll help me out with running my stock numbers that cool with you, or do I, have to get dangerous?" Mizuki felt a tremor in the pit of her stomach, a feeling of foreboding that told her he was dangerous, more so than he appeared.

Still smirking in a way that screamed greasy, Greed bent down and brushed his fingertips against the grass. Mizuki's eyes widened as the grass changed colors and stopped blowing in the light breeze. "You…you turned the grass gold?"

"That's right, that and my attitude are what gave me the title of Greed. I have the Midas Touch, the ability to turn whatever I touch into gold. But unlike Midas I choose if I want to turn something to gold. But by the same merit whatever I turn to gold returns to its normal state after one week. So really…its fool's gold." Despite the admission of a weakness to his power, he didn't seem all that worried.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a lighter, and then flipped it open, exposing the golden grass to the flame. "Of course gold is still gold, it's metal and it melts. And whatever I transform returns to the shape it holds in its state at the time of the return. So if say I melt this golden blade of grass in half, in one week it'll reform in two pieces. It'll be dead…and I can do the same to anything I want."

"You're not going to turn that pretty Rising Star into gold dust you creep!" Greed stood up and stared to his right incredulously. Mizuki also stared in the same direction as a girl in a solid blue Obelisk uniform jumped out. She was a very pretty girl with a doll face, grey eyes, and long braided black hair.

"Chizuma? What were you doing in the bushes?" Chizuma blushed a bright red, the color nearly bleeding enough into her uniform to make one believe she was an Osiris. Greed just scratched at his cheek, not sure what to make of the girl's sudden appearance.

"I was umm….doing research…yeah that's it…for my umm….ornithology class….yeah!" Mizuki and Greed sweat-dropped, not believing it for a second. Even Mizuki, as often unaware of people's lies as she was, realized how badly the younger girl was lying.

Before Mizuki could formulate a response Greed beat her to the punch. "That's fine creepy stalker girl, but I was just about to duel the Rising Star. Now get lost before something bad happens."

Chizuma shook her head vehemently, her eyes lighting up with determination. "No way am I going! I heard everything you said, and nobody threatens my pretty little Rising Star and gets away with it! You have to deal with me now, Chizuma Takashi!"

Mizuki gained a second sweat-drop at the younger girl's comments. _'My pretty little Rising Star? She's a bit possessive of her friends…'_

Greed rolled his eyes and made a shooing motion with his left hand. "Go away little girl, I don't need to deal with you. If you're that eager, I'll turn you into a golden statue and make you a freaking lawn ornament."

"You're Greed right? Well I'll duel you, and if I win you leave Mizuki alone! But if you win, you can challenge her again, and I'll give you whatever you want." Greed's eyes lit up, shifting from brown to gold in a second's time.

"Heh, looks like you know the way straight to a man's heart. Through his wallet. I'll agree to your deal you crazy little brat, and I guess I'll use you as a warm-up for the Rising Star." He slid his deck into his golden disk and it activated immediately. (GLP: 4000)

"Chizuma, are you sure about this? He's very dangerous, and he's one of the Seven Sins. He's a pro league duelist, not somebody you can just brush aside!" Chizuma's face lit up and she held her hands to her chest, looking positively ecstatic.

"Oh Mizuki! I'm touched that you care, but don't you worry about me. As I'm sure you saw, I'm a tough duelist myself. And defending such a cute girl like you, there's no way I can lose!" Laughing brightly Chizuma flicked open her own duel disk and slammed her deck into it. (CLP: 4000)

Greed reached for his deck before Chizuma could even protest and drew a card to start off the duel. "I'm greedy obviously, so first turn goes to me. And it looks like I've got a nice start right here…"

He placed the card down onto his duel disk, and a space on his field started glowing. The monster that formed on his field was about four feet tall and looked almost like a crab, but the top half of his body appeared to be made of stone. "Meet Muka Muka (600/300)."

Chizuma blinked in surprise at the sight of the stats that were displayed underneath Greed's monster. "That's your card? Its attack strength is so tiny…"

"Heh, at least you think it. Let me introduce you to the special ability of Muka Muka. For every card in my hand it gains three hundred attack and defense points, and in case you hadn't counted, I'm holding five still." Chizuma gulped as the little crab monster's attack strength shot up to twenty-one hundred.

"But don't worry; I'm reducing it to a more normal level for a non-tribute monster because I'm setting this card face down. End turn." The smirk on his face seemed to say that he was up to no good, and neither Mizuki nor Chizuma liked that.

"Okay, let's start this dance off nice and steady! I activate the magic card Stage of Introduction! This lets each player special summon one level four or lower monster from their deck to the field!" A spotlight hit each of their fields, and for each one a card popped out of their deck.

Greed motioned vaguely to his field, looking bored. "I special summon Greed Registrar (700/900) in defense mode."

His monster was a greasy little man with a hooked nose sitting over a typewriter. Chizuma scoffed at the sight of the monster and gestured extravagantly to her new monster, a Hispanic man in dancing clothes. "Meet Tango Dancer (1700/1000), and since he was summoned I now special summon Tango Dance Partner (1400/1300) from my hand!"

A Hispanic woman dressed in a woman's dancing outfit appeared next to the first tango monster, and then they clasped hands, looking at each other with intense passion. Greed snorted at the sight of them. "What silly little monsters."

"Watch how silly they are after they dance all over your broken greasy skull! I activate the continuous magic card, Spotlight! This lets me choose one monster on my field and increase its attack by three hundred, so Tango Dance Partner; you're in the spotlight now!" A red spotlight hit the Hispanic woman and she curtsied as her attack strength rose to equal Tango Dancer's.

"Like it matters, neither monster is strong enough to beat my Muka Muka. But if you really want to, go ahead and crush Greed Registrar, he's just a throw away monster anyways." Chizuma wagged her finger at Greed and then pointed at Muka Muka.

"When these two dancers attack, they attack together and combine their attack strength. Tango Dancer and Tango Dance Partner (3400) attack his crab thing! Dance Battle!" Greed suddenly snorted and snapped his fingers. Greed Registrar began to furiously type at his typewriter.

"I can sacrifice Greed Registrar and then either player draws one card for every card in one player's hand. For every card drawn this way they take three hundred damage. So I'll take twelve hundred damage in order to draw four cards." He slid four cards off his deck, pumping him up to eight in hand and Muka Muka to three thousand. (GLP: 2800)

"Ha! You're still four hundred attack points short of even matching my dancing duo! Looks like you just got outdone!" Greed smirked and pointed at his face down card, which was a magic card depicting a knight in battered armor receiving a gift of jewels from a princess.

"Reward of Valor activates when the attack strength of one monster on my field increases, such as Muka Muka's just did when I drew cards. At that time I draw three new cards." Chizuma's eyes widened as Greed drew three more times, and Muka Muka's attack strength shot up to thirty-nine hundred.

"Muka Muka, counter-attack!" Chizuma bit back a cry of despair as the now massively powerful crab creature struck with one of its pincers, slashing the two dancers in half. They shattered first above the waist, and then what was left blew apart as well. (CLP: 3500)

Mizuki frowned as she watched Chizuma start to regroup. _'This isn't good, Greed is proving that he's more tactical than one would guess from somebody who acts like such a greedy slob. He had that figured out perfectly from the moment Chizuma played Stage of Introduction.'_

"So you have a Greed Beat Down Strategy? That's a rare type to see." Greed looked to the side at Mizuki and smirked, and Mizuki felt like she was one of those gold blades of grass, and his eyes were that fire he held them under.

"Don't go categorizing my strategy in such a simple way, because it won't get you anywhere Rising Star. Now, let's get this duel back going crazy stalker girl, because I've got better things to do." Chizuma shook her head to clear it of the destruction of her monsters, and after one glance at Mizuki she slammed a card from her hand into her duel disk.

"Go, Dancer's Reversal! During a turn that tango monsters are destroyed I can discard a card from my hand to special summon them back to the field." She was suddenly left with only one card in hand, but both of her monsters returned to the field, and again the spotlight fell upon Tango Dance Partner.

"Next I activate Dancer's Trophy since I have a tango monster in play I now draw until I'm holding six cards!" Just like that she went from one card in hand to six, while giving Greed absolutely no advantage. Mizuki couldn't help but feel impressed, while Greed just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You're a cocky jerk, but I won't let that get to me because I'm fighting for my pretty Rising Star! I set two cards face down and end my turn!" Two cards appeared on her field, one behind each of her dancers.

Greed sneered and drew, putting him up at twelve cards in hand and giving his crab monster another three hundred points. "So many options, so little time…what shall I do?"

He shrugged and pointed with his right hand at Tango Dancer. "Muka Muka (4200/3900), attack and destroy Tango Dancer! Claw Pincer Strike!"

Chizuma snapped out her left arm over her left set card, which flipped up revealing the two monsters on her field doing what appeared to be a complicated dance move. "Tango Barrida activates when I have a tango monster on my field, and it lets me destroy one opponent's monster!"

The two dancers spun over and did a double kick, striking the crab monster in the chest. It shrieked and flipped over onto its back and then burst into tiny pieces. "Oh? Looks like you don't give up so easily, but I'm not worried. See, here's stage two of my strategy."

He picked out five cards from his hand and then shoved them all into his graveyard slot. "By discarding five cards from my hand I can play this card from my deck, Soul of Sin-Greed! As long as this card is in my cemetery any card I draw is considered to be drawn in my draw phase."

He licked his lips and then reached for one of the remaining seven cards in his hand. "That might seem useless, but you'll see soon enough. Also, as long as its in my grave magic and trap cards with 'greed' in their name don't take up zones. So I'll set three cards face down…"

Still smirking he slid another card into his disk following the first three. "Next I play this continuous magic card, Repentance of Sin-Greed. As long as its activate I can pay three hundred life points to place a card that has an effect involving drawing cards and place it on top of your deck. I'll do that right now." (GLP: 2600)

He flicked a card at her, and she placed it on top of her deck without looking. "You done yet Greed? I'm eager to get this dance up to a faster pace."

Greed snickered and looked down at the last three cards in his hand. "Don't get greedy little stalker girl, that's my job. I set one monster in defense mode, and then I end my turn."

Chizuma snapped a card off her deck and then held it up to see what he had given her. _'What the heck? He gave me Coins From Heaven? Oh I get it…he just burned most of his hand, so he wants me to play it so that he can recover his resources.'_

Mizuki watched the two duelists carefully, especially Greed as she tried to figure out his strategy. _'So far I guess I'd call his deck a Greed Deck, but I don't see what the point of that greed soul card was…unless…'_

Despite Mizuki's revelation Chizuma was still in the dark, so she played normally. "I'll follow your plan just as much as you like, so I'll thin my hand! I play Tango Corte, which deals half the attack of one Tango monster on my field at a cost of its attack this turn!"

Tango Dance Partner went into a dizzying set of cartwheels, ending up right in front of Greed where she sensually shook her hips, and then elbowed him in the chest. He snickered even as he rubbed his chest. "That was fun to watch even if it hurt." (GLP: 1750)

"You won't be having fun for much longer. I activate the field magic card, Dancer's Dream! In this place I lose no life points when a monster with 'tango' in its name is destroyed in battle!" The air all around them shimmered and bubbles of light floated all around.

Chizuma looked at the three cards she had left, and then slid one of her cards into her disk. "I set that card face down, and then I'm going to keep up this dance by playing the card you gave me!"

Mizuki's eyes widened when she realized what Chizuma meant. "Wait a second Chizuma!"

It was too late to stop the younger girl, as she had already activated the chosen card. "Coins From Heaven lets each player draw until they hold six cards, and I'll be drawing five cards!"

Greed burst out laughing and snapped his fingers together. Instantly one of his three face down cards flipped up and his eyes burned the same golden color as earlier. "Meet my deadly continuous trap card, Greed! Whenever a player draws a card outside of their draw phase they take five hundred damage, and that's five hundred for each!"

Chizuma screamed as a purple aura wrapped around her, sucking away a huge chunk of her life points all at once. She fell to her knees, panting heavily as Greed remained standing, snickering at the sight of her so injured. "Looks like I'll have what I want faster than anybody could guess with the power of my Greed Deck at full." (CLP: 600)

The young Blue girl lifted her head and glared at Greed even through the pain. "Yeah, but you drew four cards so now you take two thousand damage, and that finishes you off! Looks like you miscounted!"

Greed smirked and shot a glance at Mizuki, who was shaking her head. "Your little friend the Rising Star sees it. Greed only deals a player damage if they draw outside their draw phase, and like I said before as long as Soul of Sin-Greed is in my grave there is no draw that's outside of my draw phase. Meaning I'm completely immune to my trap card's damage effect. And speaking of drawing…"

One of his two remaining set cards began to flip itself up. "This is Appropriate, which activates when my opponent draws outside of their draw phase. From now on out whenever you draw outside of your draw phase I draw two cards. Of course if you draw even two more cards outside of the draw phase, you lose. So Pot of Greed is out of the question."

Chizuma frowned as she looked down at her hand. _'Dang it…and I'm holding Pot of Greed as well. This isn't good; I've never seen a strategy like this before. How can he merge a burn strategy with beat down so readily?'_

Mizuki was busy analyzing what she had seen, just like the frightened and weakened Chizuma. _'He's incredible…his strategy is brilliant. Envy was good, but compared to Greed she's nothing! Against this sort of strategy, I have no idea how I'd win…'_

Shaking away the pain and the frustration Chizuma jumped back to her feet and pointed at Greed's set monster. "Dance Battle!"

The monster was blown apart easily by the compared strike of the tango duo, but to Chizuma's surprise all that happened was Greed burst out laughing. "You destroyed Giant Rat (1400/1000) which means I can now special summon any earth monster from my deck with fifteen hundred or less attack points, even if that monster were a level one billion."

Chizuma stared upwards as what looked like a jumbo-sized Muka Muka stomped out onto the field. "Meet the almighty Enraged Muka Muka (1200/600), a level five monster with almost no attack to speak of, but an upgraded form of his little brother's effect. For every card in my hand he gains four hundred attack and defense points!"

Steam puffed out of its mouth as its attack strength started to soar. Greed smirked and fanned out his hand, showing her the six cards he was holding thanks to the effect of Coins From Heaven. "Enraged Muka Muka now has thirty-six hundred attack if you hadn't realized."

The Obelisk Blue pointed at the card she had left-over set from the previous turn and it flipped up, revealing a magic card. "Dance Till You Drop lets my tango duo attack another monster after defeating a monster in battle, plus they each gain five hundred attack points for the turn. So go, Dance Battle (4400)!"

The duo spun towards the enraged crab, which clacked its pincers at them. Greed smirked and depressed a button on his disk. "Reverse card open, Greed From Equality! This card activates when each player is holding the same number of cards in hand and it allows me to double my hand size immediately!"

Without a second thought he slid six cards off his duel disk, giving him twelve cards just like he had in his previous turn. "And with these cards my Enraged Muka Muka (6000/5400) can now counter-attack. Massive Claw Pincer Strike!"

The huge crab slammed its meaty pincer down on top of the dancing duo, smashing them instantly and sending up a cloud of dust from the impact. Chizuma threw an arm up in defense as the dust blew past her. "Dancer's Dream negates life point damage to me!"

Mizuki whispered a silent prayer for Chizuma, but she saw that things weren't looking very good for the other girl. _'Greed planned that perfectly. He knew he could summon that monster, so he prepared Greed From Equality because he knew Chizuma would play Coins From Heaven to even out their hands. He's no slacker…'_

"I set one monster in defense mode and one card face down, end turn!" Chizuma took a deep breath to try and calm herself, but that cocky smirk of Greed's and her knowledge of his trap's power made it hard for her to become calm.

He drew, putting him at a huge thirteen cards in hand. "So how does it feel to be absolutely outclassed? Does it help you enjoy this 'dance'?"

When Chizuma didn't respond he chuckled and began to reach for one card, then another, and then another. "Which way to defeat you…that's the real question isn't it? Oh…I know, I'll make you feel better I guess. Enraged Muka Muka attacks."

His monster smashed her set card into dust, and suddenly two cards were spat out of her cemetery and into her hand. "When Tango Apprentice (0/800) is destroyed I can add 'Tango Dancer' and 'Tango Dance Partner' from my deck or cemetery to my hand!"

"That's fine, not like I care. I activate Goblin's Kindness, which lets you draw a card by giving me one thousand life points. And now you take five hundred damage of course." Chizuma screamed again as she was drained of life points by that terrible purple aura. (CLP: 100) (GLP: 2750)

"Thanks to Appropriate I now draw two cards." He pulled two new cards off the top of his deck and placed them at the edge of his hand.

"I activate the continuous magic card, Greed Without Limit. Unlike Limitless Hand this card makes it so there is no hand limit for just myself, a true greedy person doesn't like to share after all." He smirked as he took one card out of his hand and showed it to Mizuki, who gasped in surprise.

_'He's holding Card Destruction…he could have already played it and destroyed her life points. So why hasn't he played it? Is he toying with her?'_ Greed placed the card back into his hand and then selected a different one and played it.

"I play Confiscation, which at a cost of one thousand life points allows me to look at my opponent's hand and send any one card from there to the grave." Chizuma winced, realizing that he could get rid of one of her two tango monsters and destroyed her strategy. (GLP: 1750)

The cards appeared holographically in front of Chizuma so that Greed and Mizuki could both see them. "Tango Dancer, Tango Dance Partner, Dancer's Forceful Spin, Dance Craze, Pot of Greed, and Premature Burial. Interesting….send Dancer's Forceful Spin to the cemetery."

Chizuma did as she was told even though she didn't understand exactly why he had forced her to do it. Mizuki did though, on both levels. _'Dancer's Forceful Spin can remove the opponent's grave from the game, so he was covering a possible risk, whereas the others don't worry him. Not only that…but he's still toying with her.'_

Suddenly he slammed a card from his hand into his duel disk. "Unearthed Greed activates when either player is forced to discard cards from their hand. After that happens the player who discarded picks up cards from their deck equal to the difference in their hand and the opponent's and adds them to their hand. In exchange the other player gains four hundred life points per card picked up."

He fanned out his eleven cards, showing that the difference between their hand size was six. So Chizuma picked up six cards off her deck and placed them into her hand. "Luckily for me those weren't drawn, so I'm safe from your trap." (GLP: 4150)

"Don't be stupid little girl, I just wanted to maximize the amount that you were forced to hurt! I activate Card Destruction, so now discard all eleven of those cards and draw eleven new ones! And my Greed trap will deal you fifty-five hundred damage!" Mizuki shivered as Chizuma's entire body seized up in spasms as she screamed in pain, Greed's power draining her of her last few remaining life points. (CLP: 0)

Greed cracked his knuckles and approached her, his eyes glimmering golden as he prepared to use his power. Mizuki ran in front of him, putting herself between Chizuma and the Sin. "No! You wanted a duel with me, so bring it on! Don't hurt her!"

That stopped the Sin in his tracks, and he smirked as he began shuffling up his deck. "That's perfect; I'll get you out of the deal so I won't have to worry about her. Now come on and let's go!" (GLP: 4000)

He slammed his deck into place and gestured eagerly for her to come and face him. Hiding her nerves Mizuki began to shuffle her own deck, and then placed it into her old model duel disk. "Duel!" (MLP: 4000)

"Look, a duel's about to start up over there!" Greed grimaced and looked up. He saw several Ra Yellow students as well as a few Osiris and one Blue all looking in their direction.

"You got lucky this time Rising Star, I can't duel you yet in front of an audience, so I'll just take my leave. But as soon as I get the chance I'll take you and believe me, I'm too greedy to wait for long. See ya little girl." He offered a final departing wave and then ran into the woods, forcing the disappointed crowd of duelists to depart.

When everyone was out of sight Mizuki dropped to her knees next to where Chizuma was still recovering. The doll-faced girl looked up at her with tears in her eyes and then wrapped her arms around Mizuki's middle. "I'm sorry! I couldn't beat him…I could barely even hurt him…"

Absently Mizuki stroked the younger girl's hair comfortingly, but she silently wishes someone would do the same for her. "It's okay, it's just fine. Everything is going to be okay."

She continued to mutter those platitudes, but she couldn't believe them on the inside. _'If they hadn't come, if I had dueled Greed right now, as I am…I would have lost. These Sins…are beyond any opponent I've ever faced except…'_

Harrison's face appeared in her mind, followed by Sanzo. _'Those two…the only people I can think of who are that strong left on this academy are those two. But could even they beat the Seven Sins?'_

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Author's Note: Wow…that's a scary strategy isn't it? And as a matter of fact one of my real life tournament decks was, for almost a year, a Greed Beat Down deck. I also helped a friend of mine create a Greed Burn Deck.

_Next Time: Harrison moves with the intention of crushing opposition, but instead of getting a chance to face one of Beatrix's Seven Sins, he is instead pitted against a foe from the past. Putting the duel conditions into a disgusting state is none other than the banished duelist that everyone loves to hate!_

_See it all in, Absolutely Deplorable; Dark Kaiser's Revolution!_


	40. Dark Kaiser's Revolution!

Author's Note: And now for the Dark Kaiser's rage to be unleashed.

**Chapter Forty: Absolutely Deplorable; Dark Kaiser's Revolution!**

Water rippled around his feet as he stepped off of the speed boat and onto the sand of the beach. He looked around, catching the eyes of all the students who had come here to relax. "Hello there all of you."

One of them, wearing blue bathing shorts and nothing else came running up and looked over at him, surprise in his eyes. "You're that freak Osiris from last year!"

A sneer crossed the young man's features and he tossed his life vest to the side, revealing the outfit he was wearing. It was an Obelisk Blue uniform, except instead of having blue markings it was silver. "That's right…that freak Osiris. But you can call me Tobias."

By now most of the others on the beach had gathered to him, all of them surprised at his presence, even those who hadn't directly known him. The first one from before, the Obelisk, finally gained the sense to ask a question he should have started with. "Weren't you arrested last year and put on trial?"

Tobias' sneer faded and he reached into his blazer and pulled out a dueling deck. "That's correct, and now I've come to correct some mistakes. I'll make you a deal though, duel me and if I win then I get to stay on the island, but if you win I leave. That same goes for every single person on this beach."

Whispers ran through the crowd, and finally one of the students ran to their bag at the edge of the beach and came back with a duel disk and dueling deck. It was a tall and thin teenager with black hair and a yellow bathing suit. "I'll take you on freak Osiris; I'm a Yellow anyways, so it shouldn't be tough. My name is Alonzo." (ALP: 4000)

Tobias held up his left arm which held his duel disk and then handed his deck to the nearest student, who eagerly shuffled it and then returned it. Finally Tobias slammed his deck into his duel disk. "Let's begin Alonzo; your soul will fuel the power of Xanadu…" (TLP: 4000)

Alonzo drew and fanned out his hand, and then held up one of his drawn cards. "I activate the magic card Testament of Knowledge. I now guess the type of the top card of my deck and if I get it right then I draw three cards after adding that card to my hand. I guess magic."

He drew and held up a magic card, then placed it into his hand and drew three cards. Now he had nine cards to work with. "Alright, I activate Red Tide, which lets me discard any number of fish from my hand to deal you three hundred points of damage a piece."

Smirking he folded up four cards from his hand and slid them into his cemetery slot. "Four cards mean you take twelve hundred damage." (TLP: 2800)

Still cocky he slid another card into his duel disk and a space on his field started glowing. "Premature Burial costs me eight hundred life points but then lets me revive a monster from my grave as long as I equip this card to it. So Amphibian Beast (2400/1600) is special summoned!" (ALP: 3200)

Finally after the hideous aquatic beast had been summoned he placed a card from his hand into his duel disk. "One card face down to end my turn. Beat that freak Osiris!"

Tobias reached for his deck and drew, and then chuckled. "I think I will. In fact…I win."

Two minutes later in a flash of green light Alonzo collapsed to the ground, face into the sand. Tobias looked up at the rest of the students on the beach as he shuffled his deck. "So…who's next?"

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Harrison frowned and folded his arms over his chest, his blue trench coat flaring out behind him thanks to a gust of wind. Going right by him was another student who had been found unconscious on the academy grounds, their cards scattered around them. "And each one shares the same symptoms…they are breathing but…not there."

His eyes strayed from the unconscious form being moved past him to the opposite edge of the woods, where Mizuki was watching with trepidation in her eyes. At her side was Shiro, and with him was Kane. _'They're all worried…and someone needs to take care of whatever is going on. And that someone is the only one who should know what's going on.'_

Scowling he turned and started to walk towards the Obelisk Blue dormitories with one target in mind. _'Let's let the hero sort this out, that's his job after all.'_

Several minutes later he was sitting in a chair in Sanzo's room with one leg crossed over the other as he watched Sanzo pace around the room. "And you're sure you don't know anything about this?"

The seventeen year old shook his head, his hair flaring out over both eyes briefly as he did so. "I've got nothing, and it's really worrying me. I can't think of anything that would put people into such a state, and all I know is that I've been getting strange vibes all over the island, but I can't pinpoint it, not like I normally can. Something about this form of danger is…beyond me."

"Let's cut to the chase. You know more about this Saint than I do, so why don't you tell me what you know. What are those Sins of his, and what is he? Are they like you?" Sanzo turned and glared at him from underneath his hair, and then sat down heavily on his cushy bed.

"Yes and no. They are like me, but also very much not like me. Saint is a powerful man, and more dangerous than he seems…but he's also an amazingly brilliant and gentle man. The problem is I can never tell which he is at any given time. That smile of his hides everything, so the only person capable of giving you answers…is Saint himself. And even then he has to be willing." Harrison scowled even darker and stood up from the chair, adjusting his coat.

"Then so be it, if Saint is where the answers can be found, then I'll confront Saint and beat the answers out of him if I have to. Him and his Sins. Either way…I wanted a duel with one of those Sins for a while, so this is the perfect chance." He reached for the door, but was stopped when Sanzo placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Be careful Harrison. Just remember that none of the Sins, and especially not Saint…are what they seem to be." Harrison shrugged Sanzo's hand off his shoulder and then pushed the door open.

"Don't be an idiot Sanzo; I'm perfectly aware of that. The only person on this island who is exactly what he appears is that Shiro brat, and that's only because he's too stupid to have illusions about his identity." Sanzo watched Harrison go, and then dropped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"This feeling is different than anything else I've ever noticed…it's dark, not just dangerous. And it's….old…ancient…older than anything I can imagine. And it's evil…"

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It shouldn't have taken Harrison long to get from Sanzo's room to where Saint was, but that was just the problem. When he got there nobody was there, not even one of those flunkies of his. "Damn it…where is that man?"

Within minutes he was out on the grounds, gazing about for any sign of Saint and his flunkies, asking whoever he could find. Yet the further he went it seemed students were fewer and farther between. "It's a weekend and there aren't classes…so where is everyone?"

He stopped as he saw a flash of green light inside the forest, and immediately he took off running in that direction. He pushed through the brush and burst into a clearing next to a small crystal clear lake, only to find a fellow Obelisk Blue student face first in the grass. And across from him was someone Harrison had never expected to see. "Emerlo?"

Tobias looked up at him even as he continued to shuffle his deck. "Harrison, this is absolutely perfect. I came here looking for power and revenge, and now I get to take power and revenge out from you."

Harrison frowned and reached into one of the inside pockets of his trench coat and pulled out his deck. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The former student finished shuffling his deck and slipped it into his duel disk. "It's simple really. Had you agreed to my plan then I would have succeeded, but since you went against me I failed. With your assistance I wouldn't have had trouble getting the Xanadu Equation, but because I didn't have it I was expelled and nearly sent to jail."

The Obelisk Blue activated his DD6 and placed his deck into it. "Your idiocy is not my problem, at least normally it isn't. But this time, you're the one harming other students for power, aren't you?"

Tobias glanced down at the defeated Obelisk and smirked. "That's right, I am. I've found a power I could use, that people thought was dead and gone…but using some energy cells I was able to reactivate it, and now the more people I defeat, the stronger it grows. And I can see it, the key to the Xanadu Equation lies in that power!"

Harrison calmly placed two fingers on the top card of his deck at the same time Tobias did. Then they snapped those cards off at the same moment. "Duel!" (TLP: 4000) (HLP: 4000)

Before Tobias even moved to take his first turn his deck started glowing and a card shot out of it. "I activate Field of Battle! This normal magic card activates at the start of a duel from wherever it exists and lets each player place a field card from their deck to the top of their deck. Also from now on field cards can coexist."

Both players selected a card from their deck and placed them on top. Then Tobias drew, gaining the card he had wanted. "Now, let me show you the power that I had been gathering! First I activate Trap Well, which lets me place a trap from my deck to my hand though that card cannot be set or activated this turn."

He gripped the chosen card and placed it into his hand, and then the side slot of his duel disk flipped open. "Witness the ultimate power that will bring me to the Xanadu Equation! Your fate is now sealed, by the ancient might of the Seal of Orichalcos!"

Harrison looked around in surprise as a green circle descended from the sky and landed around them. Then a secondary layer with mystical symbols appeared, completely the circle. Finally a six-pointed star formed beneath their feet. "What in the world is this field?"

"This is the power that I discovered and revived using the remains of my Shangri La Projector. The Seal of Orichalcos is an ancient magic that seals both players within it, and only the winner leaves. The losers soul is forfeit and added to the power of the Orichalcos!" Harrison squeezed his right hand tight, feeling his determination brimming even further with the desire not to lose.

"So as a coward you revived this ancient magic just to give you an edge in your duels. You take the souls of your victims for your own greed…you're a deplorable person Tobias Emerlo, and I will crush you like the insect that you are!" Tobias responded by laughing maniacally as the same symbol as beneath their feet appeared on his forehead, and his eyes lit up with an inner red light.

"We'll see if your tone is still the same once I crush you completely! I summon Elite Guard-Executioner (1800/1700), and Seal of Orichalcos grants him an additional five hundred points as it grants us both dark powers!" The seal appeared on the executioner's forehead, matching his blue armor and the scythe in his hand well. Then his attack points shot up to twenty-three hundred.

"Next I follow it up with two cards. End turn!" His two cards appeared, and then Harrison narrowed his eyes as he drew, knowing exactly what he would get.

"I'll show you a real type of power, not the type held by a coward such as yourself. Field magic card activate, Mallet Island!" The ground shook all around them as a huge gothic castle began to rise up out of nothingness. Towering spinnerets jutted out of it, and it gave off an unholy glow, with mist rolling in at the base.

"For its first effect, upon activation Mallet Island allows me to add one of several monsters to my hand, and my choice is this one. Come forth, Legendary Demon Slayer Dante (1500/1200)!" The white haired half-devil in the red trench coat did a flip off one of the spires of the castle and landed on the field in front of Harrison.

"I'll activate his summon effect and equip him with Berserker Blades Agni and Rudra! This equip grants him an additional five hundred attack points." Twin blades appeared in his hands, each one with a face set in the pommel and giving off a red glow for one blade and a blue glow for the other.

Tobias arched an eyebrow at the sight of the devil hunter. "Yeah, he's strong, but so what? Executioner is still stronger than that wimp."

"Wimp? Mallet Island grants any monster mentioned in its text with a boost of five hundred attack points, meaning Dante is now the strongest! And when Dante attacks while equipped with the berserker blades, magic and traps cannot be chained, so here he comes!" Dante ran forwards and did a sweeping cut with the twin blades, slashing Executioner in half at the waist. (TLP: 3800)

The former student smirked and motioned to his rightmost set card. "It didn't matter if you attacked, because I wanted my monster executed. Stirrings of a Revolution activates when an effect monster on my field is destroyed in battle. It adds one of three monsters to my hand."

As soon as he had the monster he wanted in hand he gave a brief nod to Harrison. "Up to you captain third place traitor. The turn is still yours."

"Third place? No…I am the Dark Kaiser of this school, and I will crush you completely. One card face down, and end turn. Let's see if you can at all match my strength Emerlo." Tobias shrugged and picked up the top card of his deck and added it to his hand.

He looked at the cards he was holding and then carefully placed two cards onto it. "I set a monster and a magic or trap card. Guess that's all I can do you big bad Kaiser you."

Harrison ignored the jibe and drew, returning him to five cards in hand. "I summon Getsu Fuhma (1700/1200) in attack mode. And now, Getsu Fuhma attacks your set monster!"

A female samurai in red armor appeared and bum-rushed Tobias' field and slashed the set monster in half. It screeched in pain and appeared briefly in the form of a fuzzy brown creature with clawed arms and big bugged eyes. "You destroyed Sangan (1000/600) so now I get the effect of Stirrings of a Revolution as well as the ability to search my deck for a monster of fifteen hundred or less attack and add it to my hand."

Smirking he slid two cards into his hand, giving him a total of four cards in hand. Then he pointed to his face down card, the one that had been set the longest. "Waboku activates before you can attack with Dante, preventing my field from taking battle damage this turn. So I'm safe from that wimp."

Harrison scowled and fanned out his hand of cards. _'He's a very able strategist and no slouch at all. He's capable of great things, but I cannot allow him to oppose me. This power of the Seal of Orichalcos, the power to take souls…I cannot allow him to continue to possess such a thing.'_

He cast a faint look out of the duel to the direction he knew the Obelisk dorms to be in. _'This sort of thing is supposed to be Sanzo's area, why am I stuck dealing with trash villains like this?'_

"End Turn." Tobias chuckled and drew for the start of his turn, looking far too confident for what he had to work with. Harrison knew he had his three needed monsters, but summoning them would take a few turns, and with Agni and Rudra it would be difficult to manage that.

"From the look in your eyes I can see that obviously you think I can't summon my trio of revolutionaries before you can crush me. Well allow me to disprove that with this magic card, Mystical Fitting Room! At a cost of eight hundred life points all level three or lower normal monsters in my hand are summoned to the field!" Three spaces on his field started glowing as he slapped his monsters down onto his duel disk. (TLP: 3000)

The first was a group of peasants with depressed looks on their faces, all of whom were shuffling about and doing essentially nothing. "These are the Oppressed People (400/2000) and now they gain dark power!"

Their heads lifted up as the seals appeared on their heads, giving them a boost of five hundred points as well as a dark glint in their eyes. "Next is People Running About (600/600)!"

Another group of peasants rushed onto the field, this group running about wildly with panic in their eyes. Yet their back became even more frenzied when the darkness overcame them and increased their power. "Once they gain dark power, I bring out the final piece. United Resistance (1000/400)!"

This final group of peasants had pitchforks and torches at the ready, and barely seemed to notice the dark power that influenced them. Yet at their presence the other two peasant groups perked up and seemed to focus on Harrison. _'Damn it…'_

Tobias cackled madly as his face down card flipped up. "And now it begins, the revolution is at hand! Huge Revolution now sends all cards on your field and hand to the cemetery!"

Harrison gritted his teeth as the rabble rampaged onto his island and crushed it as well as Dante and his face down card. Then they pushed him down and snatched up the cards in his hand. "Sickening that a revolution is carried out by one who should be considered a tyrant."

Tobias snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "This coming from a guy called 'Dark Kaiser'? Don't lecture me on what it's like being a tyrant or being dark! Now my revolutionaries, attack Harrison directly!"

The Dark Kaiser was completely engulfed by the huge group of peasants as they beat him without mercy with their crude weapons. It went on for a few minutes until the revolutionaries felt satisfied and marched away, leaving a weakened Harrison on one knee, breathing heavily. "I'll admit that you've improved…but you still can't defeat me." (HLP: 500)

Arching his eyebrow the former academy student twiddled with the remaining card in his hand. "Oh? We'll see about that once I show you the five card combo that is unbeatable. By sending all three of my revolutionaries to the grave after successfully playing Huge Revolution I can special summon this monster from my hand. Tyrant King (1500/1500)!"

All three revolutionaries shattered as a plush royal throne rose up out of the ground. Seated upon it was an elderly man with white hair wearing purple robes and with a jewel encrusted crown upon his head. Slowly that same red glint appeared in his eyes as he gained dark power. "Tyrant King is my ultimate monster, and when summoned all other cards on my field go the grave."

Stirring of a Revolution burst, leaving the king alone on the field. "Next I shuffle all three revolutionaries and Huge Revolution back into my deck. After that resolves I draw until I'm holding six cards."

He laughed as he drew a brand new hand, but Harrison took comfort in the fact that Tyrant King couldn't attack since it was the second main phase now. "Since there's now way to attack, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."

Harrison pushed himself back onto his field and suddenly his body was suffused with light. "What's going on?"

Tobias smirked as he was also covered by light. "At the start of your turn I can increase your life points by increments of one thousand, taking care of the people one might say. In exchange I get two thousand life points per increment of one thousand. So I give you two thousand points and gain four thousand!" (HLP: 2500) (TLP: 7000)

Despite the increase in his life points Harrison didn't seem happy, not at all. He snapped a card off his deck and suddenly he began to glow a dark red. "And this would be what?"

"The Tyrant part of his name actually. During your standby phase you have three choices for his upkeep. Pay one thousand life points, discard one card from your hand, or send the top five cards of your deck to the grave. Do you understand now? It's the ultimate combo in this deck that can destroy your deck, your life points, and keep you from recovering your hand!" He threw back his head and began to laugh, but Harrison simply stared at him.

"I see, so your Tyrant gives me three choices. Following the effect of Huge Revolution the opposing player, which is myself, is at a large disadvantage because they are top decking and almost certainly took two thousand points of damage. Let's say you recover me by one thousand points, I can now afford to pay one thousand life points as upkeep, but with a top deck that may not be enough." He looked to the top of his deck, still calm as ever.

"I can also choose to send the top five cards of my deck to the grave as payment, but while top decking I'm already at a disadvantage and that potentially eliminates good cards from my deck. If I choose that option every turn I'll likely deck out." Finally his eyes came to rest on the single card in his hand.

"Finally I can choose to discard a card from my hand as upkeep. That's not as bad as the others, but if I'm top decking it puts me in a terrible situation that encourages the other two options. So, which of these poor choices can I make?" Tobias smirked and shrugged his shoulders, looking very self satisfied.

"I can see that this strategy is without flaw…almost. Allow me to show you one of the flaws of your so called ultimate strategy. I discard the card in my hand as upkeep." Tobias' self-satsified smirk dropped from his face as he saw Harrison slide the only card he was holding into the cemetery.

"W…what? You're actually discarding that card? Not that I'm complaining but…doesn't that instantly mean you lose, since now you have nothing to work with and play?" In response Harrison held out his right hand and an image of a magic card appeared in front of him. It pictured an impoverished man holding out a bag of gold to a wealthy looking man.

"This is why, a very simple normal magic card that is quite common. So simple that it is devious in its nature and quite often overlooked. However, many pro duelists use this card to great effect due to its versatile nature. It is Repayment of Losses, and when it goes to the cemetery I draw one card." Tobias gulped as the image faded and Harrison drew, successfully getting past the negative aspects of Tobias' Tyrant King.

With a dark look in his eyes Harrison snapped the drawn card up and out, showing it to be a man's hand holding cards under a guillotine that was ready to snap. "Treasure of Slashing Life allows me to draw until I hold five cards, however in five turns I discard my hand!"

Tobias took a step back, but then reminded himself of his set cards and calmed down. However, when Harrison held up yet another card and a green grinning pot appeared on the field, Tobias began to feel afraid again. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards!"

Without wasting a single moment of time Harrison slammed his next card down. "Warrior Returning Alive allows me to select a warrior in my cemetery and return it to my hand. I'll use it to bring back and summon Legendary Demon Slayer Dante (1500/1200), but I forego his effect!"

The trench coat wearing devil hunter winked at Tobias and cracked his knuckles, looking ready for anything. "I activate the effect of a card in my deck, which can be added to my hand if I discard two cards!"

He slid two cards into his cemetery slot, and then immediately caught the card that slipped out of his deck. Tobias gulped, feeling as if he was encountering something truly dangerous. "What is this? What do you think can oppose the power of the Tyrant King and the Seal of Orichalcos?"

"Let me show you, it's the true power of Dante! I activate the magic card Combat Style-Trickster! This style is perfectly fitting for someone like you, and it will allow me to completely demolish you!" A pillar of blue light erupted all around Dante, engulfing him and hiding him from sight.

"This magic card now sends all cards on my field and in my hand to my cemetery after I tribute Dante. Following that all cards in my grave and out of play pile are shuffled back into my deck. And then I trade out cards from my side deck with my actual deck!" He reached into his coat and pulled out fifteen cards, which he quickly swapped for cards from his deck.

Once his cards were shuffled in Harrison drew three times. "I then draw cards equal to the number previously held in my hand before I used my Combat Style. And finally, Dante's focused power. I special summon Legendary Demon Slayer Dante the Trickster (2300/2000)!"

The monster summoned looked identical to the previous Dante, the only difference being he looked more playful and cocky than previous. "When he's summoned I may equip him with an equip card from my deck. Trickster Armament-Ebony and Ivory is my choice, giving him five hundred more points and a second attack!"

Dante slid a black pistol and a white pistol out of holsters at his waist and spun them on his fingertips, and then leveled them at Tobias. "With twenty-eight hundred attack points I could defeat your tyrant; however I have a different intent in mind. You see I can reduce Dante's attack by one thousand to let him attack directly."

When Tobias didn't flinch Harrison simply smirked and continued. "However, if I choose to reduce Dante's attack by two thousand he can attack directly without chain! So now, Trickster attacks you directly!"

Tobias' eyes went as wide as they could go as Dante's attack dropped to eight hundred and then he jumped straight up and over Tyrant King and pounded him with gunfire. "I hope that felt good, because here he comes again!"

Dante did a half-turn in mid-air and landed behind Tobias, where he promptly unloaded another barrage of bullets into Tobias' back. Tobias dropped this knees and then shot a glare Dante's way, but the devil hunter had already leapt back to Harrison's field. "I'll get you for that…" (TLP: 5600)

"I sincerely doubt it. Now, I end my turn." Tobias chuckled as he drew, even as Dante's attack power returned to normal.

"Leaving yourself completely defenseless? What a foolish move, let me show you why! I activate Bonds of Brothers, which lets me special summon two level four or lower monsters from my deck to the field at a cost of one thousand monsters, as long as they are the same sub-type as a monster on my field." He smirked confidently as his life points trickled downwards. (TLP: 4600)

A haughty man in white armor with swords strapped to his arms appeared to Tyrant King's right, and then a beautiful woman in a revealing purple gown with a crown on her head appeared to the king's left. "I summon Tyrant Queen (1400/1400) and Prince of Blades (2500/0), and they both gain dark power!"

Even as their power increased the two face down cards on Tobias' field were shaking violently. Suddenly they blew apart completely. "Tyrant King can let me sacrifice cards on my field to fulfill conditions for card effects. So I sacrifice one to meet the queen's special summon cost, and the second to bypass needing Prince of Shields in play to increase Prince of Blade's attack by twenty-five hundred!"

Harrison frowned as the white armored prince's attack suddenly roared upwards to a massive fifty-five hundred. "Prince of Blades, while in attack mode, prevents all attack mode monsters on my field from being destroyed in battle. Also, while Tyrant King and Tyrant Queen are in play together they each gain one thousand attack points."

Harrison's frown deepened as now all three of Tobias' monsters surpassed the strength of Dante the Trickster. "Tyrant Queen, attack and destroy Dante!"

She held up her scepter and a blast of purple light shot out of it. At the last moment Dante stepped to the side, letting the beam fly past Harrison and strike the trees. Harrison smirked as he slid a card into his cemetery. "I can negate an attack on Dante the Trickster by discarding a card from my hand."

Tobias snarled and held up his right arm, thrusting it towards Dante. "That's fine; I'll force you into top-decking again! Prince of Blades and Tyrant King, attack Dante!"

Again Dante dodged the attacks by a hairs breadth, and Harrison calmly discarded the last two cards in his hand. "So you have forced me into top-decking, are you proud of yourself?"

"Absolutely, especially since Tyrant Queen and Tyrant King can once per turn each sacrifice a monster to deal the opponent one thousand damage. So I'll set two cards face down, and then using Tyrant King's effect I'll tribute both to substitute for their effects!" Harrison winced as twin fireballs slammed into him, burning away another hunk of his life points. (HLP: 500)

Tobias smirked as he slid one of his last two cards into his deck. "I'll just set this to protect myself. And now that you're top-decking I can easily crush you. All I need to do is only give you one thousand points next turn, and then during my turn I just sacrifice two cards and finish you off!"

Harrison drew and both he and Tobias were engulfed by the blue restorative light of Tyrant King. "Your monster is strange…but effective. It's a pity that you have this Seal of Orichalcos, or this duel would have given you a chance to become stronger, instead of ending you completely." (HLP: 1500) (TLP: 6600)

"You say that so confidently, even though I have the field advantage, life point advantage, and you still have to pay the cost for Tyrant King. Not to mention that Tyrant Queen has the exact same upkeep. What will you do?" Harrison responded by reaching for his deck and counting the edges of the cards until he had five, and then he drew them all.

"For Tyrant Queen I will discard the top five cards of my deck. And for Tyrant King I will take one thousand points of damage. That seems fair and balanced to me." Tobias blinked, feeling worried and yet also confused as to how his opponent was so calm even in the face of his deadly combinations. (HLP: 500)

Suddenly Harrison's eyes narrowed and the single card in his hand started to shine brightly. "For opposing the Dark Kaiser with tyrants, I will unseat them and yourself from this throne of souls you have created with the Seal of Orichalcos! Prepare yourself Tobias Emerlo, because the revolution begins and ends this turn!"

Tobias gulped and stepped backwards, but quickly recovered himself. "You can't do a thing to stop me! It's impossible at this point to defeat me before I defeat you!"

Harrison smirked and slowly flipped around the shining card he was holding. "Impossible? No. Nothing is impossible when I'm involved."

Without warning Dante's body was engulfed in pure light and Tobias held up an arm in front of his eyes to block it out. "What in the world is going on?"

"This is the light of heaven which pierces the darkness of your seal! This is Dante's Paradisio! For this turn Dante's attack power is doubled, though he loses the ability to destroy monsters in battle. Of course…that's not the idea, now is it?" Tobias began to stagger backwards until he hit the edge of the seal which prevented him from going any further. Quickly Dante's attack points settled at fifty-six hundred.

"By reducing Dante's attack by two thousand he can now attack directly without chain, and thanks to Ebony and Ivory he has two attacks this turn, each direct, and each of thirty-six hundred points! This is your end Tobias, forever! The revolution will crash this throne of souls down upon your head!" Dante vanished and reappeared right in front of Tobias.

The boy genius slid to his butt and stared up at Dante, who was holding the twin pistols aimed right at his face like an executioner. "No…please have mercy Kaiser! Please…have mercy!"

Harrison stared at Tobias' weakened and pathetic form, and then nodded to Dante. "There is no mercy for scum such as yourself, there is only justice. Dante, end him."

Two shots rang out, and Tobias slumped down as the seal closed in around him, pulling his soul into it. Harrison walked towards Tobias' fallen body and reached down, picking up the Seal of Orichalcos which now carried the boy's image. "This will be given to the authorities, and the souls you trapped will be released. You made your last mistake Emerlo, and for it you suffered at the hands of an avenger. Justice was dealt here, at the hands of the king."

He turned and walked away, heading to get someone to clean up the mess. What he left behind was Saint walking out of the trees followed by Pride, each of them watching the Dark Kaiser as he walked away. Saint smiled and rubbed his hands together. "So…the Dark Kaiser is Justice. That I never would have expected. What do you think Pride?"

Pride smirked and slid his hands into his pockets. "I think that if you had discovered him before me, he would be Pride. That's what I believe."

Saint continued to smile as he watched the young man. "Oh? Does that mean you would like to see which of you is more deserving of the title Pride?"

"Yeah…that's exactly what I want, but not yet. I want to see what he can really do before I face him. None of them are worthy of facing me in battle yet, not even him." Saint smiled and looked down at Tobias' limp form.

He knelt down and brushed the young boy's hair from his eyes, still smiling. "You my young misguided fellow could have been Greed if I had met you at the right time. Truly a pity that your sin was also your undoing. But yet I'm glad I pointed you in the direction of the Seal of Orichalcos, or I never would have seen Justice at work."

He looked away from Tobias and in the direction that Harrison had gone, even though the Dark Kaiser was no longer visible. "Before this year is over you will take your place at my side as Justice. You will belong to me as one of my Seven Virtues…just like Mizuki…and just like Sanzo."

Saint continued to smile pleasantly as he watched the trees in the forest quake in the wind. "Yes…I wonder who will be next to join the ranks of the Seven Virtues. Who will be the next target? That's something I'm eager to discover."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Seal of Orichalcos, bet nobody was expecting that. Don't worry, only time it will ever appear in this story.

_Next Time: Although Vlad attempted to hide it, Beatrix uncovers a secret target marked by Vlad and his superior. Eager to uncover this duelist's power he sets one of his duelists on the target. This action attracts Mizuki's attention, and she discovers with great surprise the nature of this strange target._

_See it all in, Beatrix's Surprise; Eyes that See!_


	41. Beatrix's Surprise Eyes that See!

Author's Note: And now for the introduction of a brand new character.

**Chapter Forty-One: Beatrix's Surprise; Eyes that See**

Mizuki yawned and placed her head down on her desk, feeling even more tired than she had the past several days. _'It isn't like I'm being overworked it's just…I feel like I no longer have any energy…'_

From a few rows down in the Ra Yellow section Shiro looked up at Mizuki and frowned. _'She's been like that for way too long. I'm worried about her, but I'm not sure if I should bring it up. Why is she so tired all the time?'_

He sent a serious look down a handful of rows to Kane in the Osiris Red section, and then motioned up to Mizuki. His former roommate looked up at the girl, and then shrugged. _'Well Kane was no help…'_

Suddenly the lights in the room flickered, and immediately Shiro looked up to Mizuki again. Just as he had thought she was twitching in her sleep. _'This is just like when she was furious at Tobias last year…so how is her power leaking out now? What is it about her that does this?'_

It felt strange that he was being serious, but as bad as Mizuki had seemed over the past week or so he couldn't help but be worried. That coupled with some of the recent events, such as Aya's leaving the academy and the revelation that Greed was a horrifyingly powerful duelist didn't help. _'Everything just seems so negative these days…'_

As soon as the lights in the room dimmed down the door to the classroom swung open, and the frustrated professor turned to it. He was greeted by Greed and Envy walking into the room, followed by Saint who smiled cheerfully at him. "I apologize for my intrusion professor, but I wish to have a moment with a few of the students in this class. Tantei informed me this would be allowed, giving me a chance to interview students."

The professor frowned, and then nodded his acceptance since there was little he could do about. "Very well. Class, give Mr. Beatrix your full cooperation please."

As the professor retreated to the blackboard, Saint's gaze roamed across the room, causing all of the students to sit up straighter. All except for Mizuki, who was still asleep. _'How very interesting…she shines the brightest in the room, however just as I suspected, there are others.'_

His gaze settled on an Obelisk Blue in the row behind Mizuki's and just a few seats to the side. _'Just as I suspected…I could see it in Vlad's eyes when he told me about those on the island that he was withholding information. And Shadow himself informed me that there was one other target he was interested in…but failed to tell me which one.'_

As his smile grew Shiro felt himself grow uneasy, and he saw the lights flicker again. Saint lifted his right arm and pointed into the top rows amongst the Blues. "Young lady, please come here so that I might speak with you."

The girl in question stood up, and Shiro looked to see if he knew the chosen person. She was of average height, less than six feet tall, and had surprisingly dark crimson hair that she kept up in a bun. Yet the most surprising feature that Shiro noticed was her eyes. _'Wow…I've never seen eyes that shade of purple. Heck, I don't think I've ever seen someone with purple eyes before.'_

He watched her as she walked down the isle, admiring the way she moved and her in general. _'Ah, I love school uniforms and cute Japanese girls. Really, girls from other countries are nice, but they just can't compare. The best kind is the homegrown kind after all….'_

Saint met the girl at the bottom of the stairs, Greed and Envy standing a few feet behind him. Smiling kindly he extended his hand to help her down the last set of stairs. "It is a pleasure to meet you Miss. Might I ask your name?"

The purple eyed girl smiled in return, looking somewhat nervous as she offered the influential business man a bow. "I am Kaoru Tsukada, a pleasure to meet you as well Mr. Beatrix."

He held up her hand and kissed the back of it, smiling warmly up at her with his blue eyes shimmering. "Ah, please call me Saint my dear Miss Kaoru."

Kaoru flushed as Saint unbent and released her hand, and then pulled out a chair from behind the professor's desk and offered it to her. "Thank you Mr. Saint."

She sat in the chair and he took a step backwards and crouched so that he was level with her. "Please, as I said, just Saint. I was wondering if I might ask you a few questions."

The Obelisk Blue girl scrunched up her nose, and then nodded after a brief moment of thought. She felt oddly nervous, but supposed it was just because he was an important and influential man. "Certainly, it'd be my pleasure to answer."

Up in the seats Shiro kicked back and swung his feet up, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Sheesh, gotta wait through the boring stuff until he realizes that the exciting and awesome duelist Shiro Akugi is right up here waiting for an interview."

"Now Miss Kaoru, I was wonder if perhaps you could tell me…from where did you inherit those beautiful eyes of yours?" Kaoru blinked rapidly, caught off guard by the question. She had been expecting something about her dueling and time at the academy, not her eyes.

"Umm…well I don't really know, nobody else in family has ever had them. I understand that it's unusual to meet someone with eyes my color, so I consider myself lucky. But also…unlucky." Saint respond by smiling even wider at her, his teeth glinting in the light as he held out his hand to her.

"Unlucky because you are different. That is the way of this world, where those who are different are closed off from those around them, even if they are exceptional such as you are. No, especially if they are exceptional. That is what my eyes see of you Miss Kaoru, a girl of exceptional ability, with exceptional eyes like I have never seen." Kaoru blushed again and placed her hand in his, allowing him to bring her to her feet.

Saint swept an arm across the room, taking in each and every one of the students. "This school is a place where the exceptional can gather, and here I have met many exception people. But you my dear Miss Kaoru, are quite possibly the most exceptional I have ever encountered. This is why I have a special offer for you."

Hearing his words Shiro leaned forwards, finally interested. "A special offer? Is he gonna let her become one of his sponsored duelists?"

"Fellow students, today I am going to let you witness a very interesting event. Today I am offering Miss Kaoru Tsukada a rare chance. A chance to duel someone from the pro league, and should she perform exceptionally as I suspect she will, I will offer her a chance to become a sponsored duelist under the Saint Corporation, accepted as soon as she graduates next year. What do you say dear Miss Kaoru?" Kaoru blushed, but her eyes focused in on him, and she nodded.

"I accept. I'd love the challenge of facing a pro league duelist, and the chance at a guaranteed future with the Saint Corporation is something I can't pass up." Saint laughed and clapped his hands together, looking incredibly pleased with the way things were going.

"Well then, allow me to introduce you to Mister Holden Matthews, a pro league duelist who is also hoping to gain my sponsorship so that he might begin entering higher stakes competitions." A man wearing a dull brown overcoat, blue jeans, and a plain white shirt walked into the room, a DD3 strapped to his right arm.

"So Saint, this is the one you want me to duel huh? Alright, I'm ready for whatever comes at me." He triggered his duel disk, and slipped his deck into it. Quickly the holographic lights came up, displaying his life points. (HLP: 4000)

Kaoru started to go for her seat where her duel disk and deck were, but to her surprise Envy and Greed were already walking down from the stands with them. She bowed and accepted them gratefully. "Thank you." (KLP: 4000)

Mizuki yawned and sat up, rubbing the top of her head where it felt like she had just been hit. She glanced down at the desk in front of her and saw a crumpled up piece of paper. Stifling another yawn she uncurled it and read the contents. _'Mizuki, wake up, some Obelisk Blue girl is about to duel a pro league guy for sponsorship by Mr. Aryan. With love, Shiro. P.S. You want a massage? You look tense, and I've heard I have skillful hands.'_

She looked down at Shiro who winked up at her, causing her right eye to twitch. She grabbed the note, scrawled hastily on it, and then proceeded to peg him right in the forehead. _'That'll teach him. Now, on to watching that duel.'_

Shiro frowned, rubbed his forehead, and then opened up the note. _'Dear Shiro, take a cold shower. In the ocean even. Sincerely, Mizuki.'_

He sighed and stuck his chin in his palms, feeling instantly depressed. _'I get no respect, no respect at all….'_

Holden drew from his deck and held up one of his hand cards. "I activate the magic card Constant Repayment, which activates during our standby phases after we've discard cards for a payment. We each get to pick up half the total cards discarded rounded up."

Kaoru nodded, not really worried about that effect. At least until he slid another card he was holding into the graveyard. "I discard a card from my hand to special summon The Tricky (2000/1700) from my hand to the field!"

A spellcaster in all white with a question mark on its blank face appeared, its arms spread out wide toe ach side. "Next I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn!"

The crimson haired girl drew and fanned out her hand of cards. She focused her eyes on her opponent's, and kept her face completely still as she watched him. _'He's so intense about this, so he's obviously eager to win this duel. But his focus this turn seemed to be on Constant Repayment rather than The Tricky. So he's got something up his sleeve.'_

She glanced down at her hand of cards and stopped herself from frowning. _'No monsters whatsoever…I'll have to improvise.'_

"Alright Holden, I start this duel off by making a prediction! I activate the magic card Vision, which lets me show you the top card of my deck. Afterwards it is shuffled back into my deck, and should it be summoned or played you take one thousand damage." She reached for her deck and drew, then held up the drawn card.

"My top card is Arcana Force IVThe Emperor (2100/2100)! Now I shuffle him back into my deck." She quickly reshuffled, unaware of the complete look of shock on Mizuki's face.

_'Arcana Force…that's a Tarot Deck! When Industrial Illusions began releasing Rune Cards, it was described as 'The second revolution in Duel Monsters fortune telling'. The Tarot Deck is the deck that proceeded my own, its predecessor! And this girl plays it? The Tarot Deck is very difficult to play…so if she's a blue using it…then she's obviously very good!'_

Without wasting another moment Kaoru tucked two cards from her hand into her disk. "End turn."

Holden drew and his graveyard churned, giving him a card from his cemetery. He smirked and held it up. "At this time the effect of Lost Treasure of Atlantis activates. When it returns from my field or graveyard to my hand I can discard it to draw one card and gain five hundred life points!" (HLP: 4500)

Kaoru's purple eyes widened as she realized exactly what that meant. _'Since he discarded it for its own cost next turn he can pick it up with Constant Repayment and then repeat that infinitely for life points and extra draws. Brilliant!'_

Envy's eyes flashed green momentarily as she watched Holden draw for the effect of his card. "What a nice combo…it makes me jealous that some people can create combos like that one."

Greed just folded his arms over his chest and snorted with disgust. "Don't talk like that; this guy's combo is pathetic compared to what my deck can do. You should know that."

Holden now pointed to his face down monster and suddenly a woman with long purple hair and holding a crescent staff jumped out. "Meet Magician of Faith (300/300) a mystical magician who when flipped lets me add a magic card from my grave to my hand!"

He laughed as he held up Lost Treasure of Atlantis and then discarded it again, drawing a card to replace it and gaining more life points. "If you think you've got a handle on my strategy, wait till I show you what else I can do." (HLP: 5000)

With a smirk he pointed with one of his five hand cards at his magician. "Using the magical power of Book of Moon I return Magician of Faith to a face down position. And now, The Tricky attacks you directly!"

Kaoru motioned to her set card which promptly flipped up. "Unexpected Fate negates one opposing attack and lets me add an Arcana Force monster from my deck to my hand!"

Holden shrugged and placed one of his other cards into his duel disk. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

She drew and Mizuki felt something within her flicker, and just as it did all the lights in the room flickered as well. _'There's something about her…I can't tell what, but it just resonates within me.'_

Saint placed himself in the professor's chair and smiled as he crossed one leg over the other to get comfortable for watching the duel. _'Ah yes, just as I suspected Miss Kaoru is burning bright with power. But even I couldn't have guessed that she would have this level of ability. Her strength is nearly equally to…'_

His thought trailed off as Kaoru looked across her opponent's field and suddenly the bright light he saw around he flared up. _'That set card, he doesn't care about it from what I can tell. He's still focused on Constant Repayment, so I'll have to break that now.'_

Kaoru carefully took her newly drawn card and placed it onto her duel disk. "I summon Arcana Force IThe Magician (1100/1100)! And now…to determine your destiny you must choose."

A strange gaunt grey-skinned creature with large bulbous eyes and spiked armor plates on its shoulders appeared. Then above it an image of its card formed and started spinning slowly. Holden raised an eyebrow as he watched the card. "What the heck is it doing? And what do you mean, choose?"

"Its simple, you tell it when to stop spinning and The Magician gains an effect based on whether it is upright or reversed when it stops. At least that's how it works in game, but card text it's technically a coin flip. Which is why I can activate this set card!" Her face down card revealed itself as a trap showing two hands, each one with a coin poised to flip.

"My continuous trap card is called Twin Toss, and its effect activates whenever a coin is flipped. At that time an additional coin is flipped, and it can also apply for the effect. So my chances of success have just gone from fifty percent to seventy-five percent!" Holden frowned as a second card appeared next to the first and also started spinning with it.

The pro league duelist held out one hand and made his declaration. "Stop! Let's put an end to this stupid magic fest and get to the real duel."

Each card stopped, one showing itself as upright and the other reversed and upside down. Kaoru smiled slightly as both cards shattered and her monster started glowing. "I choose to use the upright result, so now during a turn where a magic card is activated The Magician's attack doubles!"

"I activate my magic card Disenchant! This card lets me select a magic and trap card on your field, and should it be face down it is revealed. At this time I can choose to destroy it or not. I choose to destroy your Constant Repayment!" Holden grimaced as his continuous magic card blew apart completely.

As soon as it resolved The Magician's attack pumped up, rising to twenty-two hundred so that it outmatched The Tricky. "The Magician attacks The Tricky!"

The Magician gathered bright green light into its palms and then hurled it at The Tricky. The question faced magician was struck by the blast and a hole was punched into its chest. "Dang it…" (HLP: 4800)

Shaking it off Holden motioned to his face down card. "Gathering of Forces activates when a level five or higher monster on my field is destroyed! I can instantly return up to three cards from my cemetery to my hand, and even play them this turn at a cost of seven hundred life points."

He reached for his cemetery and pulled out three cards, holding them all up. "I've chosen Constant Repayment, Lost Treasure of Atlantis, and Book of Moon. At this time I pay seven hundred life points to activate Constant Repayment!" (HLP: 4100)

With a cocky laugh he tucked one of the taken three cards into his graveyard. "And of course since its part of its own effect I don't need to pay life points, so I just discard Lost Treasure of Atlantis to draw one card and gain five hundred life points." (HLP: 4600)

Kaoru looked at the last three cards in her hand and then folded them together into a single bunch. "I end my turn."

Mizuki leaned forward, chin in her palms as she watched the duel with avid fascination. _'I've only ever met one person who used the Tarot Deck effectively. And that was…'_

Holden drew and his graveyard spat out a card. "I discard my newly returned Lost Treasure of Atlantis and activate its effect!" (HLP: 5100)

Still smirking his face down monster reappeared as the Magician of Faith. "Thanks to her effect I return Lost Treasure of Atlantis to my hand and activate its effect yet again, giving me eight cards in hand!" (HLP: 5600)

As soon as he had drawn his newest card he held up the last of his recovered cards. "I play Book of Moon to return Magician of Faith to a face down position, to give me more recovery power."

Kaoru watched Holden very carefully as Holden seemed to be building up steam. _'He's just doing all of this to thin his deck, that's his real goal…I can feel it. So what is he up to really?'_

In the middle row of the stands Shiro rolled his eyes and once more kicked back to relax. _'Sheesh, this guy has absolutely no strategy from what I can see. He's just doing the same thing again and again. And this girl, she's pretty cute, but her strategy is way too luck based for me.'_

Mizuki bit her bottom lip as she looked down at Holden. _'Based on the moves he's made so far his intent is most likely to thin his deck. I would guess that he's searching for something so…in that case his strategy is…'_

He chuckled and place one card onto his duel disk and then another in behind it. "I set a monster and one card face down. End turn."

Kaoru drew and frowned at the sight of the card she had drawn. _'Well this will help, but it sure does make things weird.'_

She looked up from her cards and then her eyes widened as if she had been sucker punched. _'He's really excited about something…and it's not the cards on his field. What in the world is he trying to accomplish?'_

With a focused look in her eyes she held up one of her cards and a copy of it appeared on the field and started spinning. Then a second one also joined it. "Suit of Pentacles IV if upright gives me control of one monster on your field for the turn, and if tails gives you one of my monsters for the turn."

The Magician's attack power rose to twenty-two hundred as her magic card came into effect. Holden grimaced and finally stomped hard on the ground. "Stop the spin already!"

The first spinning one stopped upside down and Holden felt excitement surge through his body. However, when the second one ended up upright his excitement drained away instantly. "Damn…"

His face down monster that Kaoru knew wasn't Magician of Faith slid over to her. Then she picked it up off her duel disk and placed another card down in place of it. "I sacrifice your monster to summon Arcana Force IVThe Emperor (2100/2100)!"

Holden grimaced as he was engulfed by dark energy and drained of life points. "I should have realized that The Emperor was the card you searched for with the effect of Unexpected Fate. So now I take a thousand damage from Vision's effect." (HLP: 4600)

A purple skinned bulbous creature with three arms and a crown-shaped head formed on Kaoru's field, and immediately two images of its card started spinning above it. "This time I don't care, stop now!"

Kaoru smirked calmly as the first result was upright, instantly giving her monster the effect she wanted. "Since its upright, The Emperor now can negate all trap cards on the opponent's field as long as it's in play!"

The pro league duelist frowned as he glanced at his set card, while Saint and Mizuki watched with great interest, excitement in their eyes. "Now, let's find out what monster you were hiding, shall we?"

She tilted the card she had picked up so that it was facing her, and her eyes widened at the sight. "Sangan (1000/600), so since it went to the cemetery I can now search for a monster from my deck with fifteen hundred or fewer attack points."

The Emperor raised his middle arm and fired off a beam of purple light at the face down monster, blowing away Magician of Faith with ease. "And now you get to recover a magic card of course."

Holden scowled as he picked up and then discarded Lost Treasure of Atlantis. "This duel is far from over little girl." (HLP: 5100)

Kaoru shrugged and held up her left arm extended towards him. "That's just fine with me, because now The Magician attacks you directly!"

The pro duelist gritted his teeth as the green ball of light hit him directly in the chest, shoving him a few feet backwards. "That's just meager damage; I'll recover from it quickly." (HLP: 2900)

The Obelisk Blue girl nodded and took her card drawn during this turn and placed it next to her continuous trap card. "I end my turn with that, reducing The Magician's attack to its original level once again."

Holden drew and Kaoru again flinched as if burned by the way Holden was looking at his hand. "Constant Repayment returns Lost Treasure of Atlantis to me and I discard it to draw and gain life points." (HLP: 3400)

Smirking he flipped around one of the two cards he had gained this turn. "I activate Foolish Burial, sending a monster from my deck to my graveyard."

Swiftly he found his chosen monster and placed it into his grave, looking surprisingly confident. Saint folded his arms across his chest and smiled in what seemed like amusement. _'The farther he goes the brighter she becomes…she's much stronger than I could ever have guessed. And such magnificent eyes.'_

With a laugh he discarded a card from his hand to the grave as he showed Kaoru a magic card that showed a fancy ankh. "Monster Reincarnation lets me discard a card to pick up a monster from my graveyard."

Just as quickly as he had gotten rid of it he placed the monster into his hand. He looked up carefully at The Magician which was currently showing at twenty-two hundred attack points since he had played a magic card. "I play Monster Reborn now, calling back Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode."

Taking a deep breath to relax himself he gave her a brief nod, indicating that he was finished as it was. Kaoru frowned as she reached for her deck to start her turn, feeling a great deal of confidence…but not from herself. _'He didn't even bother to set another monster, and I'm certain he has more. Which means…he wants me to kill Sangan and that he doesn't need to worry after I do so. But what does that mean?'_

Mizuki watched intently as Kaoru looked over her in hand cards. _'If it was me down there running that Tarot Deck, then I know exactly what monster I would have searched for using Sangan. But has this Kaoru figured out what I have?'_

Kaoru slapped down the monster she had searched for, a vaguely female creature with a bulbous black skull and huge pink eyes appeared, its body shrouded by a red robe. "Meet Arcana Force IIHigh Priestess (1400/1400)!"

It began to spin, a duplicate of it moving at the same time. Suddenly her face down card from the previous turn revealed itself. "This is the ultimate infinite destiny determining combo of this deck. Reveal continuous trap card, Twin Toss!"

Holden shrugged, even while Saint and Mizuki gasped, each of them understanding what the pro duelist didn't. "So, now that just means you've got a bigger chance of success with three spins rather than just two."

"Not exactly. You see, Twin Toss flips an additional coin whenever a coin is flipped. Which means first I flip a coin for High Priestess, then each Twin Toss flips a coin for it. After that one Twin Toss flips a coin because the other did, and so on. Essentially it gives me an infinite number of coin flips to determine the outcome!" The pro duelist gasped as her monster's eyes started glowing and huge versions of his cards appeared on the field.

"With her upright effect High Priestess lets me view all face down cards on your field as long as she's in play, or all cards in your hand. So let's see what you're so excited about in that hand of yours!" He grimaced as the holographic versions flipped around one by one.

Kaoru's eyes widened and Mizuki nodded knowingly at the sight of those cards. "Negate Attack, Card Destruction, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Exodia the Forbidden One, and Left Arm of the Forbidden One. Meaning you're just one piece away from instant victory."

Everyone except for the few duelists who had figured it out gasped at the sight of the duelist running an Exodia strategy, despite his first turn being deceptive that he was running a spellcaster deck. "So you figure it out, but even if you don't attack this turn next turn I can just suicide Sangan into one of your monsters for the win."

"We'll see about that. I set one card face down and end my turn." Holden rolled his eyes and drew, then picked up Lost Treasure of Atlantis from his graveyard and promptly discarded it. (HLP: 3900)

"Not that it matters, because this is the end! Sangan attacks High Priestess!" He laughed as his monster plowed straight into a beam of pink energy fired from the monster's eyes. It struck the Sangan and shattered it. (HLP: 3500)

"And now I get to add the last piece of Exodia to my hand!" His deck began to churn, but all of a sudden Kaoru's set card flipped up.

"Not so fast, my trap card is the first to activate! Victimization of False Destiny lets me name up to five cards in your deck and remove them from play, although for each one I remove I have to discard the top two cards of my deck. So I choose Right Leg of Exodia, Pact with Exodia, and Exodia Necros!" Holden gulped and placed the three named cards into his back pocket while Kaoru discarded six cards off her deck.

He grimaced and held up one of his cards. "I play Card Destruction, so I'll discard my seven and draw seven more."

Thanks to the effect of High Priestess each of them was visible for all to see. "Constant Repayment, Graceful Charity, Painful Choice, Giant Germ, The Tricky, The Imagination, and Hyena."

"I discard Painful Choice and special summon The Tricky (2000/1700) in defense mode. Then I summon Giant Germ (1000/100) in defense mode. End turn!" Kaoru snapped a card off the top of her deck, narrowing her eyes as she did so.

Kaoru looked down at her drawn card, and then burst out laughing. Saint's eyes widened as to his eyes she began to glow brighter than ever. "Looks like I've drawn the card that will win me the duel right now!"

Mizuki leaned forward, biting her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. _'She added the monster from before that I would have, so if she's saying what she is now, then the card she's drawn is Suit of Swords X! It has to be!'_

Kaoru flipped the card up and Holden's eyes widened. Mizuki jumped to her feet in excitement as the card started burning brightly. "I activate the magic card Suit of Swords X, which when it goes upright destroys all monsters on the opponent's field! And since I have infinite chances, both your monsters are gone!"

Even Greed looked impressed as both of Holden's monsters were blasted into oblivion, opening the path for all three of Kaoru's monsters to attack. "Thanks for the interesting duel Holden, but this is the end for you! The Magician and The Emperor attack you directly!"

Twin blasts, one purple and one green, struck Holden head on, one in each shoulder, and tossed him a few feet backwards. He landed on his butt and grunted as he dropped the cards he was holding. "No way…I lost to a second year academy student…" (HLP: 0)

The holograms shut down and Kaoru stretched her arms above her head, smiling and looking happy. "That was a really interesting duel, I'm glad I had it. But if you hadn't been as nervous as you were you would have used Graceful Charity and Painful Choice, and maybe come up with some way to defend yourself."

Saint stood up and clapped, followed quickly by all the students in the room. Holden rubbed his sore butt and looked over at the teenager. "You could tell I was nervous? I thought I was hiding it perfectly."

Saint smiled as the virtual glow around Kaoru faded from his vision, and he approached and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ah, but Miss Kaoru has exceptional eyes, she's very good at seeing things such as that. Isn't that correct Miss Kaoru?"

Mizuki stared down at Kaoru, and then fanned out the deck she was holding, revealing all of her rune cards. _'The Tarot Deck…a deck that preceded my own. The deck that my father used…'_

She couldn't explain why she suddenly felt revitalized looking down at that girl who used the same hard to use deck that her father had played while he was still alive. The deck which had earned him his initial fame as a professional duelist. _'Something about that girl and her deck brings back my energy…and I want to duel her.'_

Kaoru looked up at Saint who was smiling down at her, and thought about the words he had spoken. _'He knows…so let's find out what he's really like beneath that smile.'_

She tapped into the power that was hidden within her and suddenly a huge ten foot tall version of Saint was standing in front of her. Then he split apart into dozens of equally sized versions of himself and circled her. All of them were smiling. "You're looking in the wrong place Miss Kaoru. It isn't polite to try peeking into my heart of hearts."

She shivered as they all smiled at her, making her feel absolutely tiny. "How…how can I not feel what's in your heart?"

All of their smiles broadened in response to her question. "Because you are not the only exceptional one here Miss Kaoru. Those exceptional eyes of yours can't see what's not there to see, can they?"

Shuddering she drew back her power, causing the dozens of ten foot tall Saints to reform into the single normal sized one that was standing in front of her. "Saint…"

He gave her a brief bow and then began to walk towards the door, the two Sins following him. "It was a pleasure seeing you duel Miss Kaoru. I'll take my leave for the moment, but I'm sure we'll continue to be acquaintances. I'd like to see more of those exceptional eyes of yours in the future."

Kaoru shivered once more after Saint left the room, and then she turned around. Somehow she found herself looking up directly at Mizuki, and their eyes met for the first time. She felt a pulse between both of them, and she couldn't stop her next thoughts. _'Mizuki Mitsuhiro…somehow, you're like me aren't you?'_

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Author's Note: Okay, for those of you who have questions, go to my profile and click on the forum thing. I now have a forum for Rising Star to Heaven, so feel free to leave questions there and I'll get back to you.

_Next Time: Having successfully defeated Beatrix's chosen duelist, Kaoru and Mizuki begin to talk. But before the two can go far in learning about each other the third Sin appears. Still under Beatrix's command not to attack Mizuki, Gluttony targets Kaoru and the newly ranked Obelisk Blue may not be up to the task._

_See it all in, Devoured Alive!_


	42. Devoured Alive!

Author's Note: And now for the power of Gluttony to be revealed.

**Chapter Forty-Two: Devoured Alive!**

Mizuki placed her legs neatly beneath her and sat down, placing her hands on her knees and offering a bow respectable enough for an equal. On the other side Kaoru did the same.

They came up from their bows and their eyes met, perpetuating the silence between them. Though each had vaguely admitted to feeling some strange connection to the other they were still strangers.

"Okay, one of you two has to say something or this will be a whole lot of boring." Both girls jumped up from where they were sitting and screamed in surprise. They looked around but only found a surprised and blinking Shiro standing just a few feet away.

"What in the world are you doing here Shiro? This was supposed to be a private conversation." The Ra Yellow teen raised one eyebrow as he looked at Mizuki, his hands casually shoved in his pockets.

"Nobody bothered to tell me that, so I just happened to show up. Or another way of saying it is that I followed you, but I prefer the first way." Kaoru scratched her cheek with a single finger, looking slightly confused at his sudden appearance, but after a few seconds of watching him she seemed to relax.

"He's just curious Mitsuhiro-san, that's all. He doesn't seem dangerous at all." Mizuki rolled her eyes and made a shooing gesture towards Shiro, who narrowed his eyes at her hands in response.

"I know he's not threatening, he's just annoying enough to be contagious. The worst part is that he prides himself on being a nuisance." Shiro smirked and did a full three-sixty spin, ending facing them again with his right thumb pointing towards his chest.

"That's exactly right! I am Shiro Akugi, the Prankster of Duelist Academy, and number one at surprising people and being an all around nuisance! All those who are too serious will fall victim to my ability to bring anti-climatic moments to tense situations! If ever there was an unwanted hero for a useless cause that is I!" Mizuki and Kaoru stared at him as he continued grinning like a maniac, his thumb still pointing at his chest.

Mizuki walked up to him until she was standing less than a foot away, and tilted her head up enough so that she was looking him in the eye. He looked down at her, still frozen in the same position. "You made all that stuff up on the spot didn't you?"

Shiro waggled his eyebrows comically, producing a snicker from Kaoru and an arched eyebrow from Mizuki. "It's because I'm just that good baby!"

She sighed and patted him on the shoulder like one would a child. "That's fine, but even though sometimes stress relief is a great thing, in this situation I just want to have a private conversation with someone. So please, could you not be here right now?"

With a dramatic sigh Shiro brought his hands up to his heart, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "I know when I am not wanted! So for now, the wounded Shiro Akugi, Prankster of Duelist Academy and number one at surprising people and being an all around nuisance shall depart! I bid thee farewell!"

Mizuki's eyes followed Shiro as he skipped away into the woods, whistling a merry tune. Kaoru stepped up next to her, also following his departure. "Is he really like that all the time?"

She shrugged in response. "He has his lucid moments, but sometimes I fear for his sanity. What I'm really worried about though is whether he's actually going to adopt that really long winded title for good."

Slowly the two set themselves down again just as they had before Shiro had appeared. Little did they know that Shiro was now sitting up in a tree at the edge of the woods, a little dish gun pointed in their direction as well as binoculars in the other hand. "Some may say that I spy because I'm obsessive and weird. I say that I spy because I have absolutely nothing better to do."

Mizuki rubbed her hands against her knees, and then spoke. "As much as he can be weird and a nuisance, Shiro really did help break the tension there. So I'm glad he showed up. He tends to show up when he's needed most, which is one of the things I like about him."

Up in the branches Shiro clenched his right fist and thrust it into the air, comical tears flowing from his eyes. "Shiro Akugi is loved!"

The Obelisk Blue girl then rolled her eyes and brushed some hair away from her ears. "But on the other hand he also has a tendency to be a complete idiot and show up whenever and wherever he's least needed and wanted. Because he's just that stupid."

Shiro nearly slipped out of the branches and only managed to catch himself in the nick of time. Sighing with despair he placed his head against the branch and pouted. "Shiro Akugi is unloved…"

Kaoru rubbed her left thumb against her bottom lip, a gesture that suggested to Mizuki that the other girl was thinking about something. "Even with my talents, I can't tell whether you like the guy or dislike him."

Mizuki shrugged dismissively. "It varies from moment to moment to be honest. But you just brought up what I wanted to talk about. Your talents…and your deck also. I could feel a connection while watching you duel, and you said you felt the same. What is your talent?"

The other girl opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of a twig breaking. They both jumped to their feet just as they had when Shiro appeared and looked for the source of the sound. "Who's there?"

"No need to be so jumpy girls, I'm not here to harm you. I merely wish to offer a proposition." Mizuki gulped as she looked up at the handsome and towering form of Saint Beatrix, dressed in a grey Italian business suit. Behind him was an emaciated looking fellow dressed in a loosely fitting grey uniform, the same that Envy and Greed had worn.

Kaoru moved to quickly bow, but was stopped when Saint held up a hand. "Please Miss Kaoru; I'd appreciate it if we cut past the pleasantries. I hope you'll see me as a friend and equal and not feel the need to bow. I dislike it when others bow to me."

The teenager blushed and jerked up from her semi-bow, clasping her hands behind her back and fiddling with her thumbs. "I apologize…Saint. It's a matter of Japanese tradition and honor; I didn't intend to offend you."

Saint smiled and placed a hand against his chest, looking down at her with kind bright blue eyes. "Ah, but I take no offense. I simply wish to feel that all that I interact with are my equals, and that they feel the same way. Please, I'd like to discuss something with you and Miss Mitsuhiro."

He stopped about five feet away and laughed suddenly. The sound was warm and reassuring, and Mizuki and Kaoru found their edginess slipping away. "How inconsiderate of me, I completely neglected to introduce my companion. Ladies, this is Kaneda Juin, whom you may call Gluttony if you'd like."

Gluttony offered them a bow, showing the sparse black curly hair that was at the top of his head, along with a small bald spot. "A pleasure to meet you both, I hope we become good friends."

Saint smiled again and motioned with one hand for the two girls to have a seat. They did so, and he followed suit, with Gluttony taking a seat behind him. As soon as they were seated Gluttony reached into his uniform blazer and pulled out some rice balls and began eating. "Now to business. You see, each of you possesses unique qualities that I like to see in my duelists."

Without thinking both girls nodded, accepting his words at face value. "I've seen each of you duel, and as you know earlier today I had Miss Kaoru duel a pro league duelist. But he was merely a mundane duelist, so I'd like to see how you match up against a unique duelist such as yourselves. Therefore…I'd like you to duel Gluttony here."

Kaoru gulped as she looked over at Gluttony, who was busy eating his fourth rice ball. "But Saint, he's one of the Seven Sins, a pro league duelist stronger than most. And even more than that, he's one of the strongest of the Seven Sins from what I've heard."

The duelist sponsor chuckled and looked over his shoulder at the still eating Gluttony. "He is skilled, that's true, but I believe that the combination of your skill and your unique talent should make up some of the difference. I'm not anticipating victory, just hoping to see what you're truly capable of."

Mizuki leaned forwards, her hands on her knees and her heart pounding in her chest from a mix of fear and confusion. "So what? You're setting her up in a duel you know she'll lose?"

"Come now, this duel has nothing to do with victory or defeat. It's simply a chance to showcase her abilities, that's all. In addition, I'm certain that Gluttony would appreciate that chance to stretch out his dueling muscles before his official match at this school." Behind him Gluttony grinned and popped an entire rice ball into his mouth, chewing it quickly. That made it his seventh so far.

Kaoru frowned and looked to her right at Mizuki. In response the other girl shrugged, and Kaoru sighed and stood up. "Alright Saint, I'll accept this duel. I'd personally like to see what one of the Seven Sins is capable of first hand."

Her duel disk unfolded and her life points lit up at the same time as Gluttony's faded orange duel disk flicked open. "Alright Kaoru, I'm going to show you the power of Gluttony now." (GLP: 4000) (KLP: 4000)

Back in his perch in the trees Shiro nearly leaned too far forwards, and once again almost fell out. "This is gonna be great, that Kaoru chick against Gluttony, one of the Seven Sins! Man, I bet the others are gonna be jealous that they missed this duel."

Gluttony drew for the start of his turn, and then held up one of his cards. "I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards as even a rookie duelist should know."

He slid two cards off his deck, and Kaoru's purple eyes focused on his. Saint smiled as he saw a bright light flare up around her in his mind's eye, and he could see that Mizuki was watching Kaoru carefully. _'That Rising Star…she can tell that Miss Kaoru has power as well. Excellent.'_

"When it is added to my hand outside of my draw phase Watapon (300/200) is special summoned to the field, in this case in defense mode!" A white ball of fluff with antennae formed on his field, blinking its big eyes up at Kaoru.

Gluttony smirked and popped another rice ball into his mouth before picking up Watapon and sliding it into his cemetery. "I offer up Watapon to summon Morbid Galvanizer (2000/2000), which when sacrifice forces each player to send one monster from their hand or deck to the cemetery."

A dark shape with a bat-like head formed in place of the white fluff ball, and each of the two duelists selected a card from their deck and placed it into the cemetery. Kaoru bid hers farewell. "I sent Arcana Force XII-The Hanged Man to the grave."

The pro duelist smirked as his cemetery slot churned and spat out a card which he picked up to show to Kaoru. "I sent to my cemetery the Outstanding Dog Marron (100/100) which when sent from my hand or deck to the grave by an effect is automatically shuffled back into my deck."

Saint smiled as he watched his pro duelist at work, shuffling his deck thoroughly in a manner of seconds. Kaoru could only frown after seeing that move. _'No idea what his deck type is, but I could sense it from him, that monster he used is critical to his strategy.'_

Slowly Gluttony placed one of the cards in his hand into his duel disk and laughed. "I guess I'll call it an end there, and leave you to take on Morbid Galvanizer in your turn."

Kaoru drew and immediately held up one of the other cards in her hand. "You made a mistake sending a monster to my grave, because now I activate Necro Sacrifice! This lets me special summon up to two monsters in my cemetery to your field in order to fulfill sacrifice costs."

Gluttony frowned as a card with an image of a strange green creature hanging off a tree appeared on his field rotating on and on. "What's this? Your Hanged Man?"

"That's right, I've special summoned The Hanged Man (2200/2200) to your field, and now it will rotate until I tell it to stop. The result determines what happens next, so let's see it stop!" Gluttony looked up at the creature as it continued to spin, until slowly it stopped in an upright position.

"And what's an upright position mean exactly?" Both Mizuki and Kaoru looked excited by this result, and Kaoru's purple eyes practically flashed with inner flames as she explained.

"When the result is heads, during this turn and once during each of your following turns you have to select one monster on your field and destroy it, dealing its attack as damage to your life points." Gluttony frowned even deeper as he realized that her monster had just become a massive drawback for him.

"That's fine, I'll just have it destroy itself and deal me its attack as damage. No harm, no foul." He smirked confidently and ate another rice ball while the face-up card exploded, sending fiery shrapnel raining down upon him. (GLP: 1800)

Kaoru fanned out her hand and selected one of the cards from it and placed it down on her disk. Like times before it appeared above her head, spinning in a circle. "Since its sacrifice cost was reduced, meet Arcana Force VIII-The Strength (1800/1800), so stop him!"

Gluttony shrugged and popped another rice ball in his mouth, chewing as he spoke. "Stop now."

The Strength finished upside down, and then it was summoned to the field. It was a large armored creature with grey skin and blues stripes all over its body. "The reversed effect gives you control of all monsters on my field except this one, but since its my only monster nothing happens."

Kaoru then held up another card, and an angel appeared in the sky above her. "Graceful Charity is as standard a card as you can get, so I won't explain the effect at all."

Gluttony smirked and pointed to his face down card. Kaoru and Mizuki gasped as a huge conveyor belt formed to his right, leading into what looked like a line of rapidly moving blades. "My continuous trap Meat Processor activates at this time. Whenever a monster enters your hand outside of your draw phase you must show it to me and then discard it."

The Obelisk Blue girl gulped as she flipped around each of her cards, showing that they were all monsters. "The World, High Priestess, and The Moon are all discarded now."

The pro duelist tapped the side of his head as her monsters were shoved through the grinder, tearing them to pieces. "That's not all. I'm sure you realize that Graceful Charity's effect still activates, meaning you have to discard two cards from your hand."

Mizuki bit her lower lip as Kaoru emptied her hand of all but one card, completely ruining any strategy she might have had formulated to combat the stronger Morbid Galvanizer. _'She's in trouble early on, Gluttony is no slouch!'_

Kaoru grimaced and placed the last card in her hand into her duel disk. "I'll end my turn there."

Gluttony gulped, finishing off his rice ball, and Kaoru gasped at what she saw in her mind's eye. _'It's like all of a sudden he's bursting with greater determination…I hadn't noticed it before, but the more he eats the more prepared and confident he seems.'_

The sin fanned out his five cards, and then eagerly looked to his face-up monster, which seemed to be sucking in a deep breath. "During my standby phase, if it was tribute summoned, Morbid Galvanizer forces each of us to send one monster from our hand or deck to the cemetery. I choose Outstanding Dog Marron (100/100) which automatically returns to my deck."

Up in his tree Shiro rubbed his chin in semi-deep thought. "So that monster of his is pretty critical. I guess that means this is a monster destruction deck, or maybe a discard deck. Either way, he hasn't lost any monsters while she's lost five. He's good."

After taking a quick look at his hand he placed one of the cards into it, showing a face-up magic card with two men looking away from each other, each one looking depressed. "Common Shame is a continuous magic card that activates when either player takes damage. Each player must then send one monster from their deck to their grave, and if they can't they take three hundred damage. This damage doesn't trigger its effect though."

Gluttony laughed darkly as he held up one of the cards in his hand. A pitch black frying pan appeared on his field and began to flip the ingredients inside of it up and down. "Hateful Wok is a quick-play magic card that lets me send a monster from my deck to the cemetery to deal you seven hundred damage. My choice is of course Outstanding Dog Marron."

Kaoru screamed as the wok flipped itself over and dumped its sizzling contents all over her, singing her skin. Steam rose off her body even as the ingredients faded away. "I get it, so not only can you use effects like that endlessly without actually losing monsters, but you get to shuffle your deck over and over again to prevent clogging." (KLP: 3300)

"You've guessed correctly, but that's just one aspect of my strategy. Now since you took damage we each have to select a monster in our deck and send it to the grave thanks to Common Shame. You already know my choice, so make yours." Kaoru dumped a monster into her cemetery after carefully choosing and watched as Gluttony shuffled his monster into his deck.

Without pausing Gluttony showed her his next magic card to play, which depicted a man shoveling dirt over three body bags in shallow holes. "Bury the Dead lets me choose three monsters from my deck and send them to the cemetery. I choose all three Outstanding Dog Marrons in my deck. Which shuffles them back in."

She felt him building up towards something, but even though she knew he was making preparations she couldn't figure out what for. "I don't understand what you're doing. Why send monsters to the cemetery just to have them come back to you?"

In response to her question he flipped around one of the other cards in his hand. "Obligatory Summon activates at this time, which lets me select one monster on your field. Then it forces you to special summon as many monsters of the same sub-type from your deck as you can."

Kaoru narrowed her eyes, feeling that he was hiding something. "You're not telling me something about Obligatory Summon. What else does it do?"

The sin shrugged and bit off half a rice ball. "You're really clever I guess. All summon effects of monsters summoned by Obligatory Summon are negated. So all your monsters become normal monsters thanks to this."

Mizuki's eyes widened as she saw Kaoru searching through her deck. _'Kaoru…don't summon high level monsters! If I'm right, then what he's planning is…'_

"I'm not stupid Gluttony; I can tell you want me to flood my field with strong monsters. So I'll special summon Arcana Force I-The Magician (1100/1100), Arcana Force VII-The Chariot (1700/1700), Arcana Force XVII-The Star (1300/1300), and Arcana Force VI-The Lovers (1500/1500) all in attack mode!" Her field was instantly flooded with monsters of strange and original forms, each one different than the next.

Suddenly Gluttony thrust his right arm into the air and a dark orange aura encircled his deck. "Now let me show you the ultimate power of Gluttony, the power of my first aspect of sin! When there are five or more monsters in your cemetery that went there outside of battle I can add this card to my hand!"

A card shot out of his deck and directly into his outstretched right hand, and now his deck was no longer glowing, though the card in his hand was. "I play it, the card that embodies my sinful soul and power! Soul of Sin-Gluttony!"

Mizuki and Kaoru stared in horror as they felt it, the power raging off that card as that awful orange aura leeched out from the card and over Kaoru's field. "Each player totals the levels of monsters on their field and then divides it in half, rounding down. We then send that many monsters from our deck to the grave, and for each one we cannot, we take three hundred damage!"

Kaoru gulped as ten orange stars appeared above her field, floating and waiting to be used up. Two of them appeared on Gluttony's field, making it much easier for him. "For myself, I simply send two Outstanding Dog Marron to the grave. What do you have?"

She searched through her deck, and then after about a minute she held up a sizeable number of cards and slid them into her cemetery. Each of the ten stars above her head burst into tiny motes of light. "That leaves me with one monster in my deck…"

Saint folded his arms and smiled, enjoying watching the duel. _'Ah Gluttony, as usual you are extremely efficient at quickly destroying the opponent's deck, especially their monsters. You use your cards of sin almost too often though.'_

"Now I activate the last card in my hand, Gluttony's Reward! For every monster sent from the hand or deck to the cemetery during this turn I can either gain two hundred life points or draw one card, up to a maximum of ten. I choose to draw!" The purple eyed girl shuddered as Gluttony snapped ten cards off his deck and fanned them out.

He laughed and slammed a card from his hand into his deck. "I activate the continuous magic card, Burning Preparations! Whenever a monster card is sent from a player's hand or deck to the cemetery by an effect you take one hundred damage!"

Even Mizuki felt bad for Kaoru as he held up one of the cards from his hand. "Foolish Burial lets me select one monster in my deck and send it to the grave, and I choose Outstanding Dog Marron!"

Gluttony held up the selected monster and then shuffled it into his deck. Immediately a bright red aura engulfed Kaoru, making her scream in pain as she lost another one hundred life points. "This strategy is…so strong…" (KLP: 3200)

The sin laughed as his face-up magic card began glowing, and he flipped up an Outstanding Dog Marron. "At this time, since you took damage, we each lose a monster from our hand or deck. That means you lose your last monster!"

Mizuki squeezed her legs tightly with her hands, feeling like she was watching a massacre. _'Without its monsters the Tarot Deck is almost completely dead. She's got five monsters on the field, but none of them effectively have effects. Gluttony's deck was the perfect counter for hers!'_

Kaoru's eyes bored into Gluttony's, and she could feel it from him, the absolute confidence that she knew and couldn't deny. _'He's absolutely certain of victory in this turn…and he's right isn't he?'_

"Now that you have no monsters left in your deck, the Burning Shame Loop can begin! You see, since two monsters just went to the grave, Burning Preparations now deals you one hundred damage for each of them!" Again Kaoru screamed as the magic card did its dirty work. (KLP: 3000)

Mizuki realized the nature of the combo and her hands squeezed even tighter. _'Third turn…and he's going to win already! Is this the power of the one of the strongest of the Seven Sins?'_

Gluttony snapped his fingers together and his continuous magic card flared. "Two instances of damage mean we each have to send two monsters to the grave, one for each, or take three hundred damage each time. I can easily meet it, but with no monsters in your deck you take six hundred damage." (KLP: 2400)

He laughed as he rubbed the edge of Outstanding Dog Marron with one finger. "Since two of my monsters went to the grave, you now take two hundred damage from Burning Preparations. And if you hadn't figure it out already, that triggers Common Shame. That makes it an infinite loop between the two that burns your life points to nothing!"

A cyclone of orange energy descended onto Kaoru, mixing with the deadly red aura that was surrounding her. Together it drained her of all of her life points, dropping her to her knees almost instantly. "So powerful…" (KLP: 0)

Their fields faded and Gluttony grinned and popped another rice ball into his mouth, swallowing the thing whole in just a few seconds. Back up in his tree Shiro shuddered, barely able to believe what he had just seen. "He won so fast, and with such an incredible combo. Compared to this guy, that Envy girl…is a complete amateur."

Saint offered Kaoru a hand up, which she gratefully accepted, and patted her on the head, looking pleased. "Don't be upset that Gluttony won, it's a rare duelist who is capable of defeating him."

He turned on his heel, still smiling, and began to walk away with Gluttony following him. "Thank you for your time Miss Kaoru, I'll be sure to have a private chat with you later. However, at the moment I must finish arrangements for Gluttony's duel at the end of the week. Please be sure to be there, I'd hate it if you missed it."

As Saint and Gluttony walked under the tree that Shiro was hiding in, the German man briefly glanced up, meeting Shiro's eyes. Shiro gulped, surprised that he had been so easily spotted, and felt frozen to the spot. "Mister Akugi, we haven't had a chance to speak. Perhaps another time. I do hope you enjoyed the show."

Shiro nodded slowly and watched as Saint and Gluttony walked away through the woods, both of them smiling the whole time. "That guy…even though he's smiling, he's scary…"

Mizuki placed a hand on Kaoru's shoulder and smiled comfortingly. "Even though you lost, it was an interesting duel to watch. And at least Saint wasn't smug about it, he seems really kindhearted."

Kaoru shook her head, unable to look away from the direction that Saint and Gluttony had walked off in. "No…Mizuki, the unique power I have…let me tell you something about it."

She turned to face the Rising Star, her face completely serious as she began to speak. "They call it the Heart's Eye, and it gives me the ability of 'perfect empathy'. By feeling the emotions of others by looking into their hearts I can understand them and even intuitively understand their actions. It's not specific, but I can interpret."

Mizuki's eyes widened in surprise. "I recognize that name, my father mentioned that his studies showed that it was a paranormal effect that seemed to come at random once a generation, but hadn't been seen for centuries. And the only factor similar between cases was…"

Kaoru nodded and pointed to her eyes. "That's right, the only similar factor between all recorded cases of the Heart's Eye was their purple eye color, just like mine. These eyes are why I'm willing to believe that there is some connection between us, even if I can't figure out what it is. It's also why I know that Saint isn't what he seems."

The Rising Star blinked, looking curiously at the other girl. "I'm not sure I understand. I mean, I know that nobody is exactly what they seem, but you seem frightened when you say that."

"The Heart's Eye lets me see into the hearts of others, but when I look at Saint, all that I see is his smile. And when I tried to look harder, I had a vision of him surrounding me, telling me that I was looking in the wrong place and for something that wasn't there. Mizuki…" Kaoru paused, uncertain how to continue, the fear in her eyes evident.

"That man, Saint Beatrix he…he has no heart at all. Without a doubt, Saint Beatrix isn't human, and he's heartless. But I've experienced something similar before, where I wasn't able to see into the heart of another, and it makes me wonder…" Mizuki felt her heart pounding in her chest, unable to get Saint's smiling face out of her mind. She was more and more certain that Vlad had been warning her about him.

"When was it that you weren't able to see into the heart of someone other than Saint? Was it someone at this academy? One of the Seven Sins maybe?" She was certain now that, like Saint, the Seven Sins weren't normal human beings, if they were human at all. Perhaps Kaoru's eyes simply couldn't see into the heart of someone who wasn't human.

"The first time it happened to me was last year, during the duel review, when I watched someone dueling. I wanted to see into their heart to understand their determination, but I couldn't touch them at all. That person, back then, it was…" Mizuki was snapped out of her thoughts when Kaoru fixed her with a stern violet gaze.

"It was you Mizuki."

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Author's Note: All I have to say is…dun dun dun!

_Next Time: It is Sanzo's turn once again to step forward and duel. This time instead of facing off against Janice, his opponent is none other than the third of the Seven Sins. Gluttony is his foe, and this duelist is no slacker. One by one Sanzo's heroes are lost to Gluttony's insatiable appetite, leaving Sanzo with few choices remaining._

_See it all in, Glutton for Punishment!_


	43. Glutton for Punishment

Author's Note: And now for the clash of Gluttony and Sanzo.

**Chapter Forty-Three: Glutton for Punishment**

Shiro bit his lip as he watched Mizuki across the room. She was staring down at her desktop, looking completely blank. _'Mizuki…what did that Kaoru girl tell you that's got you so depressed? What's wrong?'_

Up close to the top of the classroom Kaoru was also looking down at the depressed Mizuki, frowning at the sight of the proud and generally chipper girl so down. _'Mizuki, I'm so sorry that my words caused you so much pain. I hate to say it, but I'm not used to dealing with people I can't understand intuitively thanks to my eyes. Its…a new experience.'_

Mizuki's hands crumpled up the paper in her hand, her eyes nearly a burning a hole through it and her desk. _'Human…am I human?'_

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With classes out, Sanzo sat in his room at his desk. He was staring at his computer screen, his hands clenched on his knees, shaking. _'I…against Gluttony I…'_

Saint's smiling face appeared in his mind's eye. _"Ah, dear Sanzo. I've arranged for a special duel for the sake of the other students, and for myself. Your display against Chimeratech Overdragon was impressive, but I know you are stronger. I'd like to see you face your old friend Gluttony in a duel, just like old times."_

His hands shook as he continued staring blankly at the monitor. Gluttony's casually smiling emaciated features now dominated his vision. _"Sanzo, I expect a good duel from you. After all, if anyone can give me a superb duel, it's Temperance."_

His eyes drifted to the space beside his computer where three decks rested. Greed's cockily smirking image appeared before him. _"I couldn't care less if you were Saint's pupil and I don't care that you're the guy he chose as Temperance of the Seven Virtues. Against Gluttony, even I couldn't win. So there's no chance for someone like you."_

"Saint…I'll show you my strength, and in the heart of the hero I'll stand tall and face Gluttony with all that I am!"

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Shiro kicked his feet up in his usual chair in the arena, Kane on one side and Enzeru on the other. It seemed that their numbers had drastically decreased recently. _'Normally when we come to watch a duel we would have had Mizuki and Aya. But Aya's gone, and I don't know where Mizuki is.'_

He blinked as a pretty dark haired girl with a long braid was suddenly standing over him. "Hey, you're one of Mizuki's friends right? Can I sit with you guys?"

It took a second for him to remember, but finally he made the connection. "You're that Chizuma girl with the dance deck! Yeah…sure you can sit with us. But Mizuki's not here."

The dark haired girl sighed and pouted, then took a sit next to Enzeru. "I know…that's why I've come to sit with you guys. I'm hoping that if she does come, she'll come and sit with you guys, letting me be nearby."

_'Seriously, that girl is so very questionable.'_ He sighed and looked down at the field, where already fog was rolling in. It was bound to be a dramatic duel, that was for sure.

Up in the spectator's booth Saint leaned forwards, crisscrossing his fingers and leaning his chin on them. _'I expect an excellent duel from both of you, Temperance and Gluttony clashing together. I'm afraid that should you lose…'_

Harrison stalked out to the edge, where the front row was and placed his hands against the railing. _'Sanzo…don't you dare lose. The only person who should defeat you is I, so don't let this sin defeat you.'_

The two opposing doors opened and Sanzo and Gluttony walked out, one an emaciated balding twenty year old, and the other the handsome silver haired seventeen year old hero. "Gluttony, I'm not going to make this easy for you. I intend to fight you with everything that I am!" (SLP: 4000)

Gluttony chuckled and motioned with one hand, bringing up a man in a business suit who placed a stand with a large platter full of rice balls to his left. Then he slammed his deck into his orange duel disk. "That's fine with me Temperance, but this duel has more riding on it than you know. Prepare to be devoured alive!" (GLP: 4000)

The sin snagged another card off his deck, and then grabbed a rice ball and shoved it into his mouth. Sanzo grimaced as he felt an energy flare from Gluttony. "Temperance, I'll destroy you and your deck here and now! I summon Heaven's Chef (1300/1300) in defense mode."

An angel in a white chef's hat and clothing appeared on his field crouching down with its arms over its chest. "I place two cards face down and end my turn. And so it begins…the first clash of Sin and Virtue! And we'll soon find out what happens when their full powers crash together!"

Sanzo narrowed his eyes and drew fiercely. "Whether I'm Temperance or not isn't important, as far as I'm concerned you're just another villain in my way, and I'm Sanzo Uzumaki, the Hero Saint!"

He slammed the drawn card into his duel disk without hesitation. "Magic card activates! Heroic Descent costs one thousand life points, but it special summons two heroes from my deck to the field, though neither can attack this turn!" (SLP: 3000)

Two spaces on his field started glowing, and a green feathered hero appeared on his left. To the right there formed a tall and muscular hero in white with a crystal on his chest and a spike extending from the back of his head. "Meet Elemental Hero Featherman (1000/1000) and Elemental Hero Neos (2500/2000)!"

Gluttony's eyes widened, and even in the spectator's booth Saint seemed surprised. "Neos on the first turn? This is the new power that Saint mentioned…what does this hero do?"

Sanzo smirked and snapped his left arm out, pointing to Neos. "Let me show you, Neos, activate your power! Contact Fusion!"

Neos and Featherman jumped into the air, meeting together in a vortex. "Contact Fusion lets me send the fusion components back to my deck to special summon a fusion with those two as its components. So now…meet the power of a Neos fusion!"

Floating down from above was Elemental Hero Neos, only he had long white angelic wings and talons attached to each arm. "Meet Elemental Hero Neo Feather Master (2500/2000)!"

He snapped his right hand up and glared at Heaven's Chef. "Elemental Hero Neo Feather Master, attack with Ultima Feather Break!"

Feather Master flapped its wings, creating a heavy wind and sending a storm of angel feathers spinning towards the angelic cook. Gluttony smirked and gestured with his left hand to his right most set card. "Not so fast, I activate my face down continuous trap card!"

Sanzo clenched his outstretched hand into a fist, and suddenly the wind hit both of Gluttony's set cards. "Feather Master's effect activates! When he attacks all magic and trap cards in play return to their owner's hand!"

Gluttony gasped as his two set cards popped out of his duel disk and back into his hand, leaving his chef defenseless. The angel feathers swept over the chef, blasting him to pieces. "Since he was destroyed I can now take a monster from my deck and send it to the cemetery to pick him back up and add him to my hand. I send Outstanding Dog Marron (100/100) to the grave, letting it get shuffled back into my deck!"

The Hero Saint twirled one of the cards in his hand around, and Gluttony gasped in surprise again as a magic card with an image of Elemental Hero Necro Darkman showed its face. "Necro Illusion lets me special summon a monster from your grave to my field that I destroyed in battle this turn! Heaven's Chef returns to me, making your effect invalid!"

The heavenly chef flapped down onto his field, wings spread out wide and a rolling pin clutched in its right hand. "I've special summoned it in attack mode, so now, Heaven's Chef attacks directly! Heaven's Rolling Pin of Justice!"

Gluttony grimaced in pain as the chef struck him across the head with its rolling pin. He clutched at the side of his head, and when he brought his hand away Sanzo was surprised to see a trickle of blood. "So you see it…in a duel against each other, a Sin and a Virtue as natural enemies…their energies are automatically thrown into making the duel real! In terms of danger, this might as well be a darkness game with the power we're throwing at each other!" (GLP: 2700)

Sanzo's eyes widened as Gluttony began laughing, and in his mind's eye he saw an orange aura begin to flicker to life around him. "Gluttony, this is ridiculous! Why in the world would Saint even want to see something like this?"

The sin sneered and raised his right arm, gesturing it vaguely towards the spectator box. "The reasons of Saint are beyond you are they? If somebody like you doesn't know or understand, then you don't deserve to be called his pupil! So from here on out, I'll attack to strip you of the title Hero Saint, and crush you as Temperance!"

A flicker of anger washed through Sanzo, but he quickly suppressed it. "I won't allow you to do any such thing, and I'll defeat you to understand what Saint wants from me and everyone else. What is it about the Sins and Virtues that he's drawn to, what does he want us for? That's what I intend to find out, so now I'll bring my turn to a close by setting a card face down."

Feather Master's body flickered and in a burst of light it was consumed. "During the end phase of the turn that it was summoned a Neos fusion monster is returned to the fusion deck. Then Elemental Hero Neos (2500/2000) is special summoned back to the field!"

The light faded, revealing Neos in his original form. "Also during my end phase the monster special summoned by Necro Illusion returns to your cemetery, but since it wasn't destroyed Heaven's Chef's effect doesn't activate."

The angel faded away, leaving just Neos and a face-down card on Sanzo's field. "Come and show Neos your absolute best Gluttony, so that he and I can beat it down with our power!"

Gluttony snarled and drew, eager to test his power against the power of Temperance, who had a slight blue aura beginning to show around him. "I activate Bury the Dead, sending three monsters from my deck to the cemetery! Toxic Ingredient (700/300) times three is my choice!"

He shoved the named monsters into his grave, smirking the whole time. "When they go to the cemetery I place a counter on them, and when they leave the cemetery that counter is placed on a monster on my field. The selected monster gains 200 attack points. So let me show you my next step!"

Laughing he slammed a card onto his field, and a purple skinned baboon formed in front of him. "Meet Bazoo the Soul Eater (1600/900), a hungry little ape with a dangerous special power. By removing up to three monsters from my grave I can power him up by three hundred for each!"

With a nasty smirk he shoved another rice ball into his mouth and then placed the three monsters into his back pocket. "Bazoo gains nine hundred attack points, reaching even with Neos! At this time the three counters from my ingredients go to him, powering up him by an additional six hundred points!"

Sanzo narrowed his eyes as the baboon's body bulked up, becoming nearly twice as large as it had previously been. "Bazoo (3100), attack and destroy his Neos! Soul Empowered Fist!"

Bazoo's meaty fist crashed into Neos' chest, breaking directly through it. Sanzo gasped and clutched at his own chest, feeling as if a battering ram had just struck him. _'Such incredible power…and Gluttony's only going to grow stronger…'_ (SLP: 2400)

Gluttony clenched his fist and slipped two cards into his duel disk. "I'll set those two cards back face down, and I'll call it a turn. Might I add that Bazoo's bonus lasts until your end phase?"

"You could, but before you do I've got a trap to activate. Elemental Mirage returns all Elemental Heroes destroyed this turn to the field exactly as before, so Neos is back!" Gluttony scowled and munched down on another rice ball, eating it quickly as Neos appeared on the field again.

"Draw! I summon Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000) to the field in attack mode! Come on out!" The brown boulder-like hero lumbered out onto the field, its heavy body preventing it from moving terribly fast. It was the immovable object, not the unstoppable force after all.

Narrowing his eyes towards Gluttony's two face down cards Sanzo continued his move by holding up his next card. "I activate Righteous Justice, which destroys one magic or trap card per E-Hero on my field! Say goodbye to your traps!"

The sin growled in frustration and ate yet another rice ball, and quickly jammed another into his mouth as both of his set cards were blasted into oblivion. "My Bazoo is still stronger than your monsters, at least until the turn's end."

"Not quite! Just like before I'll activate Neos' ability of Contact Fusion!" The two warriors merged together, forming into a brand new creature. The newly summoned fusion was a brown-armored Neos with shoulder pads of stone and a big heavy stone shield in its left hand.

"My newest monster is Elemental Hero Neo Clay Guardsman (2500/2000)! And though he's still not as strong as Bazoo, his first special ability activates at this time! Earth Shaker!" The entire arena shook as Clay Guardsman slammed his foot into the ground. The quaking made the baboon stumbled, and it fell onto its hands and knees.

The crowd whistled and hooted while Gluttony stared at his monster. "I see…so Earth Shaker switches all my monsters into defense mode. And since Bazoo's defense isn't boosted, he's easy prey for Clay Guardsman."

Gluttony smirked and jammed another two rice balls into his mouth, chewing furiously, causing his aura to flare up. Sanzo took a deep breath and focused his ideals into this next strike. "If its virtue versus sin that you want, my hero will show you what it's really like. Clay Guardsman, attack and destroy Bazoo! Rock Slide Crusher!"

The neo fusion swung with its left arm and released the stone shield, sending it spinning like a boomerang towards the ape. It howled in fury and took the shield to the chest, shattering into a million pieces on impact. Clay Guardsman caught the shield as it returned. "Don't think I'm done yet Gluttony! Magic card activate!"

An image of a smiling woman against a backdrop of space showed on his card, and it started glowing. "Interstellar Connections activates when a monster on my field with 'Neo' in its name or text destroys a monster in battle! At this time I draw two cards and gain five hundred life points!" (SLP: 2900)

He looked at the two cards and then placed one of them into his duel disk. "One card face down, and then I end my turn, returning Clay Guardsman to my fusion deck and special summoning Neos to the field!"

Gluttony scowled and ate another rice ball before drawing, putting him at two cards in hand and a no field disadvantage. "You…you're stronger than I anticipated. But tell me, do you know what my special ability that sets me apart from mundanes is?"

Sanzo nodded, not worried in the slightest. "Yeah, you can burn calories in your body to create massive amounts of energy which can do things from rapidly healing damage to your body to making you stronger and faster. Its really not that frightening an ability."

The sin chuckled and reached for a specific rice ball, one which was at the very edge of the plate and away from the rest. "That's right, but did you know that if I burn calories to produce that energy I can enhance my own dueling power? So far I've just been using calories from my meals and these rice balls, but now I'm going to show you what makes me one of the top duelists of the pro league."

Up in his booth Saint leaned in closer, his eyes wider than normal. _'So you're going to resort to using that this early? Then you feel that Sanzo is strong enough to warrant your fullest power. Dear Sanzo, I would like to apologize for what you are about to experience but, when this duel ends, I won't have to.'_

Gluttony slowly chewed the rice ball, a manic look in his eyes that seemed to suggest that he was savoring every bite. Sanzo frowned as bit by bit the rice ball vanished, until nothing was left. "It's just a rice ball, there's not that many calories in them. What's that going to accomplish?"

After gulping down the remains of the rice ball Gluttony looked Sanzo in the eye and then licked his lips. "That was no ordinary rice ball, it was special. Contained within it was a special pill which provides a huge number of calories in one dose. More than any human should take at one time if they want to stay healthy, more than the human body can burn in a week of heavy activity. The thing is though…that there were seven total in that rice ball."

Sanzo threw up one arm as suddenly a huge blast of wind struck him, air whipping violently around the entire arena as a pillar of dark orange energy shot up around Gluttony. The sin laughed violently as his power surged, shaking the building. _'My own ability to detect danger is going crazy! His power is absolutely insane right now!'_

Harrison's eyes widened and he held tightly onto the railing as the pure show of force buffeted his body. _'Such incredible power!'_

People in the audience began to scream and started to rise, desperate to get away from the dangerous duel. Even Shiro, Kane, Enzeru, and Chizuma were starting to rise to flee. Sanzo growled in frustration, pushing against that power. "Gluttony, stop this! If we fight at this level, more than just we are going to be harmed! The audience will get hurt as well at this pace!"

Gluttony responded by laughing and throwing his arms into the air. The pillar of power tightened in around him, and the winds increased in force. Sparks of orange lightning jumped from his body out into the audience, sending people screaming into a greater panic. "Stop? Why would I stop? To the victor go the spoils, and I'll forcibly consume the calories in your body and the bodies of any that fall here to gain immortal life!"

"Immortality? That's your intent in dueling as a pro league and being one of the Seven Sins? You're going to take in the calories of everyone you ever beat to continuously regenerate your body, giving you eternal life…you're a sick monster!" Gluttony narrowed his eyes and the pillar of power snapped into a sphere of dark orange directly around him, and yet again the strength of the winds jumped.

"Monster? No…I'm no monster, I'm just the next stage of human evolution! Don't you understand it Temperance? You, me, the Seven Sins, and Saint, we're all beyond these mundanes! We're the ones who deserve it all, and we can take whatever we want! Compared to these insects, we're gods!" Sanzo pushed harder against the power that was being thrown against him, the anger showing on his face. The first time any in the audience had seen him truly angry.

"You have no right to talk that way about anyone! Nobody, no matter what power they possess, is better than anybody else! The reason I'm a hero is to protect people, not stand above them! And I won't let you do it either!" Gluttony's eyes widened as the faint blue aura around Sanzo sprang up, became larger and pushing against the winds created by his power.

Saint leaned back in his chair and looked to the back of the booth, ignoring the yelling of the principal and the dorm heads as they frantically tried to get out of the locked booth. Saint's attention was specifically on a figure sitting in the corner, head down. "Sloth, its time now for you to use one of your abilities. No need to let this get too out of hand and reveal ourselves to these mundanes quite yet. Gluttony always was too eager."

The crouched Sloth made no response, but his body glowed a faint light blue, similar in color to Sanzo's aura. "Thank you Sloth."

Each of the other men save for him and Sloth in the booth blinked sleepily and then collapsed. One by one and then in droves those in the audience also began dropping like flies into unconsciousness. "Excellent work Sloth."

Saint looked back into the audience, and smiled warmly at what he saw. Almost everyone had collapsed, but there were a handful of students left awake. There were also the other five Sins, each one at a different exit. "So now we see who has power, just as I had been anticipating."

Down in the front row Harrison shook his head to clear it of a slight fog, and he shot a look up into the booth, where he saw a smiling Saint. "So there is more to you than anticipated…what is going on at this academy?"

Blinking in confusion Shiro looked around at all those passed out around him. "What the heck happened? Why did everyone pass out all of a sudden?"

To his right Chizuma shrugged, looking just as confused as he was. "I don't know, but I'm just glad that Mizuki isn't here, I wouldn't want to see something like this happen to her."

Enzeru groaned to their left, barely supporting an unconscious Kane. "Whatever happened I suspect it wasn't caused by Gluttony or Sanzo. Look around at the exits…those are Saint's Seven Sins. I believe there is more going on then we would have guessed. If I had to guess, I'd say this was the work of Sloth."

Shiro frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "So wait, you're suggesting that each of the Seven Sins is named that because they've got magic related to the name or something? Sorry, but that sounds farfetched."

The Obelisk Blue boy raised an eyebrow and pointed to the dueling field, where Sanzo and Gluttony's power was clashing. "How farfetched is it really?"

Shiro grimaced and planted his hands on a seat, leaning forwards towards the arena floor. "Sanzo! Kick his ass good!"

Gluttony's power finally condensed until it was no longer showing in a pure orange aura, and the winds died down. Sanzo allowed himself to relax, his own power receding into his body. "We're alone and away from these mundanes now Temperance, so let me show you what I'm really capable of!"

Laughing he slapped his drawn card down onto his duel disk and then flipped around his remaining card. "Book of Taiyou flips up my face down monster, revealing Gluttonous Ape (1100/1800)! When it is flipped each player rolls a die!"

An orange die and a light blue die appeared in each individual's hand, and they tossed them onto the field. The dice bounced crazily, finally finishing up and landing on a five for each of the duelists. "Now each of us sends one monster from our deck to the cemetery for each number! That's five for each of us!"

Quickly each duelist chose their five monsters and then tossed them into the cemetery. Then Gluttony held up four of the cards and showed them to Sanzo. "First I shuffle these three Outstanding Dog Marron into my deck, and then the effect of Fallen Mantis (1100/500) activates!"

He placed the card into his back pocket, grinning the whole time. "When Fallen Mantis is sent from my deck to the cemetery I can instantly remove it from the game to draw until I'm holding five cards, so I'm far from done yet!"

The sin drew five times, pumping his hand back up to a proper size. But then his deck glowed and a card shot out of it and into his hand. "When there are five or more monsters in your cemetery that went there outside of battle this card is added to my hand. But before I play it, I've got another card to play!"

Selecting a different card he fitted it into his duel disk. "Necromancy special summons up to four random monsters from your grave to your field, who when destroyed reduce the attack of one monster on your field by six hundred. So let's see your monsters!"

Sanzo held his hand out over his field and four different monsters appeared. One was a woman in red and white, another was a mechanical dog, a third was a wild looking man wearing little and holding a sword, and then the final one was a scientist in a lab coat. "Elemental Hero Burst Lady (1200/800), Frienddog (800/1200), Elemental Hero Wildman (1500/1600) and Hero's Inventor (500/600), all in defense mode!"

Without another word Gluttony played the card he had saved previously. "Let me show you the horrifying power I possess! Soul of Sin-Gluttony activates, totaling up the levels of all monsters on our fields and then dividing it in half, rounded down!"

Two stars formed on Gluttony's field while nine appeared on Sanzo's field. "Now, we must discarded monsters from our hand or deck to the cemetery equal to that number or suffer three hundred points of damage per monster not discarded!"

The Hero Saint grimaced and searched through his deck. "I send Edgeman, Necro Darkman, Featherman, Clayman, Sparkman, Bubbleman, Hero Kid, Hero Sidekick-Bubble Boy, and Hero Sidekick-Bird Lady to the grave!"

Gluttony merely shuffled two Outstanding Dog Marron back into his deck, laughing the whole time. "Now I summon Eager Reaper (1400/1200) in attack mode, and he'll destroy Burst Lady!"

A fat man in a black cloak wielding a scythe raced out of its card and slashed through the heroine. "Since one of your monsters was destroyed Elemental Hero Neos loses six hundred attack points!"

He laughed and snapped his fingers, and instantly his Gluttonous Ape charged towards the man in the lab coat. "Since I know the effect of your Frienddog, I'll destroy Hero's Inventor with my ape!"

That monster shattered as well, leaving Sanzo with just three monsters remaining on his field. "Neos loses another six hundred attack points, putting him at a weakened thirteen hundred!"

"Hold it right there! When Hero's Inventor is destroyed I can either add an Elemental Hero from my cemetery to my field or add an Elemental Hero equip to my hand! My choice is option number two!" He quickly found the card and then added it to his hand, giving Gluttony a glare as he finished.

"Finally I set one card face down and end my turn. Let's see what you've got, hero boy!" Sanzo grimaced and looked around at the crowd, most of whom were unconscious save a few of his friends and a few others scattered around the room.

"Even though I don't know what Saint's plans are, even though I'm not sure who is left that I can trust, I do know one thing. At this academy I'm the hero, which means I'll fight with all my heart, body, and soul in order to defeat any opponent who threatens the safety of this academy and its students! So for harming those I chose to protect, I'll defeat you!" He drew swiftly, looking at the monsters on his field, then at Gluttony's field.

"Gluttony, I'll show you all the power that I've got! Contact Fusion!" Wildman and Neos swirled together, and Neos reappeared moments later, this time with red war paint all over his body and a massive sword slung over his shoulder.

"You've made your last mistake Temperance! I activate my continuous trap card, Monster Register, by paying one thousand life points!" A giant cash register appeared on his field and his body glowed as his life points were paid out to activate it. (GLP: 1700)

"Now whenever either of us summons a monster we have to discard one card from the top of our deck per level!" Sanzo gasped as a tongue shot out of the register and snagged seven cards off the top of his deck and pulled them into his graveyard.

Sanzo shook his head and flipped around one of the cards in his hand. "No, the one who has made their last mistake is you! Elemental Hero Neo Wild Heart (2500/2000) is going to be the key to your destruction, because it counts as Wildman, meaning I can equip him with Cyclone Boomerang to give him five hundred attack points!"

A giant boomerang formed in Neo Wild Heart's hands and his attack strength rose to three thousand, far outstripping the two monsters on his opponent's field. "Now I can finish this off this turn, so I attack with Cyclone Boomerang! Say goodbye to Gluttonous Ape!"

The boomerang hit Gluttonous Ape in the gut and split it in half. Gluttony merely laughed as a brown fluff ball appeared in the path of the attack and was blown apart before the boomerang hit him. "By discarding Kuriboh (300/200) from my hand I reduced the damage to zero, so your victory is denied this turn! And during your end phase Neos will be special summoned and you'll lose more cards!"

Sanzo frowned, but his frown was turned into a gasp when a spectral orange hand reached out of his graveyard and snagged two cards off the top of his deck. "What's going on?"

"Did I forget to mention it? Soul of Sin-Gluttony can't be removed from the cemetery and after activation whenever a card is shuffled back into your deck you discard one card from the top of your deck." Sanzo scowled as his lost two cards because of his Contact Fusion.

As soon as that was over an orange aura surrounded Gluttony and his life point counter began to change. "Also while its in the grave when a monster goes from the field to the cemetery I gain half its attack as life points and I can gain them at any time, so I'll take the life points from your previous monsters now." (GLP: 3100)

"Don't be sure that you're safe. Wait until you see what I had in store just in case. First I set a card face down, and now I end my turn, shuffling Neo Wild Heart back into my fusion deck!" His fusion monster began to flicker, and suddenly it shouted out a challenge and hurled its boomerang.

"What's it doing? Why is its boomerang being thrown?" Sanzo smirked as the card spun in a circle striking one card after another and blasting them to pieces.

"When Cyclone Boomerang goes from the field to the grave after being equipped it destroys all magic and trap cards in play, dealing you five hundred damage per destroyed card! So my two face downs and your continuous trap are gone, dealing you fifteen hundred damage!" Gluttony groaned in pain as the boomerang hit him in the stomach, knocking him backwards. (GLP: 1600)

"Now Elemental Hero Neos (2500/2000) returns to the field, and since Monster Register is no longer in play I lose no cards! Plus one of the cards sent to my grave was Repayment of Losses, so I draw one card!" He snagged a card off his deck and then let out a deep breath.

Gluttony snarled and drew the field shaking as he barely restrained the power that he was burning up to increase his abilities. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw twice!"

He snatched up two cards, and then flipped one of them around. "Research on the Pot of Greed when activated during a turn that Pot of Greed has been lets me draw two cards!"

He drew two more cards, giving him four in hand, and then flipped around the next card. "Ancient Greed activates if there is a Pot of Greed in my cemetery, it lets me draw three cards!"

Shiro bit his lip, drawing blood as he saw the furious look in Gluttony's eyes. "That guy is absolutely nuts! And that power…that can't be real!"

Enzeru looked nervous as well, and Chizuma was afraid. "It doesn't seem realistic for one person to draw that many draw cards in one turn, but there's no denying he did it. His power seems real enough…"

Chizuma sat down hard in a chair, unable to accept what she was seeing. "This guy's so ridiculous that even the school's second ranked duelist can barely keep up. He's ridiculously powerful! I just wish Mizuki was here…"

"I drew it…now let me show you more of my enormous power! I activate Body of Sin-Gluttony! By discarding the top ten cards of my deck to the cemetery I can shuffle all cards in each player's cemetery back into their deck, save those seven! And of course neither sin card can leave the grave." Sanzo did as he was told, following Gluttony's example. But then it hit him.

"No…when a card is shuffle back into my deck I have to discard that many cards from the top of my deck thanks to Soul of Sin-Gluttony!" The glowing orange hand pulled an equal number of cards back into his grave, undoing all that had just happened from Body of Sin, making Gluttony the only one to benefit.

Sanzo looked down at his deck and frowned. _'That leaves twenty-seven cards left in my deck, so if he keeps up this discard pace then my deck will be gone pretty quickly.'_

"I activate the magic card Ritualistic Summon, which forces me to send one monster from my deck to the grave to let you draw until you reach a monster, which is then special summoned. All drawn cards are discarded!" He laughed as he shuffled up his deck from the effect of his Outstanding Dog Marron, and Sanzo began drawing.

He grimaced as he was forced to discard eleven cards before reaching a monster. "From your card's effect I special summon Elemental Hero Necro Darkman (1600/1800) in defense mode."

"That's just fine; because I was just letting you summon to discard and to let me special summon this monster from my hand! When you special summon a monster I can special summon this creature, Hathar the Gluttonous (?)!" Sanzo's eyes widened as a huge ape wearing dark purple armor stomped out onto the field, its mouth overflowing with saliva that dripped to the ground and sizzled like acid.

"For every monster sent to the cemetery outside of battle during the course of this duel my monster's attack and defense increase by two hundred. So start your counting!" Sanzo grimaced and did the math for his own deck and the cards discarded so far in the duel.

"That's seventeen monsters from me…" Gluttony smirked and began counting on his fingers, doing his own math to determine just what level of power his monster would have.

"From me that's thirteen monsters, making it a total of thirty! And that means Hathar the Gluttonous (6000/6000) is stronger than any monster you can possibly produce!" Sanzo felt his hands shaking as he stared up at the behemoth of a monster, realizing that he had almost no options remaining and his deck was running dry as well.

Gluttony chuckled as his monster continued to salivate. "Beating it in battle is now impossible, so you've got to use an effect to destroy it. But while Soul of Sin-Gluttony is in the grave it cannot be sent from my field back to my hand or deck, and while Body of Sin-Gluttony is in the grave Hathar cannot be destroyed by targeting effects, meaning you now need mass destruction effects to finish it!"

The sin began to laugh hysterically as he thrust his hand out. "Not that any of that matters, since right now Hathar is going to devour Neos and finish off your life points! And then little hero, I'm going to absorb the calories of all these fools to bring me that much closer to immortality! And by the way…"

He glanced up at the spectator's booth where Saint was watching with a smile on his face. "Not only will you never figure out Saint's ultimate goal, but when you lose this duel, his power will consume you. This is the end; your hope is now gone hero! Hathar, devour him alive!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Holy moly bajoly!

_Next Time: Sin versus Virtue, the horrifying power of Gluttony unleashed against Sanzo. Saint's goal comes closer to being revealed, and in the midst of all the chaos everything is shaken by something nobody could have expected. _

_See it all in, Sinner's Lament, Virtue's Prayer!_


	44. Sinner's Lament, Virtue's Prayer

Author's Note: And now for the conclusion to Sanzo and Gluttony's duel!

**Chapter Forty-Four: Sinner's Lament, Virtue's Prayer!**

_Sanzo looked down at his deck and frowned. 'That leaves twenty-seven cards left in my deck, so if he keeps up this discard pace then my deck will be gone pretty quickly.'_

_"I activate the magic card Ritualistic Summon, which forces me to send one monster from my deck to the grave to let you draw until you reach a monster, which is then special summoned. All drawn cards are discarded!" He laughed as he shuffled up his deck from the effect of his Outstanding Dog Marron, and Sanzo began drawing._

_He grimaced as he was forced to discard eleven cards before reaching a monster. "From your card's effect I special summon Elemental Hero Necro Darkman (1600/1800) in defense mode."_

_"That's just fine; because I was just letting you summon to discard and to let me special summon this monster from my hand! When you special summon a monster I can special summon this creature, Hathar the Gluttonous (?)!" Sanzo's eyes widened as a huge ape wearing dark purple armor stomped out onto the field, its mouth overflowing with saliva that dripped to the ground and sizzled like acid._

_"For every monster sent to the cemetery outside of battle during the course of this duel my monster's attack and defense increase by two hundred. So start your counting!" Sanzo grimaced and did the math for his own deck and the cards discarded so far in the duel._

_"That's seventeen monsters from me…" Gluttony smirked and began counting on his fingers, doing his own math to determine just what level of power his monster would have. _

_"From me that's thirteen monsters, making it a total of thirty! And that means Hathar the Gluttonous (6000/6000) is stronger than any monster you can possibly produce!" Sanzo felt his hands shaking as he stared up at the behemoth of a monster, realizing that he had almost no options remaining and his deck was running dry as well._

_Gluttony chuckled as his monster continued to salivate. "Beating it in battle is now impossible, so you've got to use an effect to destroy it. But while Soul of Sin-Gluttony is in the grave it cannot be sent from my field back to my hand or deck, and while Body of Sin-Gluttony is in the grave Hathar cannot be destroyed by targeting effects, meaning you now need mass destruction effects to finish it!"_

_The sin began to laugh hysterically as he thrust his hand out. "Not that any of that matters, since right now Hathar is going to devour Neos and finish off your life points! And then little hero, I'm going to absorb the calories of all these fools to bring me that much closer to immortality! And by the way…"_

_He glanced up at the spectator's booth where Saint was watching with a smile on his face. "Not only will you never figure out Saint's ultimate goal, but when you lose this duel, his power will consume you. This is the end; your hope is now gone hero! Hathar, devour him alive!"_

The massive ape charged forwards, spittle flying from its mouth as it bounded across the field towards Neos. Its huge hand reached down and grabbed Neos around the middle and then his gaping maw descended, biting the hero in half. "And that grants me victory!"

Hathar roared and threw the remaining half of Neos' body away, letting it shatter against the side wall of the arena floor. "Victory? What in the world are you talking about?"

Gluttony's eyes widened as he saw a swirling sphere of flame surrounding Sanzo, and saw that his life points were unchanged. "What in the world did you do? How could you possibly have lasted against that attack?"

Sanzo lifted up a single card as if that explained everything. "Here, take a look for yourself and understand the difference between you and me."

He tossed the card across the field, letting Gluttony catch it in one hand. The sin held it up to his eyes and read the text aloud. "Eternal Elemental Flame, normal magic. If there is an Elemental Hero on your field you may discard this card from your hand to reduce all life point damage from battle this turn to zero."

The sin growled and an orange aura sprang up around his body. "At this time I gain half of Neos' attack as life points!" (GLP: 2850)

After quickly glancing at the remaining cards on Sanzo's field he made his decision. "I don't care if you recover cards; I'll have Eager Reaper attack and destroy Frienddog!"

The reaper's scythe slashed right through the machine dog and Sanzo held a hand out to the cemetery slot of his disk. "When Frienddog is destroyed and goes to the cemetery I can add one Polymerization and one E-Hero from my grave to my hand!"

"Again, I really don't care. Again I gain life points from the destroyed monster's attack points!" He breathed deeply as the orange power refueled his life points, putting his life points above Sanzo's. (GLP: 3250)

"I'll end my turn by setting two cards face down. Go ahead Temperance; show me what really makes us different. Either way, I'm still going to crush you!" Sanzo shook his head and snapped a card off his deck.

"Gluttony, you really don't get it do you? The difference between you and me is that I am a hero, and you're nothing but a delusional monster. Beyond human? Don't give me that crap; you aren't human to begin with! You're just a beast!" Gluttony's eyes flashed with anger at those words, and his power briefly flickered out of control, causing a blast of wind to ripple out from his body.

"Shut the hell up, you don't know what you're talking about! Bring out all of your power Temperance and I'll beat it down, proving to you and everyone else that I'm beyond you!" Sanzo sighed and shook his head, carefully picking two of the cards out of his hand.

"In the end it won't matter, so I'll show you that even your invincible monster is far from that. I activate the magic card Polymerization, fusing together Necro Darkman on my field with Elemental Hero Wildman (1500/1600) from my hand!" The two monsters were pulled together, and Gluttony burst out laughing.

"Fool, not only do I now gain six hundred life points from Necro Darkman going to the grave from the field, but Hathar gains four hundred attack points! All you're doing is making me stronger!" He chuckled as his gluttonous ape grew in size and his life points were boosted once again. (GLP: 3650)

Once the boost ended he snapped his left arm out towards one of his two set cards. "Once more I pay one thousand life points to activate Monster Register! So prepare to lose more cards from your deck!" (GLP: 2650)

The fusion completed itself, revealing a muscular wild looking man with dark skin and long flowing red hair, holding a staff in one hand. "I'm fine with that; my Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman (1900/1800) is a level six!"

A tongue shot out of the cash register and snagged six cards off of Sanzo's deck, dragging them into the cemetery. "Monster Register forced me to discard Repayment of Losses, so now I draw one card!"

After swiftly registering the card he had drawn he flipped it around. "Just like last time, this card will smash your defenses! Righteous Justice destroys the remaining face down card on your field!"

Gluttony ground his teeth together as his remaining card was blasted into oblivion, but then he shrugged, unworried. "Like it matters? You can't beat Hathar and even killing Eager Reaper with that monster would give me more life points than damage."

"Actually, Necroid Shaman is the one monster I can fuse that can completely get around the immunity of your Hathar. You see, I can sacrifice a monster on your field to special summon one from your grave, and since that's not destruction…" Gluttony gasped as his giant ape was engulfed in dark red light and vanished, only to be replaced by a much smaller ape.

"Since you discarded it with Body of Sin-Gluttony, Gluttonous Ape (1100/1800) returns to the field in attack mode. And since it's a level four you lose four cards from your deck!" Gluttony growled in frustration as his own trap card took away some of the cards from his deck.

"Since Hathar left the field I now gain half his attack as life points! Its useless Temperance, you can't defeat me!" Sanzo's eyes narrowed and he glanced up at the unconscious audience members, restoring his resolve. (GLP: 5850)

"Don't get cocky, it's not over yet for me, not as long as there's someone left to protect! Necroid Shaman will destroy Gluttonous Ape!" The fusion hero jumped into the air and came down swinging his staff. It hit the ape in the head, driving it face-first into the ground. (GLP: 5050)

"Fool! I keep telling you that no matter what you try it won't help! I gain half of my ape's attack points now! Your attacks are useless against me!" Sanzo sighed as Gluttony continued laughing, his life points being restored of most of the damage Sanzo had dealt. (GLP: 5600)

Sanzo was surprised as a ghostly hand reached out of his graveyard and started grabbing cards from his deck. "What's happening? Why am I losing cards?"

"Oh, that's nothing, just one of the cards I discarded a little bit earlier. It's called Craven Hunger (700/400) and once while in the cemetery when a monster is destroyed in battle I can force you to discard one card from your deck per level of the monster that slew mine." The hero saint frowned as all but one card in his deck was pulled into the graveyard. Now all he had was that card, the two in his hand, and Necroid Shaman.

"I see…I'll empty my hand by setting both cards face down. It's your turn Gluttony; show me what you can do." He took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool so that he was at his peak in this battle. But even with the two cards defending his shaman, it seemed unlikely that he could win when he had just one card left in his deck.

Gluttony smirked and drew; even though he only had two cards in his hand he was unworried. "Prepare yourself Temperance, because I'm going to crush you here and now! First I activate Hateful Wok, sending Outstanding Dog Marron to the grave to deal you seven hundred points of damage."

Sanzo clenched his jaw as tight as he could to avoid crying out in pain as searing hot oil was poured over his body from a giant wok that appeared above his head. _'So intense…'_ (SLP: 2200)

"Next I activate Jar of Avarice, shuffling five monsters from my cemetery into my deck to draw two cards." Up in the stands Shiro leaned forwards and shook his fist at the sin.

"Don't you go using cards I like you freak job!" Gluttony snarled and looked up towards Shiro, only to discover that the Ra Yellow duelist was sticking his tongue out and blowing a raspberry.

"Brat, I'll drain you first when I've finished him off! Now, I'll continue by sacrificing Eager Reaper for Bloated Hell Freak (2400/2000)!" His fat reaper shattered, only to be replaced by an obscenely fat demon with black skin and tiny wings extending from its back. Its face was misshapen, with one eye bigger than the other and one ear lower than the other. (GLP: 6300)

The freakish demon groaned and reached into the ground, pulling out Eager Reaper and began to open its mouth ridiculously wide. Then it shoved the reaper into its mouth. "Bloated Hell Freak gains half the attack power of the sacrificed monster, and deals half that amount to your life points!"

The demon belched, spewing bones at Sanzo and pummeling him heavily. One of them hit him in the forehead, splitting it. He shuddered and fell to one knee, blood flowing from the open wound. "I'm not going down yet…" (SLP: 1850)

"Bloated Hell Freak, attack and destroy his Necroid Shaman!" It sucked in a deep breath and then puffed it out again, once more spraying bones from its lips. This time it was Necroid Shaman who was under the assault.

Sanzo's eyes lit up and he motioned to his left set card. "Battle Fusion activates now, increasing my monster's attack points by yours! Necroid Shaman (5000), counter-attack!"

Gluttony laughed and slipped his remaining card in hand into his graveyard. "I can discard Foul Ingredient (300/500) from my hand to copy the effect of one card, meaning I also activate Battle Fusion! Bloated Hell Freak (8100) is going to win!"

The bones burst through Necroid Shaman's body, rending his flesh to pieces and destroying him. Sanzo groaned and lost himself, his other knee hitting the ground as the remaining bones pelted him. "You're finished, and even better I gain life points!" (GLP: 8800)

To Gluttony's surprise Sanzo chuckled and lifted his head and one hand, showing off a single card. "Not quite, Fusion Reflection Mirror is a rare trap card that activates when a fusion monster is destroyed in battle. All damage is reduced to zero and the fusion components return to my hand. At that time I gain one thousand life points per component." (SLP: 3850)

He held up Wildman and Necro Darkman, showing them as the only cards in his hand. Gluttony's surprise faded and he laughed darkly. "What's that going to do? I've got more than twice your life points and you've got one card left in your deck. You'd have to beat me next turn, and only one card in your hand can be summoned. This is the end Temperance, so take your final turn!"

"One final turn…one last chance to show that I'm the hero and to stop you in your tracks…that's all I need! Draw!" Saint smiled and crossed one leg over the other, enjoying the show.

_'Can you truly accomplish victory at this point dear Sanzo? Against Gluttony even the strongest duelists crumple and fall. Should you win it won't matter anyways, as it will only assist me. Regardless of who wins, my goals shall be furthered, so for that I thank you both.'_

Sanzo's eyes narrowed and he thrust the drawn card into the air above his head. "You should know Gluttony, that in the end the hero always wins! One hero or another…that's the truth of the matter! And I was hoping you'd destroy Necroid Shaman all along."

The sin raised an eyebrow, not quite sure he followed. "Why would you have wanted that? Just so you could gain more life points? Wait a second…you wanted two cards in your hand, didn't you?"

"That's right, because now I can activate the last card I knew was left in my deck since it had never been discarded. Magic Shard Excavation, which lets me discard two cards from my hand to add a magic card from my grave to my hand!" After emptying his hand he took one card from his grave and looked at it carefully.

"If my Neo E-Hero Deck couldn't defeat you, then its time I unleash the power of destiny upon you! This single card allows me to unleash their power, no matter what! I activate the magic card Phoenix Soul!" A huge burning bird roared to life above his head and began circling the dueling ring.

Gluttony gulped and looked up at the creature, unable to hide his fear. "What's it doing? What's your magic card going to do?"

"Back when we first met, when Saint introduced us, I could never defeat you. Back then I was learning how to play a hero deck, just like Saint, but I only had one, the Elemental Heroes. Now I'm going to show you my second power, the power of a hero's destiny!" The phoenix shrieked and swooped down upon Sanzo, slamming into him and engulfing his body in flames.

The sin took a few steps backwards, not quite sure what to make of this sudden turn of events. "What's going on?"

A powerful concussive force nearly knocked him off his feet, and when he stopped his stumbling he saw that the flames around Sanzo had been blown away, revealing the hero standing tall. "Phoenix Soul lets a duelist swap their entire deck out for a different one, and draw a brand new hand! At that time they take three thousand points of damage!" (SLP: 850)

He drew six cards from his deck and looked Gluttony in the eye, and the sin felt fear. "A new deck…so all my work for nothing? Fine, I'll beat this deck down as well just like the last one!"

Sanzo smirked and flipped one of his cards around. "Destiny Match-Up lets me select one monster on your field and then special summon a Destiny Hero from my deck with an equal or lesser level, so I special summon Destiny Hero Double Guy (1000/1000)!"

A man in a suit, hat, and holding a cane appeared on his field, a long scarf wrapped around his neck. Gluttony snarled and a tongue lashed out of his register, dragging six cards off of Sanzo's deck. "You're still going to lose, for a level six that monster is a weakling, and even though the bonus from Battle Fusion is gone, Bloated Hell Freak is still much stronger."

The Hero Saint continued smirking and held up one of his other hand cards. "Flow of Destiny lets me special summon one Destiny Hero from my grave to the field and shuffle my deck."

Gluttony stared in awe and horror as a giant of a man with a muscular and scarred body erupted from the ground. His face was hidden by a cast iron mask, and broken chains hung from his wrists and legs. "Destiny Hero Dread Guy (?) is special summoned, and when summoned he lets me special summon two D-Heroes from the cemetery to the field!"

Two monsters formed on his field, one a futuristic looking warrior in green plated armor with a huge blaster as its right arm and a jetpack on its back. "Destiny Hero Doom Guy (1000/1000)!"

The second of the two monsters was a fearsome looking warrior with sleek black body armor and blades extending from its elbows. "Destiny Hero Dynamic Guy (1700/1200)!"

Another tongue shot out of Gluttony's Monster Register, this time snagging sixteen cards off of Sanzo's deck. "You're going to destroy your deck completely at this pace, how is this going to give you victory?"

"Shut up and watch! I normal summon Destiny Hero Diamond Guy (1400/1600) to the field! This gives me a complete army of my Destiny Heroes, and that means it's just about over for you!" Gluttony gulped, suddenly quite worried even as Sanzo lost another four cards from his deck.

With his full army assembled Sanzo now turned his focus to Diamond Guy, a warrior dressed in green with a long cape and diamonds jutting out of his body. "Once per turn Diamond Guy lets me check the top card of my deck. If it's a magic card it goes to the grave and next turn its effect activates."

He tugged it off his deck and showed it to Gluttony. "Next turn Cyclone will be activated, destroying one magic or trap card on the field. But that's not the important thing. Or had you not noticed that Dread Guy's attack and defense were question marks?"

Dread Guy's body began to be suffused by a purple light and to Gluttony's surprise its attack and defense scores began to shoot upwards. "What? How are its attack points determined?"

"Dread Guy's attack and defense scores are equal to those of all D-Heroes in play! So Dread Guy (5100/4800), are you ready to crush his monster completely? Yes? Alright then, Dread Blow!" Gluttony looked on in horror as Dread Guy's fist slammed into his monster's face, crumpling it inwards completely. (GLP: 6800)

"Its not enough, I gain life points now!" His body glowed, the effect of Soul of Sin-Gluttony pumping him full of life points. (GLP: 8350)

"Not enough? Let's find out shall we? Destiny Assault!" Gluttony screamed as he was hit by a beam of energy from Doom Guy, slashed across the chest by Dynamic Guy's blades, hit by a barrage of diamonds from Diamond Guy, and struck across the head by Double Guy's cane. (GLP: 3250)

Sanzo smirked and snapped his fingers, and suddenly Double Guy's body changed shapes, becoming that of a brutal looking man who was much larger. That monster kicked Gluttony in the stomach, nearly shoving him off the dueling arena. "Double Guy can attack twice in the battle phase. But yeah, it wasn't quite enough yet." (GLP: 2250)

"I'll set two cards face down and end my turn. Are you prepared to admit defeat Gluttony? You can't win at this pace, not when you're top decking. Even you aren't that strong."

Gluttony screamed in rage and drew, his dark orange aura flaring heavily again. "I won't lose, I won't lose, and I refuse to lose! Pot of Greed activates, letting me draw two cards!"

He snapped two cards off his deck, and then snarled and flipped one of them around. "Graceful Charity lets me draw three, and the two I discard are both Repayment of Losses, so I draw two!"

"Hah! I've got you now! The very final blow, the card that can only activate when Soul of Sin-Gluttony and Body of Sin-Gluttony are in the grave. Go, Heart of Sin-Gluttony!" Sanzo felt his entire body shaking under the force as a massive wave of orange tentacles shot out of the upraised card and towards his deck.

"Heart of Sin-Gluttony forces you to discard one card off the top of your deck for every card you discarded in the previous turn, that's twenty-six cards! And if my guess is right, that's exactly the number of cards you have left!" Sanzo grimaced as the remainder of his deck was pulled into the graveyard.

"Temperance, this duel is over! But don't think I'm overconfident, because I'll set one card face down and place a monster in defense mode just in case. Draw, draw and lose Temperance!" Saint leaned forwards, and those still awake shivered in anticipation of what Sanzo would do next.

Sanzo pointed one finger at Dynamic Guy and the monster began to glow. "Dynamic Guy's effect activates at this time. By skipping my draw phase I can instead add one card in my cemetery to my hand. Meaning you can't deck me out!"

Gluttony's eyes widened as a blast of wind struck his face down card, blowing it to pieces. "Oh no…I forgot about Diamond Guy's effect!"

"That's right, and all that's left between your life points and you is that face down monster of yours! But guess what…that doesn't matter at all! I activate the card I recovered, Nobleman of Crossout!" Gluttony stared blankly as his face down monster shattered, leaving his field completely open.

Cheers erupted from those left awake in the audience and Sanzo thrust out one hand. "It's over Gluttony, you've lost! Dread Guy, strike him directly for the win! Dread Blow!"

The sin screamed in rage and suddenly his aura exploded outwards, sending streamers of orange lightning into members of the crowd. "Before your attack hits I'll drain every last calorie from the bodies of these mundanes and then I'll destroy you with that power! Even though I'll lose the duel, you'll lose for good!"

Sanzo's eyes widened even as Dread Guy jumped into the air and came barreling down towards Gluttony. His monster wasn't going to be able to stop Gluttony from doing what he intended, and his own energy was completely gone. "STOP IT!"

Gluttony began laughing insanely, his eyes brimming with tears. "I can't stop…you don't understand. Its impossible for me to stop…my power is a curse, and that's why I'm a Sin…not a Virtue."

"When I was a child I was obese, genetically, even though I didn't eat much. No matter what I did I couldn't lose weight, and people were always making fun of me, calling me names. And then it happened when I was eleven…my powers developed." The tears flowed more freely as he spoke, energy streaming from his body.

"My body began consuming itself endlessly and I just kept eating, but I couldn't stop it. I was going to die, consumed by own power. Then Saint came to me, and he showed me how to suppress my power…but that wouldn't stop it. I can't stop myself from eating more, or I'll die. So I'd rather become immortal and live forever than die because of a stupid cursed power! That's why I'm Gluttony, and that's why I'm a monster!" He laughed hysterically even as Dread Guy's fist hit him in the face, sending him flying back into the far wall. (GLP: 0)

Sanzo looked around frantically, trying to figure out some way to stop the madness that was going on. If he didn't stop Gluttony in a few seconds people were going to start dying. "There's got to be a way, god…somebody, anybody, stop him! PLEASE!"

A hacking cough brought his attention back to Gluttony and away from the students. To his surprise Gluttony was pressed up against the arena wall, supported by someone's hand around his throat.

Whoever was holding Gluttony was wearing a black dress that seemed to shift and flow as if it was made of shadows. Long spiky black hair flowed down their back to the middle. Slowly the woman's head turned, revealing beautifully pale skin and eerily bright blue eyes. "Ask and you shall receive…but I don't think I'm exactly what you had in mind."

The woman's hand squeezed and Gluttony gurgled, his energy flickered out and died, ending the absorption. Nobody in the room moved, save for the kicking of Gluttony's legs. Even Saint stared at the woman in surprise. _'Who is this? Her power…it surpasses even mine!'_

Sanzo gulped, frightened of the woman without any understanding of why he was. All he knew was that she had stopped Gluttony, but didn't seem to mind that she was choking him to death. And she was grinning broadly the whole time, showing off perfectly white teeth. "Who are you?"

Her grin widened and a manic look entered her eyes. "Who am I? Heh…that's a good question isn't it? It's a really important question that everybody asks themselves from time to time. Who am I?"

Her grip tightened and Gluttony's legs began to kick more frantically. She snickered, her grin becoming crazed. "Who am I? I'm the thing that everybody fears, that the hide from in the darkness, that they want to wash away with their petty dreams. I'm a true sin, Nightmare!"

Cackling madly she casually hurled Gluttony back onto the dueling field, and he slid all the way to Sanzo's feet. He coughed violently, trying to get air back into his lungs. Sanzo began to bend down to reach for him, but found himself frozen in mid-motion. "Even after all he did, you'd help him? Hero eh? You're just a warrior for the dreams, and that makes me sick."

He slowly tilted his eyes up and found Nightmare standing right above him. He couldn't understand how she had gotten there; it didn't seem possible that she could have covered that much distance so quickly. "What do you want?"

"Want? All I want is to destroy every last dream and leave nothing but nightmares. And I'm going to start with this little brat, isn't that right Gluttony?" Snickering she pushed Sanzo, sending him flying off the arena.

She pulled Gluttony to his feet and began to walk away, only stopping once she was on the other side of the dueling field. "Enjoy this duel Gluttony, because this is going to be your last one. Let the Darkness Game begin!"

Darkness erupted from every inch of her body, pouring outwards until the entire dueling arena, audience and all, was surrounded by the unending dark world that Darkness Games took place in. Gluttony shivered and pulled on the calories he had to support himself and bolster his power. "I…I won't lose! Somebody as powerful as you, when they lose to me they'll make perfect fodder!"

Saint began to rise out of his seat, his eyes narrowed. But his eyes widened as he discovered that tendrils of darkness were wrapped around him, keeping him in the chair. "What is this madness? Power that overcomes my own?"

Nightmare snickered and wagged a finger at him. "Don't be so hasty pretty boy, enjoy the duel. You got what you wanted from that last duel, whatever it was, so now I'm going to get what I want. After all, you don't need this cast off trash anymore do you?"

Gluttony stared up at Saint, his eyes wide with fear. "Saint! You can't abandon me like this! Sloth, Greed, Envy, Pride, Lust, Wrath, someone get me out of this!"

There was no reply, and he saw that even the other sins had been wrapped up by dark tendrils like Saint, and so had each of those who had been left conscious. "There's not going to be any interference. It's just you, me, and your worst nightmares now little sin. Be afraid, be very afraid."

The shadows around her body coalesced into a pitch black duel disk with only red numbers breaking that pattern as her life points were displayed. "I'm going to enjoy stripping you of all your dreams little sin. I can't stand the thought of anyone having dreams…not when all I have is nightmares! So face your worst fears and duel!" (NLP: 4000)

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Author's Note: And now we've seen the introduction of a new threat. That complicates everything doesn't it?

_Next Time: Trapped within the unending darkness Gluttony must face his worst fears as he duels the mysterious and deadly Nightmare. This frighteningly powerful woman seems intent on destroying every last vestige of goodness within the sin, and claims that compared to her, the Seven Sins are nothing but shallow shells. Is she a 'True Sin' as she claims, or is she something else?_

_See it all in, Gluttony's Nightmare!_


	45. Gluttony's Nightmare

Author's Note: And now for the duel of a Sin and a True Sin.

**Chapter Forty-Five: Gluttony's Nightmare**

_Her grin widened and a manic look entered her eyes. "Who am I? Heh…that's a good question isn't it? It's a really important question that everybody asks themselves from time to time. Who am I?"_

_Her grip tightened and Gluttony's legs began to kick more frantically. She snickered, her grin becoming crazed. "Who am I? I'm the thing that everybody fears, that the hide from in the darkness, that they want to wash away with their petty dreams. I'm a true sin, Nightmare!"_

_Cackling madly she casually hurled Gluttony back onto the dueling field, and he slid all the way to Sanzo's feet. He coughed violently, trying to get air back into his lungs. Sanzo began to bend down to reach for him, but found himself frozen in mid-motion. "Even after all he did, you'd help him? Hero eh? You're just a warrior for the dreams, and that makes me sick."_

_He slowly tilted his eyes up and found Nightmare standing right above him. He couldn't understand how she had gotten there; it didn't seem possible that she could have covered that much distance so quickly. "What do you want?"_

_"Want? All I want is to destroy every last dream and leave nothing but nightmares. And I'm going to start with this little brat, isn't that right Gluttony?" Snickering she pushed Sanzo, sending him flying off the arena._

_She pulled Gluttony to his feet and began to walk away, only stopping once she was on the other side of the dueling field. "Enjoy this duel Gluttony, because this is going to be your last one. Let the Darkness Game begin!"_

_Darkness erupted from every inch of her body, pouring outwards until the entire dueling arena, audience and all, was surrounded by the unending dark world that Darkness Games took place in. Gluttony shivered and pulled on the calories he had to support himself and bolster his power. "I…I won't lose! Somebody as powerful as you, when they lose to me they'll make perfect fodder!"_

_Saint began to rise out of his seat, his eyes narrowed. But his eyes widened as he discovered that tendrils of darkness were wrapped around him, keeping him in the chair. "What is this madness? Power that overcomes my own?"_

_Nightmare snickered and wagged a finger at him. "Don't be so hasty pretty boy, enjoy the duel. You got what you wanted from that last duel, whatever it was, so now I'm going to get what I want. After all, you don't need this cast off trash anymore do you?"_

_Gluttony stared up at Saint, his eyes wide with fear. "Saint! You can't abandon me like this! Sloth, Greed, Envy, Pride, Lust, Wrath, someone get me out of this!"_

_There was no reply, and he saw that even the other sins had been wrapped up by dark tendrils like Saint, and so had each of those who had been left conscious. "There's not going to be any interference. It's just you, me, and your worst nightmares now little sin. Be afraid, be very afraid."_

_The shadows around her body coalesced into a pitch black duel disk with only red numbers breaking that pattern as her life points were displayed. "I'm going to enjoy stripping you of all your dreams little sin. I can't stand the thought of anyone having dreams…not when all I have is nightmares! So face your worst fears and duel!" (NLP: 4000)_

Gluttony shook away his fear which was much more difficult than he thought it would be, and reshuffled his deck before placing it back into his duel disk. "I don't know what this 'true sin' crap is, but I'm going to show you why you don't mess with one of the Seven Sins!" (GLP: 4000)

Nightmare yawned, patting her mouth with great exaggeration. Gluttony growled and looked down at his hand of cards. "I'll show you! I set one monster in defense mode and one card face down. Turn end!"

Nightmare's lips curled up into something of a mix between a snarl and a grin as she drew for her turn. Slowly she dragged her tongue across her teeth, revealing fangs like a vampire might have. "I'm going to enjoy making you suffer. And since I know how much you hate your power, I'll summon Effigy of Hate (500/1200) in attack mode!"

The emaciated looking duelist gulped as slowly a terrifying figure rose up on Nightmare's field. It was a gray skinned human with no hair on its body stuck to a cross, its mouth opened in a snarl of rage, its eyes wide with fury. Although it looked frozen in time, it was made more disturbing by the thin trails of blood leaking from the corners of its eyes and mouth. "What in the world is that thing?"

Her bright blue eyes narrowed and suddenly a scream erupted from Effigy of Hate and blood began to flow from its eyes and mouth like water from a faucet. "A creature of nightmares! Effigy of Hate can force a monster on your field to attack it at any time, so come!"

Gluttony's field flickered and a fat man with a obscenely large open mouth formed on his field. "Craven Hunger (700/400) attacks your monster at this time!"

His fat man lunged forwards and bit its teeth into the side of the frozen man on the cross. Blood sprayed out of the wound, covering the fat man and then suddenly the body exploded, shattering both monsters. "Fool, whatever monster destroys Effigy of Hate is also destroyed, and they take five hundred damage!" (GLP: 3500) (NLP: 3800)

The sin grabbed his head as a sudden wave of nausea hit him and he saw a brief image in his mind, though it shattered seconds later. At that time the nausea faded just as quickly as it had begun. "What in the world was that?"

"That was one of the penalties of one of unique Nightmare Darkness Games. Whenever one of a player's monsters is destroyed a dream of theirs is forever destroyed, erased from their mind for all time. Oh, and now another Effigy of Hate is summoned in attack mode." A second statue appeared exactly in the same position as the first one, making it her only card on the field.

Gluttony frowned and shook his head, burning some calories to restore his energy and his focus. "So you lost a dream as well then eh? Oh well, I don't intend to lose many monsters through destruction, so I won't worry about that effect."

Nightmare sneered and wagged a finger back and forth tauntingly. "Don't be a fool little sin. Obviously you weren't paying attention earlier or you would have understood that my name isn't for sure. I have no dreams, only nightmares. So the in game penalty of a Nightmare Darkness Game doesn't bother me at all!"

She laughed aloud, the sound more of an insane cackle than anything else. "You think you're so frightening, but you're really nothing more than a crazy woman! I'm going to make you feel more pain than you can comprehend and show you what a real sin is!"

Abruptly she stopped laughing and the darkness around them quaked. "You think I care about pain? Compared to the horrifying things I've seen and must always see pain is nothing! I'll prove it by ending my turn and giving you a free shot at my life points."

"You want me to have a free hit, then fine! Draw! And now, I summon Bazoo the Soul Eater (1600/900)!" A brutish purple skinned baboon sauntered out onto his field, its head looking from left to right.

Smirking the sin snapped up one of his hand cards. "I activate Overrun, which lets one monster on the field increase its attack points by double at the cost of discarding a monster from my hand! I send Morbid Galvanizer to the cemetery, and then remove it to give Bazoo an additional three hundred points!"

The ape roared furiously as its attack points shot upwards to a massive thirty-five hundred. "Even though he'll die and I'll lose a dream you're going to nearly be finished this turn! Bazoo, devastate his monster with Soul Empowered Fist!"

It beat on its chest and then loped across the field and slammed both hands down on the statue's head, crushing it into the ground. Then it exploded in a shower of blood, taking Bazoo with it. Gluttony grimaced as another dream was shattered within his mind. "I hope you liked that you bitch, because there's more where that came from!" (GLP: 3000) (NLP: 800)

Another Effigy of Hate formed in place of the second one and the blood immediately started flowing. "Oh I did like it. Now come on and end your turn."

Gluttony nodded and the shadowed woman drew, smirking the whole time. _'Why do I get this unnerving feeling that I'm being toyed with? For all she knew I could have beaten her monster and hit her directly this turn and killed her, but she wasn't worried at all. What's with her?'_

Up in the stands Shiro stared down at the duel, specifically at the dark haired Nightmare and gulped. "Anybody else frozen to their chair in terror?"

Enzeru frowned and kept his eyes on the duel even as he responded. "Technically that's the shadows binding you down, but I'm sure the fear contributes."

Shiro narrowed his eyes and looked over at the Obelisk Blue. "You realize that if my hands were free I'd smack you, right?"

Off to the side Chizuma growled and struggled against her bonds. "And if you two don't shut up and let me watch the duel I'll smack you both!"

Pinned as he was to the wall of the arena floor Harrison could only sigh and shake his head. "If I wasn't bound by Mizuki's Punishment Game to be nicer to them than normal I would kill those idiots for being that unbelievably stupid. It'd be doing the gene pool a favor if I took that idiot Shiro out of it."

Shiro sneezed, blinked, and then struggled against the shadow bindings, glaring in Harrison's general direction. "I can tell already you're talking about me you big jackass! Come up here and say it to my face!"

With one eye twitching Nightmare smashed her foot against the ground, sending a tile spinning into her hand. She turned on her heel and hurled it with excellent accuracy, nailing Shiro right in the middle of the forehead. "Shut up and let me duel you idiot! He can't even move, so don't say retarded crap like that! Freaking idiot pisses me off…"

The teenager's eyes rolled back into his head and he started to drift, but then his head snapped back up as he recovered. "Damn…what a throwing arm. She's got a stronger throw than Mizuki."

Chizuma's eyes widened as she looked at Shiro, causing the teenager to blink rapidly, confused. "What's with the look?"

"You're bleeding profusely from the head, how can you not tell?" Shiro blinked and tried to look at his forehead. He only succeeded and making himself go cross-eyed and giving himself a headache.

Nightmare screamed at the top of her lungs, shaking the arena. "Everybody not me and Gluttony shut the hell up or I swear I'll kill you! Next person not amongst the two named who speaks gets a face full of hot death!"

Shiro's left eye twitched as he held back a response. _'Still…quite…tempted…to speak…'_

Taking in a shuddering breath Nightmare assessed her cards, returning to the duel at hand. "Let me show you little sin, the horror that I have prepared for you. I activate Opposing Rebirth! This allows my opponent to special summon a monster from their cemetery to the field with half of its attack points! In exchange I draw one card."

Gluttony ground his teeth together as his Bazoo the Soul Eater reformed, this time with only eight hundred attack points. "And now you activate the effect of Effigy of Hate…"

Nightmare bared her teeth in a sadistic broad smile, her eyes wide and dancing with an inner light. "That's right! Come and face the horror!"

Her statue let out a terrifying wail and the ape shrieked in pain, bounding forwards with blood lust in his eyes. With a single blow it punched through the statue's middle, and was exposed to the blood contained within. Bazoo roared before melting away at the blood's touch. "Your monsters are disturbing and you're just as disturbed. I've already nearly won the duel with no effort! That's the power of a sin, something you wouldn't know about!" (GLP: 2500) (NLP: 500)

To his surprise Gluttony threw back her head and let out a high-pitched almost crazy laugh. After a few moments of laughter Nightmare snapped her head back down and stared at Gluttony, still with that feral mad smile. "Fool, you don't even know what a Sin is! Until you get that, you can't even hope to match me!"

Slowly she reached towards the cards in her left hand with her right, grinning all the while. "As for being close to winning the duel, well I think you've got your wires crossed! You've been misunderstanding the situation this whole time…because I'm only just about to begin!"

The far end of her black duel disk melted, revealing an opening that hadn't been there previously. "Field magic card activates, Polluted Mire!"

Gluttony gagged at the offensive odor that hit him almost immediately after she played the card. The ground under their feet began to lose some of its solid shape, forming into a muddy brown bog. "Disgusting…"

Twisted and half-dead trees rose up out of the muck, vines wrapped around them, constricting them. Behind Nightmare there was a large pipe system that appeared rusted and old, but was still spewing brown liquid into the bog. "Disgusting, a place where none would live upon choice."

The ebony haired woman ran her tongue along her fanged teeth, also running her hand against the top of her cards. "Once per turn Polluted Mire will produce a Vengeful Bog Spirit token (500/500) on our field. Here's the first!"

Out of the muck in front of Nightmare rose a creature that appeared vaguely humanoid, but its right arm was longer than the left, and its body was brown and spouting pitch black oil from its eyes, ears, and mouth. Gluttony put a hand over his mouth to prevent from vomiting at the smell. "What…what does it do?"

"What does it do? Why a Vengeful Bog Spirit token is much like the card it was named after it. Monsters can no longer attack on the turn they were summoned as long as we have one on our field. In addition, when one is destroyed our opponent takes three hundred points of damage." She smirked and pulled another card out of her hand.

"Let the nightmare begin! I activate the field magic card Court of Shattered Dreams! When this card is activated all cards on the field return to their owners hands, including my field card." The bog vanished, as did Gluttony's face down card. The only thing that remained was the token on her field.

"Since it can't return to my field, Vengeful Bog Spirit is instead destroyed, and it'll take three hundred of your life points with it!" Gluttony shut his eyes tightly as the noxious creature jumped on him, splattering its ichor all over his body. (GLP: 2200)

Nightmare smirked as the new field was generated. In place of the disgusting bog they were now within a long hallway full of what looked to have once been majestic gothic columns. Yet now they were broken and blackened, with blood splattered on them. "In this place the spirits of broken dreams dwell, and it will take your dreams with it."

Gluttony shuddered as a chill ran down his spine. Peaking out from behind the columns were pale faced people in tattered rags of what might have once been palace finery. Their faces were morose and defeated, and the light was gone from their eyes. They were alive, but might as well have been dead. "What's wrong with them?

The dark woman cracked her knuckles, ignoring the former nobles as she faced Gluttony. "They are all that remains of a proud people. This is what happens to someone when they no longer have any dreams whatsoever to sustain them."

The faces of all those still awake began to droop as their dreams seemed to suddenly be impossibly far away, impossible to obtain. Even Gluttony found himself nearly sinking to his feet in despair. _'This is…what is this?'_

Even Saint, trapped though he was, seemed to be experiencing something. But unlike the others, it wasn't despair from a feeling of losing ones dreams. Instead his face was alight with joy. _'This girl…she's a True Sin indeed! Without a doubt, she's exactly what I've been hoping to see! I knew if a Sin and a Virtue clashed at full power one would undoubtedly appear, but I had no idea one would be this strong!'_

"If you're expecting Court of Shattered Souls to show you its effect, you've got another thing coming. You see, I have absolutely no reason to use it on you, you're not worth the effort!" Gluttony looked up at her through heavy eyes, not sure if he understood her.

"Foolish little sin let me show you a taste of its power in a Nightmare Darkness Game. No need for its effect. Let's see what your curse was really like!"

Gluttony gulped his eyes wide with fear as a young boy, no older than ten, stumbled across the field. Based on the hair and facial features, it was without a doubt a younger Gluttony. "No…"

A sudden peal of laughter reached his ears, and he knew what was going on. He had seen such things in his memories too often not to recognize it. Instantly a group of ten little kids ran out from behind the columns, wielding sticks and pebbles, which they pelted the obese little boy. "Fatass! Lard butt!"

The little Gluttony held flabby arms over his head, sobbing as he tried to cover himself from the onslaught. "Leave me alone! Please!"

One of little boys, taller than the rest and clearly the ring leader, kicked the young Gluttony in the stomach, toppling him. "Shut up fatass! You're so gross to look at, eating like a pig like you always do! And you're always whining in gym, like the little piggy you are!"

The string of little boys snickered and pelted him with more pebbles, poking him with their sticks. They repeated their chants of various insults for his weight, not stopping. "What are you going to do about it tubby? Cry again?"

The ringleader let out a yelp and pulled away, shaking his head and dropping his stick. All of the kids drew back in surprise, seeing that the young Gluttony was now on all fours, glaring up at the ringleader. Blood dripped from his lips and silence hung in the air for several seconds. "You…you bit me! You fat freak!"

All of the boys fell upon little Gluttony, hitting him without mercy, their rage suddenly consuming them at the sight of that blood. Finally after the orgy of violence had concluded itself the boys backed away, panting heavily. The ringleader spat on little Gluttony's fallen and bloodied form. "Eat that you fat freak. Let's go."

The images faded, and the older Gluttony dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "No…it wasn't always like that. That was one of the worst moments."

Nightmare snickered and licked her lips. "I don't believe that crap, because with Court of Shattered Dreams in play I can live through any of your nightmares that I want, and I can see it all. I know the worst of them all…"

An older Gluttony, skinny now and maybe thirteen, sat in the middle of the court. He laughed happily as a little Yorkshire terrier ran out towards him, yapping in delight. The real Gluttony gulped. "No! Don't run to him…don't Sparky…"

There was nothing that could be done, as his younger self had already done it. The little dog jumped into his young self's arms and he hugged it tight. "Thank you Sparky, you're the only one that cares about me."

A sudden yelp brought the boy's attention to the dog in his arms instead of his own pain. He gasped as he saw orange light flowing from the dog directly into his body, and bit by bit the dog was growing skinnier. "Sparky! I'm sorry, run away, I can't help it!"

He pushed the dog out of his lap and it tried to walk, but its now skinny legs dropped out from under it. Gluttony started to go towards it, but when he got close the energy returned, draining the dog of more calories. He dropped to the ground a few feet away, sobbing. "I can't…can't even touch you…without hurting you…"

The images shattered and the adult Gluttony glared at Nightmare through tear filled eyes. "Stop it! I don't need to relive these memories; I've seen them enough in my nightmares as it is! I know I'm cursed, this is pointless!"

Nightmare shrugged and flicked her wrist, slapping a card into the same zone her field occupied. "I don't care what you have to say, so let's get on with the real nightmare now! I activate the field card Polluted Mire! And when Court of Shattered Dreams would at all leave play, it returns to my hand!"

The court swapped out for the bog, and another spirit rose up out of it. Nightmare laughed hysterically as Gluttony's eyes went as wide as they could. "Get it? These two cards were in my opening hand, and together create an infinite loop that could have beaten you first turn! I activate Court of Shattered Souls, returning Polluted Mire to my hand and destroying my token!"

Gluttony screamed as the token slammed into him forcefully, knocking him backwards and covering him in blackened goo. "No…this can't be! I'm on of the Seven Sins! I can't lose so easily!" (GLP: 1900)

Still laughing the demonic woman slammed her previous field card into play, and then followed it up by placing the other in. "Again and again, the endless cycle that devours you alive! Of course…that's the point isn't it? You can't stop nightmares, no matter what you do! Even the bravest of the brave and happiest of the happy has nightmares. They will never cease to exist and cannot be beaten back!" (GLP: 0)

Gluttony fell to his knees, panting heavily with his body covered from head to toe in that ooze. The field faded, leaving them still in the darkness. "Stop it…leave me alone."

"Foolish little sin, this is the truth of the matter. I'm a True Sin, an embodiment of the power of the shadows unlike anything you could understand. You, who don't even know the nature of a Sin, can't begin to comprehend what I am. And now…you will be punished!" She cackled madly, her arms thrust into the air.

Suddenly her eyes narrowed and Gluttony felt his heart hammering in his chest. "For your punishment game, the one I enjoy the most…you must live out your worst nightmare! It will become real and you will live it out over and over again for as long as you live!"

Even Nightmare seemed surprised, though pleased, when a roaring orange aura erupted around Gluttony and he began screaming. She snickered, enjoying what she was seeing. "I didn't realize it was like this when I saw it in your mind. Your worst nightmare…being devoured by your own cursed power! The ultimate fate of a Sin, demise at the hands of their own abilities!"

As the audience looked on bit by bit Gluttony's body became skinner. He screamed the whole time, until his face became sickeningly hollow. Then with one last pained wail his body collapsed in on itself, becoming nothing but dust. "What a wonderfully sickening fate. I loved the way your mind worked, coming up with such a beautiful nightmare."

She turned away from the remains of the defeated Sin and looked at Sanzo, who was tied down by the darkness. "It's your turn little virtue. I'll defeat you just as easily as I beat him. I'd love to see the nightmares a hero possesses!"

With a faint gesture of her hand the darkness lifted Sanzo up and deposited him onto the dueling field right next to Gluttony's remains. "I won't be defeated monster…I won't let you hurt anyone else! This ends with me!"

Nightmare cracked her knuckles, looking amused. "We'll see about that little virtue. Now, let your nightmare be….gin?"

Her face was suddenly a mask of shock and she held her hands up to examine them. Even she seemed afraid as they were falling apart. A quick look at her feet showed the same effect. "No…not now! Damn it, not now!"

As her body broke apart into particles of darkness, she gave Sanzo one last glare. "I'll destroy you and your dreams when I return! I'll let you all wallow in the darkness and be consumed by your own nightmares! You'll see!"

Her body shattered, leaving nothing to show that she had ever been there. And the darkness faded, releasing everyone.

Sitting up and rubbing his wrists, Saint smiled faintly. "Well that was productive. Oh well, time to move on now."

He stopped at the door before leaving and looked down at the crouched figure of Sloth. "Do be a dear and take care of the rest of it. Make their dreams a replica of the duel, only without the more…gruesome aspects. And of course, no need for anyone to dream of Nightmare is there?"

Chuckling he walked out as if nothing had happened.

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Author's Note: Interesting…

_Next Time: Clean-up begins, and only a few on the island remember that anything happened. A morose Mizuki seems inconsolable, but before his efforts can succeed Shiro is interrupted by the arrival of his older brother. What's this? What does he want, and why is Shiro so upset?_

_See it all in, VS Big Brother; Up to Bat!_


	46. VS Big Brother Up to Bat!

Author's Note: Time for Shiro to step up to bat against his big bro!

**Chapter Forty-Six: VS Big Brother; Up to Bat!**

The end of the nightmare had come so suddenly that when the rest of the students began to wake up, those who had been awake were honestly unsure of what they should say or do. It quickly became clear though that all they remembered was a normal duel between Sanzo and Gluttony.

Sanzo had left the duel in tatters, feeling absolutely horrible. When last anyone had seen him he was berating himself for not being able to stop Nightmare, even though the one she slew was hardly a good person.

Harrison had stalked out of the arena quickly, determination in his eyes. The common theory by those who had been awake and knew him was that he was absolutely set on defeating Nightmare. That was the kind of power he liked to face to make himself stronger.

Chizuma had run off looking for Mizuki, Enzeru and Kane had gone off to talk somewhere or perhaps to their respective dorms. As for Shiro, he had gone to speak to one person in specific.

"What did you do? Why's she like this? It's your fault, something you said made her this way, and I want an explanation." The violet eyed Kaoru looked up at Shiro and then looked away, feeling ashamed. She could see it in his heart, how serious he was about this.

"I told her something that maybe I shouldn't have. You see, my power lets me look into the hearts of others to understand them and see things about them. The only times it failed to work were on Saint and on Mizuki. When I told her that it didn't work on her she freaked out and ran away." Shiro grimaced and threw up his hands.

"I knew that! I was spying on you guys. I just thought there was more to it. Any idea why she reacted like that?" Kaoru nodded, feeling even more ashamed of herself.

"If you were listening, which is weird and obsessive I might add, then you know what I said about Saint. I said that he had no heart, since I couldn't see it at all. He even made a similar comment himself. It's likely that Mizuki thought I was implying something similar about her, which wasn't my intent." Shiro looked her in the eyes, and then snorted and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You know something? I'm guessing that you're so used to being able to see how people feel that you can't figure it out without those eyes of yours. I know Mizuki, and I know that she's insecure about how others see her a lot of the time. What you said….she's going to see herself like a monster now, or something like that. That's what she called the Sins, and that means she'd think she was like them." He scowled and kicked his foot against the ground, frustrated.

"The problem is that, even if I've figured out what she's probably thinking, I don't know how I'd fix the problem. I can talk to her, but how's that going to help? I'm an idiot and I always screw up when I say things and piss her off. That's the last thing she needs right now." To his surprise Kaoru smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder, making him look her in the eyes.

"Shiro, you're honestly one of the nicest guys I've met. And I'm not just saying that from what I see in your heart. You've got a knack for making Mizuki less tense, so I'd say that's exactly what she needs right now. Go and be her friend, that's what she'll want." The teen stared at her, and then turned and started running in the opposite direction.

"Thanks Kaoru, I'll take that to heart and see what I've got! The Prankster of Duelist Academy is now officially on the case!" Kaoru blinked and placed her right hand on her hip, nibbling carefully on her bottom lip.

"Prankster huh? At least he didn't keep the rest of the title."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mizuki sighed as she stared out at the slowly moving ocean. She was standing beneath the lighthouse with her arms wrapped around her, letting the salty sea breeze wash over her. _'Last night I…'_

"I was wondering where I would find you. Hadn't figured you'd be here." Mizuki barely bothered a glance at Shiro before turning away. His left eye twitched in response to her ignoring him, but he kept walking towards her.

Shiro stopped walking so that he was standing behind her and slightly to the left. He said nothing, and then tilted his upper body to the right. Mizuki's eyes widened when she felt a hand slip up her skirt, and she reacted by screaming.

The prankster felt a flash of pain and saw lights dancing in front of his eyes. He rubbed his cheek and found himself staring up at the sky, having been knocked to the ground by Mizuki's slap. "You pervert! What the heck did you think you were doing?"

Ignoring the pain the blue haired teenager grinned up at her cheekily. "I was just checking for a tail, that's all. I figured since you weren't human there had to be some sign of it, right?"

She stopped dead and gulped, unable to believe what she was hearing. "You…you know?"

Snickering the prankster hopped to his feet and looked down at her hair. "I don't see any horns either. So if you're not human, then where are you hiding your freakish deformities? No cat ears either…a pity."

Mizuki blinked and craned her neck up, surprised to discover that she had to really look up at him now. She remembered him being a handful of inches taller, but not this much taller. "Don't make fun of me Shiro…what Kaoru said is right. I'm not human; I'm a monster, just like Saint and his Sins!"

Shiro rolled his eyes and snorted, turning away from her to face the sea. "Oh please, those guys may be freaks but they're still human. Hell, I'd wager that a monster would be nicer than those guys are. So don't go comparing yourself to them."

She looked at her feet, wrapping her arms around her again as the depression continued. "You don't understand what it's like, to be so different. I don't know what I am, but after everything I've learned from Kaoru, Saint, and even Tobias I know that I'm not human. I don't want to be seen as a monster."

"Sheesh, I thought you got over this problem last year, but I guess I was wrong. Back then you didn't want to be seen as eye candy, and you didn't want to be seen as a nerd either. Don't you remember what I said back then?" Mizuki tilted her head up, looking at the back of his head, her eyes wide as she remembered that incident.

_"See, you were wondering if people wanted you to be just a pretty girl that people could look at, or a smart girl that sometimes bugged people, while I said you could be just a duelist. But if you want to be, you can be all three. You can be a pretty duelist who is smart, funny, and talented all at once. No need to pick and choose when you can be a jack of all trades, right?"_

"No need to pick and choose…but how does that apply here? I'm either human or I'm not! And even if I wasn't a monster and people just saw me that way it would still hurt, and I don't want that!" She yelped in surprise when Shiro spun around and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking down at her with a surprisingly intense look in his eyes.

"And I'm saying that stuff like that doesn't matter! If you choose what you want to be, human or monster, then it shouldn't matter what other people think! It's the way you act that's important. Don't you get it? Saint chose to be a monster, even though he's human. You have to make a choice of whether you'll keep that monster inside or let it out, that's what this is about!" Mizuki shivered, once again struck by the height difference.

Her eyes shimmered, wetting up with tears that she was trying to hold back. Slowly she began to push up on her tiptoes, and Shiro's eyes widened in response. "Shiro…I…"

Mizuki's eyes drifted shut as she drew closer to him, and Shiro leaned down towards her, his heart pounding deafeningly in his chest. "Mizuki…"

"Well that's sure an interesting sight to start off with on my first visit here." Mizuki screamed in surprise and stumbled backwards, nearly going over into the water. She turned to see who was there, and missed Shiro dropping to his knees and shaking his fist at the sky, huge sprays of tears coming from his eyes.

The Obelisk Blue was surprised to see that standing at the helm of a little speed boat just a dozen feet away was a tall and thin man, probably just about twenty or twenty-one with brown eyes and wavy black hair. But it was his face that was a surprise, the look of his nose and the tilt of his cheekbones looked like….

"Hey wait a second, I know you! You're….no way! The connection, I never made it before. Tensuke Akugi, the best batter the Kyoto Comets have seen in ten years is…" The young man Tensuke smirked and propped one foot up against the edge of the speed boat, and jerked his thumb towards his chest.

"Yeah, that's right! I'm Tensuke Akugi, the Number One Batter of the Kyoto Comets, and the Ultimate Hot-Blooded Batter of the Pro Baseball League!" Laughing with delight he thrust the arm that had been angled towards his chest into the sky, his finger pointing up at the sun.

"When I step up to bat the baseballs become acquainted with the brilliant sun, turning into comets at my swing! And when I swing towards a lady's heart they turn into brilliant meteors of love! I'm Tensuke Akugi, third child of the prominent Akugi family of experts!" By this time a large sweat-drop had formed on the back of Mizuki's head, unable to believe what she was seeing. It was so very familiar though.

With another laugh Tensuke brought his arm down and pointed it at Mizuki like a gun, grinning like an idiot. "And you must be Duelist Academy's famous Rising Star, the apple of my little brother's eye. I never realized just how lovely you are little lady, so it's a pleasure to meet you. Now, be careful not to fall for me, because I doubt my little brother would like that."

He winked, and Mizuki felt the sweat-drop grow. Shiro's left eye twitched furiously as Mizuki suddenly clapped. "That was really impressive! You're an even bigger over-actor than Shiro is!"

Both Akugis collapsed in surprise, before jumping right back to their feet and pointing fingers at each other. "I'm nothing like that overblown pompous baseball loser!"

Tensuke glared at Shiro, sparks flashing between them. "I'm nothing like that runt of the litter!"

Shiro growled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his yellow blazer. "What are you doing here anyways you hot-blooded loser? You're not the kind to visit when baseball season is about to start."

His older brother rolled his eyes and shoved his own hands into the pockets of his black and white windbreaker. "Well you're right about that, but mom and dad sent me to check up on you. They said your grades haven't been as good as they could."

The younger sibling glared at his older brother, his hands tightening into fists within his pockets. "Don't be stupid, if mom and dad had something like that to say they would have sent me an e-mail or just called my cell phone. Why would they really send you here?"

Mizuki looked back and forth between the brothers, officially more confused than she cared to admit. "Umm…."

Tensuke snorted and looked away, tilting his nose up as he did so. "Keep in mind that it wasn't my idea. See, mom and dad say that you've been getting in trouble lately. If you remember they weren't too happy about you being involved in that whole Emerlo incident from last year. And rumors are constantly flying about supernatural stuff like Darkness Games going on at the academy."

Shiro narrowed his eyes, now fully interested. "Yeah, and?"

Ignoring how his little brother hadn't let him finish Tensuke continued. "Basically I was about a hundred miles away yesterday fishing when mom and dad gave me a call saying that reports were coming in of a high energy signature ranking way up on the Sayako Scale was detected at Duelist Academy."

An image of Gluttony's power rage and Nightmare's darkness flashed through Shiro's mind briefly. "Mom and dad told me that they were really worried about you. So they had me come all the way here to talk to you in person and do my best to convince you."

"Convince me of what?" Mizuki leaned in, even more curious as to what was going on between the two siblings. Her own worries were suddenly forgotten as she became more interested in this situation.

"They want me to convince you to give up on this duelist stuff, or at least choose a different place than Duelist Academy. They want you to come with me and leave this place, in your best interest of course." Shiro narrowed his eyes and then turned around, almost completely ignoring his brother.

"I'm not going anywhere, and there's nothing you can say to change my mind. So just leave like I know you want to. You found baseball as your calling and I found dueling, so leave me be. This is what I want with my life and nobody can interfere with that." Tensuke sighed and jumped from the boat to the lighthouse dock, landing gracefully.

Shiro and Mizuki's eyes widened at the same time as a clicking sound that was very familiar went through the air. "Yeah, I figured you'd say something like that. Which is why I had to go this method. Beat me in a duel and I'll leave and say nothing else, no hassle."

Slowly Shiro turned around to find his brother facing him with a determined look in his eyes and a duel disk active on his left arm. "Why would I even bother accepting the duel when I can just ignore you completely?"

Tensuke smirked and slid a deck into the holder of the disk. "Because if you don't accept I'm going to tell the Rising Star here the secret you've been keeping from her the past two years. That and every embarrassing story I can think of. And I'll tell them to everyone at the entire Academy!"

Shiro grimaced and reached down to the bag he had previously been carrying and pulled out his duel disk and deck. He placed them on and flicked the disk open. "Fine, I'll beat you down and get this over with! You couldn't beat me when we were younger, so now that I've improved you can't beat me either." (TLP: 4000) (SLP: 4000)

His brother drew a card and looked down at his hand. "Actually, back then I didn't have any sort of really strategy, I just had powerful cards. Now that I've got a deck that works for me it makes all the difference. So let me show you what the Ultimate Hot-Blooded Batter of the Pro Baseball League can do!"

Laughing lightly he slapped a card onto his field, and suddenly a red-skinned human in a yellow baseball outfit appeared. He had a glove over one hand and his hat pulled tight of his head. His uniform showed a 10 as its number. "Left Fielder (1500/500) is my first choice!"

Shiro raised an eyebrow in surprise. "A baseball deck? Well that's just ridiculous. What can this thing even do?"

"When Left Fielder is summoned I place a 'burn counter' on it and during each of my standby phases I produce another. For each Center Fielder or Right Fielder in play that amount is increased by one. During each of my end phases you take one hundred damage for every burn counter on Left Fielder. But I'm not even close to finished!" He held up a magic card from his hand, showing a picture of King's Knight, Queen's Knight, and Jack's Knight surrounded by a white aura.

"Ties That Bind activates when I summon a monster. It lets me summon a monster from my deck mentioned in my monster's text, or in the chosen monster's text. So guess what, Center Fielder (1000/1000) comes out to play!" A similarly dressed monster, this one with a 9 on its uniform appeared.

Mizuki narrowed her eyes and then looked over at Shiro. "Careful Shiro, Ties That Bind is a deadly card! And since Left Fielder was in play when Center Fielder was summoned it gains two burn counters. Its effect is just like Left Fielders!"

Tensuke smirked and his deck churned and spat out another card. "That's right, and while Ties That Bind is in the cemetery we each get its effect whenever we summon. So now I special summon Right Fielder (500/1000) who gains three counters total!" His newest one was identical to the others, just with an eight instead of a different number.

Continuing his turn Tensuke flipped around another card. "Repelling Flame activates! This switches all fire monsters on my field into defense and deals you two hundred damage for each level of my switched monsters! That's eighteen hundred damage!"

Shiro screamed as a wall of flame shot out from the three baseball monsters and surrounded him, scorching him and draining his life points. "Nice…hit." (SLP: 2200)

"It gets better, just you wait. I set one card and end my turn, dealing you one hundred damage per the total burn counters on my monsters. That's six hundred all told!" The three monsters wound up and pitched balls of flame at Shiro, striking him with each individual fireball. (SLP: 1600)

The Ra Yellow drew swiftly and then flipped around the drawn card. "Yeah, well I'm no dueling slouch myself, so I'll show you what I've learned! Action Stunt Doubles costs five hundred life points but lets me special summon two of my special brand of monsters into play!" (SLP: 1100)

Two handsome dark haired men dressed in samurai garb appeared and unsheathed katanas. Mizuki sighed as they bowed to her, and then turned and scowled at Tensuke. _'Still his monsters do that stuff…'_

"These are both Action Warrior-Katana Masters (1400/1000). But don't think I'm done, since I'm equipping one of them with Action Weapon-Supreme Cycle!" A sleek black motorcycle with machine guns on the side roared out of the card and the first Katana Master did a back-flip and landed in the seat.

"The equipped monster gains five hundred attack points and the ability to attack without you chaining magic and trap cards this turn. But I'm not ready yet, so the first one is going to attack Left Fielder!" The one without the motorcycle ran past the baseball monster and made a slash with his sword, then sheathed it. The baseball monster collapsed and then shattered.

"A Katana Master can attack twice per battle phase, so go after Center Fielder!" Again the Action Warrior unsheathed his blade, cutting it through the selected monster so fast that it shattered before it could register that it had been cut. Once finished the warrior walked calmly back to Shiro's field.

Shiro's eyes widened as twin bursts of flame suddenly shot out at him and speared him in the chest. "What he heck was that?" (SLP: 100)

Tensuke smirked and motioned to his previously face down card, which was revealed to now be face up. "That's my permanent trap card Backfire, which activates when a fire monster is beaten in battle. You take five hundred damage. So now you can't kill Right Fielder without losing the duel."

"Don't be an idiot, I'm not gonna lose that easily! I activate the quick-play magic card Life Pump Up which lets me destroy monsters on my field to gain five hundred life points. I'll just destroy the Katana Master that already attacked!" His monster bowed to him before exploded, spraying him with golden particles of light. (SLP: 600)

Shiro snapped his fingers together and his remaining monster revved up its motorcycle and readied its blade. "Even though it's going to cost me those gained life points I'll attack your Right Fielder with Katana Master and then go direct!"

The Katana Master roared right past the baseball monster, slashing it into pieces, and then made the second stroke directly against Tensuke's chest. As Shiro's brother grabbed his chest in pain the Action Warrior swung the bike around and returned to Shiro's field. (SLP: 100) (TLP: 2100)

The Ra Yellow teen flipped around one of the three remaining cards in his hand. "Since any monster summoned by Action Stunt Doubles loses the ability to attack during the end phase I'll activate Action Stunt-Overly Dramatic Death Scene!"

Katana Master stepped off the bike looking completely calm, and then suddenly his hand went limp and his sword tumbled to the ground. He raised shaking hands to his face and then fell to his knees. _"NOOO!"_

His hands went to his chest which he clutched at as he shuddered violently. Mizuki sighed, realizing once again that Shiro's monsters were just as overly dramatic as he was, and this was just more proof. "I can destroy an Action Warrior on my field to gain its attack as life points. So farewell brave Katana Master."

Katana Master coughed and then collapsed face first against the ground. He lay there for several seconds before he and his motorcycle burst into millions of pixels. "Thanks for the sacrifice my monster." (SLP: 2000)

Flashing his brother a smirk Shiro slid one card from his hand into his duel disk. "I end my turn there. Let's see if you can do as well as you did last turn, of if it was just beginner's luck."

Tensuke growled and drew, giving him three cards in hand. "I play Pot of Greed, and I won't even bother to explain the effect."

As soon as he had drawn his second card the grinning green jar shattered into nothingness. "Okay, I summon Shortstop (1800/1100), and using the effect of Ties That Bind I special summon First Baseman (1600/1300), and then following him is Second Baseman (1500/14000), and lastly Third Baseman (1700/1200)!"

Four more red-skinned men in baseball uniforms appeared, labeled four, five, six, and seven respectively. "Their own effects can be used to special summon each other, but luckily I got to avoid that. So, all-out attack!"

The four monsters rushed forwards and began pummeling Shiro without mercy, hitting him with their fists and their feet. Once they had kicked up a large amount of dust they backed away, leaving Shiro lying on the ground. Tensuke sighed and shook his head. "This academy must be worthless if that's all you've got."

Mizuki smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "For the guy's brother you sure don't know him that well. Or maybe you should have paid attention to what he did when you declared the attack."

The Shiro that was on the ground suddenly shattered and Shiro reappeared where he had been standing, grinning like crazy. "Heh, don't be surprised big brother, I just activated my trap card Bait and Switch. So you just saw a fake me get beaten up."

Still grinning Shiro held up his trap card. "Bait and Switch can activate when the opponent attacks. It lets me sacrifice one card on my field to reduce all battle damage to me for the turn to zero. I sacrificed it, and since it went to the grave from the field because of an effect I shuffle it into my deck and draw one card."

Tensuke grimaced and slid a card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card First Base. As long as this card is active when you target one of my monsters with a trap you have to pay five hundred life points. End turn."

A red base appeared off to Tensuke's right, floating above the water. Shiro ignored it as he drew for his turn, giving him three cards thanks to the effect of Bait and Switch. "Alright, I'm gonna take your monsters apart right now!"

He grinned and slapped a card down. A handsome dark haired man in a white karate outfit hopped out onto his field and made experimental jabs at the air. "Action Warrior-Martial Artist (1500/1200) is gonna beat the crap out of your monsters!"

Tensuke snorted and folded his arms across his chest. "That guy? He's way too weak to do anything like what you just said. He only ties with my weakest monster, so what will he do?"

"He's not gonna do much, since I'm skipping my battle phase to play this next card. Action Stunt-One Hundred on One Brawl!" Tensuke jerked back in surprise when his four monsters suddenly rushed the martial artist and dog piled him, making him disappear beneath their body weight as they attacked.

"What the heck is going on? Why did my monsters attack when I didn't order them to? And how did they attack on your turn?" Shiro smirked and held up his magic card with his right hand as he explained.

"This card requires me to have one Action Warrior while you've got at least two monsters. By skipping my battle phase I can destroy all your monsters and deal you four hundred damage for each one. So say goodbye." A bellow came from beneath the pile of bodies and suddenly the Martial Artist burst upwards, sending all four other monsters flying.

Tensuke braced himself as the four bodies hit him, dealing him even more damage and putting his little brother in the lead. "You turned the tide with one magic card? I wasn't expecting that." (TLP: 500)

"That's just how good I am. Now I set one card face down and end my turn! Bring on whatever you've got!" Tensuke nodded and to Shiro's surprise another base appeared right in front of him.

"During your end phase First Base lets me activate Second Base from my deck. This card is five hundred life points when you target one of my monsters with a magic card, so you're in even more trouble. Now I draw!" He looked down at his hand and smirked, liking what he was seeing.

"I activate Graceful Charity. And to fulfill its cost of two discards I'll send Repayment of Losses and Bench-Warmer (500/500) to the grave." He slid the two named cards into his grave and then looked up at his brother.

"When Repayment of Losses goes to the grave I draw one card. And when Bench-Warmer is discarded as a cost you take five hundred points of damage. So I draw and you burn!" Shiro grimaced as another ball of fire hit him, getting soot all over his uniform. (SLP: 1500)

Tensuke then cracked his neck and rotated his shoulders, before flipping around his newly drawn card. "Seventh Inning Stretch lets me shuffle any number of baseball monsters in my grave into my deck to draw two cards! I'll shuffle all seven back in."

Laughing he slapped one of his cards down onto the field and a man wearing a heavy vest, a slotted mask, and a catcher's glove appeared. "Catcher (0/2000) appears in defense mode, and then since he's in the text, I special summon Pitcher (1000/1000)!"

Another red-skinned human, this one with a two on its uniform stepped up and began tossing a baseball made of fire up and down. "Since it's in the text I special summon Third Baseman (1700/1200), then Shortstop (1800/1100), and lastly First Baseman (1600/1300)!"

Once again his field was filled up with baseball monsters, completely overwhelming what Shiro had to work with. "For every First, Second, and Third Baseman, along with every Shortstop and Catcher in play Pitcher gains three hundred attack points!"

The Pitcher suddenly shot up to twenty-two hundred attack points, making him easily the stronger monster in play. "Next, since I have a face-up Pitcher in play I can activate Spitball, which lets me draw three cards!"

"From my hand I now activate Third Base, meaning during your end phase I'll be able to activate the fourth and final card of the set! That is, if you survive this turn! Pitcher attacks Martial Artist!" The pitcher wound up and then hurled a burning ball of flame the size of a basketball at Shiro.

Shiro motioned to his face-down card and Martial Artist side-stepped the attack, letting it breeze by. "Last-Second Escape activates if an Action Warrior on my field is attacked. I can negate that attack and end the battle phase."

Tensuke smirked and snapped his hand of cards closed. "I'm letting you know right now that Catcher prevents you from attacking other baseball monsters, and Third Base works like its two other versions except with monster effects. Believe me, next turn you lose!"

_'He has no idea how truthful that is. Since Catcher lets me add a card pertaining to Pitcher from my deck to my hand during my standby phase I can just add Knuckleball to my hand. And it deals three hundred damage for each baseball monster I have in play, so that'd be the fifteen hundred needed to beat him. It really is over.'_

Shiro scowled and drew swiftly, giving him just one card in his hand. He looked at the card and began to think carefully, trying to figure out what to do from here. "Shiro, you better not lose!"

He jerked his head up and looked over at Mizuki, who had even caught Tensuke by surprise with her outburst. "Mizuki?"

"I'm serious you big idiot! If you lose I won't forgive you, because you better not leave the academy. Got me?" Shiro grinned and nodded, then turned back to the duel.

"You heard the lady big brother; I'm not going to lose here! And you screwed up by not setting a card, since Martial Artist can attack directly for half damage! Direct attack!" Tensuke snorted and slid two cards from his hand into the grave.

"Umpire's Call can be discarded from my hand along with one card to negate one instance of damage. And I discarded Bench-Warmer (500/500) for the cost, so that's five hundred more damage!" Shiro grimaced, seeing his easy chance slipping away. (SLP: 1000)

Shiro shook it away and flipped up his remaining card. "I play Painful Choice, meaning you have to select one of five cards I choose. That one stays in my hand and the others go to the grave."

He searched his deck quickly before fanning out his hand. "Scrounging for Supplies, Repayment of Losses, Repayment of Losses, Repayment of Losses, and Final Assault."

Tensuke narrowed his eyes, looking at the chosen cards. "I won't let you draw three cards for free, so I choose to keep a Repayment of Losses in your hand."

Shiro nodded and discard the other four cards. "I now draw two cards from the effect of the Repayments I did discard."

He looked down at his hand and then snickered. "I can't target your monsters, but I can still nuke them all! I activate Temporal Disruption, which destroys all monsters in play and then lets each player draw one card per destroyed monster!"

His older brother gasped as all six monsters were drawn into a vortex which closed after them. "I draw one card while you draw five, so I guess things are evened up."

Giving his brother eight cards in hand had been a risk, but it was about to pay off. "I activate the magic card Reverse Reload! Now we each shuffle our hands into our decks and draw an amount equal to what our opponent had! So I get eight and you get two!"

Shiro stuck his tongue out as the two switched hand sizes. "Alright, I set three cards face down and then set a monster in defense mode. End turn."

Another base appeared this one directly in front of Tensuke. Then the older brother drew, giving him three cards to work with. "You've made a mistake little brother, and that was letting me get all four bases together. By sacrificing them all I can special summon this monster from wherever it exists!"

A red-skinned slightly chubby man with the number 01 on his jacket stepped up to the plate, shouldering a bat and tugging his cap down tighter. "Shiro, meet The Babe-Home Run King (2500/2000)! As long as he's in play the effects of the four cards used to summon him are considered active!"

Shiro grimaced, realizing what that meant. _'So he's got a high powered attacker and I can't target his monsters in any way, not even battle, without taking five hundred damage. That's just super. And even if I do attack one of his monsters and beat it Backfire will deal me five hundred damage. Destroying even a single of his monsters right now would finish me off.'_

"I activate this card from my hand, World Series! This card lets me special summon three baseball monsters from my deck, though they can't attack for three turns! I special summon my key named monsters!" Shiro and Mizuki looked on in surprise as three short monsters wearing baseball uniforms and partially engulfed in fire stepped out. They looked like kids, although odd ones.

"Meet each of my Super Hot-Blooded Batters (500/1000). And guess what? They gain one thousand attack for every other fire monster in play. So each one gains three thousand attack points!" Shiro gulped as his three monsters shot up to thirty-five hundred attack points a piece.

"Next I summon Left Fielder (1500/500), who gains one burn counter and powers my batters up to forty-five hundred attack strength!" Shiro grimaced, but kept confident considering none of them could attack this turn.

"I can see it in your eyes that you think you can win, but I assure you that my monsters aren't here to attack. See, each of them can sacrifice a fire monster to deal you five hundred damage. So I'll first sacrifice Left Fielder!" The baseball monster converted into a ball of fire which the first batter swung and hit, knocking into Shiro's chest. (SLP: 500)

Shiro grimaced and motioned to one of his set cards, which flipped up. "Continuous trap card, Flow of Life activates its effect when a monster goes from the field to the grave because of an effect. I gain four hundred life points at that time." (SLP: 900)

Tensuke scowled and snapped his fingers, causing another of his Super-Hot Blooded Batters to convert into fire and be launched. Shiro jerked back, feeling the pain even as he recovered life points. "I'll keep it up until you go down!" (SLP: 800)

The next batter also turned into fire and was launched, striking Shiro dead on. "Yeah, well keep it up because I can take all that you can dish out! And right now you can only sacrifice your hard earned Home Run King to deal me damage, and that won't be enough!" (SLP: 700)

"Shut up and watch! I activate Second Inning, which lets me revive as many baseball monsters as I want from the grave, though they lose their effects and the ability to attack. My two batters and Left Fielder are back!" All three of them appeared and then floated over to the Super Hot-Blooded Batter in the form of three balls of fire.

"Triple Fire Fast Ball Special!" One after another the batter launched the fireballs, hitting Shiro each time. The Ra Yellow duelist dropped to one knee, breathing heavily from the series of impacts and slight burns. (SLP: 400)

Taking a chance to breathe deeply, Tensuke looked at the last card in his hand. Once he had caught his breath from the intensity of his move he held it out. "My final card for the turn, Take Me Out to the Ball Game! This lets me recover the base attack of one baseball monster in play as life points. The Babe is my choice!" (TLP: 3000)

"And now, last but not least, The Babe attacks your set monster!" His supreme monster slammed its bat down on the set card, crushing it completely. Shiro sighed and slid Action Warrior-Gunner (1800/1000) into his cemetery.

Grinning broadly Shiro drew, feeling his groove. "Sorry Tensuke, like I said, I'm not going to lose! I'm a clueless idiot who probably isn't worth much, but since Mizuki says she wants me to stay, I'm going to do whatever I can to win! So let's bring this duel to an end!"

With a flourish he slapped down a card onto his duel disk. "Let's meet the newest addition to my fantastic team, Action Warrior-Super Spy (1100/1700)!"

An attractive man wearing an expensive suit and holding a pistol walked out onto the field casually, smirking smarmily at Mizuki. _"The name is Spy, Super Spy. A pleasure to meet you."_

Mizuki raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of the fact that his monster had a British accent for no apparent reason. _'He's so strange…'_

"Face down card, quick-play magic card Action Stunt-Dramatic Entrance activates! When an Action Warrior is summoned I can destroy one card on your field! I choose The Babe, and the total damage is worth it!" Super Spy jumped into the air, and a pair of workmen rolled a pane of glass out onto the field.

Once they were set up they ran off, letting Super Spy drop back down and threw the glass, sending shards of it flying. The Babe groaned as he was peppered by the glass and then burst into pieces. "Looks like its just Super Spy and your wimp left." (SLP: 300)

"I'm gonna finish this now, by activating the equip card Action Weapon-Supreme Gadget! This card gives the equipped monster the ability to destroy a magic or trap card in play when it deals life point damage in battle, as well as boosting them by five hundred points." Super Spy smirked and held up a simple looking pen, appearing satisfied.

"That's with any Action Warrior though. When equipped specifically to Super Spy my Supreme Gadget grants him an additional four hundred attack points. And if I don't want to destroy an extra magic or trap card I can instead activate one card from my hand instantly, even a trap. So, Super Spy attacks with Pen Gadget Surprise!" Super Spy triple-clicked the end of the pen, and then hurled it at Super Hot-Blooded Batter.

Tensuke was nearly blown off the deck when the pen exploded, consuming his monster in the fireball. And then the fireball engulfed his trap card, blowing it to pieces. "I see…so Super Spy's ability is destroying magic and traps…so Backfire is gone." (TLP: 1500)

"That's right, and here's the kill! From my hand I activate the normal magic card Highly-Demanded Sequel! This lets me special summon one Action Warrior from my cemetery to the field, and Action Warrior-Martial Artist (1500/1200) will work!" The karate Action Warrior did a front flip out onto the field next to Super Spy, and the two smirked at each other.

"Since I activated my card during my battle phase Martial Artist now attacks you directly! Finish him off with Painful Falling Sky Leg!" Martial Artist jumped straight into the air, did a flip, and then came shooting down with his leg extended towards Tensuke. The baseball player took the kick to the stomach and was thrown three feet backwards. (TLP: 0)

Their cards faded, and Shiro shoved his hands back into his pockets. With a groan Tensuke stood back up and shook his head. "Well, like was said, the deal is done and you get to stay with no hassle from me."

Shiro rolled his eyes and turned away once again. "Don't be stupid Tensuke, I knew it and you knew it all along. The reason you chose a duel is because you knew I'd win and then you'd have a good excuse to use with mom and dad as to why you couldn't convince me to come back."

His brother laughed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Guess you saw through me. Look little brother, this is what you enjoy, so I support that come hell or high water. Mom and dad were just hoping you'd take a big career path like the rest of us, but me…since mine is a sport as well I understand. Its not the money, it's the fun that matters. So go at with your full heart."

The two brothers grinned and shook hands. "Glad to see you though Tensuke, even if it was for such a stupid reason. You think you can stick around for at least a day?"

"Sure, I even brought some stuff with me. Let me unload my boat and we'll find a place for me to stay. Then we can catch up." Tensuke jumped back to his boat and began looking through his things. That left Shiro and Mizuki back on the dock on their own.

Shiro turned and opened his mouth to say something, but was caught off guard when Mizuki grabbed him around the middle and gave him a hug. He hesitated for a second, and then returned it. "I'm glad you could stay Shiro. Even if you're an idiot sometimes, the truth is…you're my best friend. Thank you for being here for me when I need you."

Shiro smiled and continued to hug her, enjoying her warmth while it lasted. _'Best friend huh? I guess I can live with that for now. And Mizuki, I'm glad I get to stay as well.'_

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Author's Note: Whee! Closeness and brotherly love!

_Next Time: Without warning Saint begins to move his plans forward, and to do so he has to see the capabilities of the academy's duelists. In order to do this he proposes a tournament for the purpose of students gaining rank. For the next week the entire academy will be a battlefield, and only the best will survive!_

_See it all in, Saint's Acceleration; Rank-Farming Tournament!_


	47. Saint's Acceleration RankFarming

Author's Note: Time for the tournament to begin. Also, check out my forum for cool stuff.

**Chapter Forty-Seven: Saint's Acceleration; Rank-Farming Tournament!**

Saint leaned back in his chair and examined a small data book open in his palm. He sighed and flipped to the next page. "So, Gluttony has perished, but a True Sin has appeared, and one stronger than I imagined. I also managed to see just how strong Sanzo has become."

"Despite my previous efforts I haven't gauged the students at this academy very well so far. Pitting any of them against the remaining Sins is a foolish idea. Allowing them to grow through battle with each other is different than forcing them into battle against powerful opponents." He rubbed his chin with his free hand, carefully considering his options.

"I have a suggestion, perhaps a tournament is in order. To force the students of this school to battle each other, giving us an excellent idea of who is the strongest." Saint looked over his shoulder to where Pride sat on the bed, flipping through his deck while his purple hair hung in his eyes.

"Thank you Pride, that's an excellent suggestion. And it might even draw out some of the other True Sins that I've recently been sensing. I'll put it into action as soon as possible." He smiled as he began to think of just how he would bring this up to Principal Tantei.

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Shiro yawned and kicked his feet up on the seat in front of him. The Obelisk Blue sitting in front of him turned and glared. "Hey, watch what you're doing you bratty little Yellow! I'm trying to relax because it's early in the morning."

Shiro opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off when a shadow fell over them both. He and the blue student craned their necks up and saw a blue trench coat and white blonde hair. Harrison glared down from where he was standing at the younger Obelisk. "Shut up and stop talking. I don't want to hear you yapping while I'm trying to listen at the assembly."

Immediately the younger student sat back in his seat and shut up, leaving a confused Shiro to continue staring at Harrison. "Umm…how come you're over here and not down there like normal?"

Harrison folded his arms over his chest and didn't even look down as he replied. "Like he said, it's early in the morning and I don't feel like standing. Now shut up so I can find a seat. You're more annoying than that brat could possibly be, so not a word out of you."

Shiro twitched and started to rise out of his seat, but was calmed when Mizuki placed a hand on his shoulder. "Morning Harrison. You might as well sit with us since you're already here."

He frowned, and then moved over two seats and sat down next to Enzeru, who was giving him odd looks. With a single glare Harrison stopped the looks. _'He's certainly his normally irritable self.'_

A frowning Chizuma was forced to sit in the row behind them because there were no longer any open seats. Kaoru herself kept her distance, knowing that tensions were still there between herself and Mizuki.

Kane yawned and plopped down next to Shiro, and almost immediately started to fall asleep. He was interrupted when Sanzo sat himself down next to the Red student. "Hope you guys don't mind if I join you."

There was a series of 'no' responses, and then they were forced to quiet down as Principal Tantei walked out into the middle of the dueling ring, a microphone attached to his shirt. "Students of Duelist Academy, I've gathered you all together on this early morning to announce a special event being sponsored in honor of our special guest this year, Saint Beatrix!"

This immediately caught the attention of Mizuki and her friends, as each of them knew Saint's nature. "For the next week, classes are officially suspended! However, this is not a vacation!"

His last words were ignored in the uproar of cheers and applause following the notice that classes were cancelled for a week. Once the students returned to being quiet he continued. "For the next seven days all students who wish to participate can become part of a special Rank-Farming Tournament, designed to allow students to improve their ranking by dueling whoever they wish."

The students began to whisper amongst themselves, all curious about the details. "The tournament is simple in nature, and designed after one of the older and more famous Duel Monsters events, called Duelist Kingdom. Considering we're on an island filled with duelists as well, the comparison is impressive."

He frowned when his comment didn't get a laugh, and barreled through. "Students can register for the tournament on their PDA, and they will then be allowed to duel for it. When you have been defeated two times you are eliminated from the tournament. There is no limit to the number of duels allowed in a day, and you may refuse challenges. However, refusing a challenge will be marked in the Tournament Registry, reducing your point total."

He cleared his throat, letting the explanation sink in. "The final eight students remaining after up to seven days will enter into a normal tiered tournament viewable by the entire school. If there are not eight students left by the end of seven days the eight students with the highest point total are entered into the tournament. There is no ultimate prize in this tournament except for rank, so if you're not interested in rank, don't bother."

He rubbed his hands together, looking somewhat amused as he continued. "For those who like to cut corners, you may register with your opponent that your duel, if both of you have no defeats, can count as two duels. So the winner of that single duel gains two victories as well as knocking the loser out of the tournament."

His eyes narrowed and he pointed his arm up into the audience, and an image of an indifferent looking Harrison came up. "Because he is currently ranked number one as this Academy's Kaiser, Harrison Wilhelm the Third will not be participating in this tournament normally. Any duelist can however challenge him and he may decline or accept on his own judgment. There are no point penalties for the Kaiser by refusing a challenge since there is no positive benefit to his rank for dueling."

Harrison folded his arms over his chest and scowled until the image faded. "Duels can take place wherever you wish, though not in one of the main duel halls. Lastly, the Seven Sins may be challenged for this tournament. Defeating them acts as two victories and has a high point value, while losing to one of them immediately eliminates you from the tournament. Now, good luck, and begin!"

There was a lull, and suddenly students were making a mad dash for the PDAs, trying to register as quickly as they could. Principal Tantei was surprised at how few it seemed weren't entering. _'I suppose Saint was right. Even the worried Osiris Red students will want a chance to enter to improve their dismal ranking. I wouldn't be surprised if nearly every last student was in the tournament.'_

One of those who wasn't busily trying to get to their PDA was Sanzo, who was looking up at the booth where he knew that Saint was. _'I'm not entering. Not just because only beating Harrison would gain me anything, but also because I know what you really want. You want to see what we can do, and you've already seen what I've got. I'm done playing your game.'_

Shiro grinned like crazy as he finished entering himself into the tournament. Beside him Mizuki was already putting her PDA into her bag, quietly finished with minimal hassle. "I'm gonna kick some serious ass this tournament, that's for sure! I'm gonna go all the way to the top!"

Harrison snorted and stood up, his trench coat flaring out. "The day you make it to the top is the day that I have a tag on my big toe. Once a drop out, always a drop out. And you? You're an idiot drop out, so why bother with the tournament?"

He smirked and strolled away, leaving a furious Shiro in his wake. "That jerk…I'll show him! I'll win this thing and prove that I can duel with the best! The Prankster of Duelist Academy is gonna win!"

From his left he heard a slight laugh, and he looked down to see Mizuki holding a hand over her mouth. "You realize that if you want to win this thing, there's a chance you'll have to duel me, right?"

Shiro smirked down at her and cracked his knuckles. "Actually, I'm looking forward to doing exactly that. But I'll see you in the final eight, and not until then. Before that us dueling is just redundant, I want to beat you in the end, not early on."

She stood and held out her hand, smiling brightly. "Sure, let's all make a pact now. None of us will duel the others unless we make it to the top eight. That way the duels will have real meaning for us."

The others, even Chizuma from the row behind them, reached their hands in. It was a deal amongst friends, and they'd see how far they could go. Mizuki raised her right fist into the air, grinning broadly. "This tournament is officially on right now!"

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Shiro threw up one arm as smoke billowed over his field and his last monster was blown to pieces. "Crap…not good." (SLP: 700)

His Obelisk opponent slid the card that had been discard cost into their cemetery. "Now I use the effect of my Royal Guard (1900/1700) to flip it face down. Then my turn ends!"

Taking a deep breath Shiro drew, and when he saw the card that he had drawn he burst out laughing. "Sorry big blue, but you're about to go down like a kitty kicked by an elephant! I summon Action Warrior-Knife Flinger (1300/1600) and chain my face down card!"

His only card on the field flipped up and began to glow. Immediately a pair of men walked out onto the field, holding a rocket launcher between them. The sounds of a helicopter could be heard, and the blue duelist looked up, seeing it in the sky, with the handsome trench coat wearing Knife Flinger hung out the window. "My set card was Action Stunt-Dramatic Entrance, which activates when I summon an Action Warrior. One card on your field…"

He smirked as the two men fired the rocket, and Knife Flinger hurled himself out of the helicopter moments before it was hit. The explosion sent him flying down towards the ground at high speeds, but he did a flip and hurled a set of knives, before landing one his hands and knees in front of Shiro's opponent. Moments later the flaming helicopter crashed into his opponent's set card. "Is destroyed!"

The blue student gasped as the knives pelted into his set monster, which appeared briefly before shattering. "And when Knife Flinger is summoned one monster on your field says goodbye. So now, Knife Flinger, direct attack!"

A series of knives struck his opponent in the chest, and he grimaced as his life points shot downwards. "Beaten by a crazy yellow…what a day." (LP: 0)

Shiro grinned and flashed the victory sign. "And here you thought you could get two wins in one fell swoop by facing a complete goofball. Well my advice to you? Never underestimate a goofball!"

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Kane's Osiris Red blazer fluttered out behind him as it was hurled off by the powerful attack. His opponent, dressed in a Ra Yellow blazer, clenched their fist in success. "And that makes another fallen for that is absorbed by Emes the Infinity (4600/2000)!" (KLP: 350)

Despite the loss of his monster Kane was determined not to lose. "You destroyed Templar Swordsman (1600/100) so he now equips to your monster, and during each turn your monster will lose two hundred points."

The Ra Yellow shrugged, obviously unworried. "My monster is strong enough where that doesn't matter. So now, since I've exhausted my resources, I'll end my turn."

Kane looked down at his deck, and then at the single monster in his hand, which was a high tribute card. His only card on his field was his Swordsman as an equip card, and that wasn't helping him much. _'I can't lose here; if I do I'll be an embarrassment again. I've got to get stronger, for Aya's sake and so that Enzeru doesn't have to protect me!'_

Gritting his teeth he snapped a card off the top of his deck and looked down at it. His tension faded away instantly as he saw what he had drawn. "Before I make my move, your monster falls by two hundred points."

Again the Ra Yellow shrugged, not bothered since his monster was still insanely powerful. "So what? You can't possibly beat my ultimate monster with your wimps."

"Wimps? I'll show you what a wimp really is, and that's what you've got on your field! Call to Crusade activates, letting me special summon this monster from my hand. Templar Swordmaster (2550/900)!" His newest templar held two swords in his hand and spun them with great grace upon riding out.

"Templar Swordmaster attacks and I activate its effect! By discarding one card from my hand it cuts your monster's attack power in half! Now your monster is weaker, but I'm not done yet!" The yellow gasped as his monster fell to twenty-two hundred attack, weaker than its original points.

Kane smirked and flipped around the card he was discarding. "When Templar's Purpose goes to the cemetery one monster on your field has its attack reduced by half! Meaning now you've got the wimp, and he's going to die!"

Twin swords slashed the mechanical monster in half, causing it to explode. His opponent grimaced as he counted up the damage. "But…that's fifty more life points than I've got!" (LP: 0)

Slamming his fist into his open palm Kane couldn't help but mentally cheer his victory. "I'm getting better, I can tell! But hey, you're an awesome duelist, and that was only one loss."

The yellow sighed and shoved his deck into his pocket. "Thanks for the support. I'm going to try and salvage my pride now, so good luck."

The other student waved and departed, leaving Kane alone. Almost immediately afterwards Kane heard and explosion, and he ran in that direction. What he discovered when he made it to another clearing was an Osiris Red just leaving, obviously have lost. "Alright, I was hoping for another duel today. Care to accept my challenge miss?"

The victorious Osiris Red was a girl of just under five and a half feet, with wild red hair that hung just past her shoulders. Her red blazer hung open, revealing a tight black halter top. She turned her head slightly, her hair falling away enough to have one bright blue eye looking directly at Kane. "Oh? A challenge? Think you're good enough to challenge me Kane Yukio? I accept!"

She spun around, her duel disk already active, her hair spraying out behind her back. "Let's duel Kane Yukio, I'm going to enjoy showing you what I'm made of!"

Kane's eyes widened as he suddenly realized who his opponent was. "Miharu Kanzaki…Osiris Red's top duelist! Oh…this is just perfect, I'll beat you to really perfect my rank! Let's go!"

"DUEL!"

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Enzeru frowned as his opponent's Goblin Attack Force shifted into defense mode, which would prevent him from going after his enemy's life points in his next turn. "On the defensive already? It's only been ten turns, or are you saying you aren't capable of defeating me?"

His Obelisk opponent grimaced and slammed a card down into his duel disk behind his attack force, which was next to a set of more well trained and well armored goblins. "Shut up, its just the effect of my goblins. Now take your turn!"

The second year Obelisk and slightly oldest of the Yukio triplets drew, giving him four cards in hand. "Perfect, I'll summon Paladin Dori (1500/1200) in attack mode, and since he's my only monster his attack is three thousand."

Enzeru's monster wore golden plated armor with an image of a tiger etched onto it, and held his sword aloft. "I'm assuming that your face down card is perhaps intended to switch your Goblins into attack mode, but I'm far from worried. You see, I activate the continuous magic card Chains of Peace, which prevents all face down cards from being activated."

The other Obelisk grimaced as his set card was wrapped up by black chains, keeping it from being used. "My monsters are still safe in defense mode, and next turn I'll counter-attack."

"There is no next turn. I activate the equip magic card, Blessed Blade of the King, which grants one Paladin in play six hundred attack points and a trample effect. So now, with thirty-six hundred attack, Dori attacks your Goblin Attack Force!" The other blue stared slack-jawed as the paladin swung a glowing blade through his series of goblins, and cleaved through his life points at the same time. (LP: 0) (ELP: 2300)

As he and his opponent shook hands to show that there were no hard feelings, Enzeru quietly contemplated the tournament and the chance it provided him. _'I'll grow stronger by facing the opponents I wish to face. And then, once I have grown enough…Envy, you will face my wrath!'_

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"King of Skull Servants (2000/0), attack her Tango Dance Partner!" The cape wearing skeleton brandished a skeletal sword and charged towards the pretty Latin dancer, intent on decapitating her.

"I activate Deux Passe, sending your attack at my life points instead!" Chizuma smirked as the opposing first year blue student's skeleton charged past her two monsters and slashed her, bringing her life points almost to zero. (CLP: 200)

"And now, thanks to the second effect of my trap, I'll have Tango Dance Partner (1400/1300) attack you directly! And she'll be attacking together with Tango Dancer (1700/1000) to combine their attack scores! Dance Battle!" The two dancers grasped hands and waltzed across the field before performing a double spin kick to her opponent's chest, knocking him to the ground. (LP: 0)

Chizuma smirked and flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder, satisfied at another victory. "And now…now to go find Mizuki and gloat about my victory!"

Giggling crazily she ran off to find the older girl, who had, at that moment, sneezed in the middle of the duel. Her fallen opponent watched her go and shook his head. "That girl…there's something about her that's just strange."

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Mizuki rubbed her nose, which still tickled from the sneeze from a few seconds previous. "Sorry about that break in the dramatic tension, but its back to the duel. And if you remember correctly, my Rune Soldier (1800/1800) was in the middle of attacking you directly!"

The third year Obelisk groaned as the white clothed blonde monster slashed his sword directly into his face. "Dang it…I knew I shouldn't have accepted a challenge from the freaking Rising Star." (LP: 0) (MLP: 2900)

Mizuki blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, but since you were a higher rank than me, I wanted to duel you. But still, it was fun, wasn't it?"

Before her opponent could respond Mizuki was nearly smashed to the ground as a flying object latched onto her waist. She yelped in surprise and looked down to discover a squealing Chizuma with her arms wrapped around Mizuki's waist. "Umm…hi Chizuma. What are you doing?"

The dark haired girl looked up at her and grinned widely, her teeth shining in the afternoon light. "Just watching you kick a sorry excuse for a duelist's butt, that's all! And glomping you of course, in honor of your victory!"

Mizuki blinked unsteadily, and brushed her hair out of her eyes to give herself a second to think of a response. "Umm….what's a glomp? And why aren't you out there dueling?"

Chizuma stepped back and placed her left hand against her chin while holding her right hand up, pointer finger extended as if she was deducing something. "Excellent questions Mizuki-sama. I just defeated my opponent, so here I am. As for a glomp, it is an aggressive flying hug of epic proportions intended to show delight in another's presence."

In response to that, Mizuki couldn't help but sweat-drop. "Yeah…have you been hanging out with Shiro lately? That's the exact sort of thing he would say."

The third year blue grumbled under his breath and stalked away, feeling left out. "I lose, I'm ignored, and I get called a bad duelist. This day sucks, I shouldn't have entered the tournament."

Chizuma giggled and let her hands drop, which she then clasped together in front of her as if in prayer. "To celebrate our respective victories, how about we go and eat together? It'll be fun, and we can talk about what we've done all week and the duels we've had and whatever else comes up! What do you say?"

"Sure, sounds like fun." Mizuki turned and picked up her bag, which she began to put her duel disk into it. While Mizuki wasn't looking Chizuma put her hands to her chest and smiled as wide as she could, hearts in her eyes.

_'Yes! An unofficial date with Mizuki-sama! Today couldn't get any better!' _She spun on her toes, feeling her heart leaping for joy.

Once Mizuki was turned around Chizuma was already finished, and acting completely normal. The older teen smiled warmly at the young dancing genius. _'She really looks up to me, so even though she's weird, I'll hang out with her. Although, I guess I should keep her a little in check by balancing her weirdness with his.'_

"Hold on a second while I give Shiro a call, by now he's sure to have won at least one duel, and he'll be hungry." As she flipped open her cell phone Mizuki missed the tears that poured out of Chizuma's eyes as she realized she wouldn't be alone with Mizuki.

_'Victory denied by a boy! The horror!'_

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Kaoru rubbed her left shoulder, really feeling it from her last duel. She had won, but a heavy impact from a rock type monster had made her shoulder really sore. _'I wonder if I should try and apologize to Mizuki. No…I should keep my space for the moment.'_

"And then I made a kickass super combo that blasted him for six thousand points of direct damage! That uppity Obelisk never saw it coming!" Kaoru darted behind a corner at the sound of Shiro's familiar voice. She peered out, and saw Shiro, Mizuki, and the first year girl Chizuma all sitting a round a table outside the Ra Yellow dorm eating.

Mizuki snickered and dropped her chin into both of her hands. "So basically you won because of a lucky draw, right?"

Shiro sighed in defeat, letting his head fall. "Yeah…."

Chizuma, her left eye twitching at the sight of their interaction, reached into her bag and pulled out her trump card. "Ah, here Mizuki-sama, I made you a bento! I know you don't like wasabi, so I made special care to keep it free of that nasty green stuff!"

The genius girl blinked in surprise and gingerly accepted the box. "Oh, thanks Chizuma. But you know, you didn't have to go to that trouble. And you really don't have to address me that way."

Shiro folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at the young Obelisk girl. _'Okay, it seems obvious to me, but maybe I'm just misjudging it. It could be that she just really looks up to Mizuki like Mizuki thinks.'_

Chizuma giggled and leaned closer to Mizuki, her braid swinging against her back as she did so. "But someone as pretty and smart as you should only be referred to in such a manner. And for you, it was no trouble at all to make the bento. I'd do it any time you'd like to eat together."

From her hiding spot Kaoru joined Shiro in sweat-dropping. Though they weren't aware of it they had the same thought at the same time. _'That girl, she's so obvious that the only person incapable of getting it is Mizuki.'_

"Well what do we have here? Two Obelisks associating with the school's resident village idiot. Such a shame that people with talent and intelligence should be involved with such a person." They all looked up as Harrison, his trench coat flapping behind him, stalked up to the table.

Shiro stood up and slammed his hands onto the table. "Why don't you say that stuff to my face without veiling it you arrogant jackass?"

Mizuki and Chizuma looked back and forth between the two boys, one who looked furious and the other who looked smug. "Oh please, the only person who sees my words as veiled is the idiot here. And since you seem to not understand my meaning, I'm talking about you. Idiot."

Growling in frustration Shiro held up his right fist, and pointed it right at Harrison's face. "That's it! I'm tired of all your stupid insults, so why don't you put your face where my fist is! I'll take you down in three seconds flat, with no effort at all!"

Harrison raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to hide his amused smirk. Shiro growled even more at seeing this. "That's right Kaiser Boy, I'll beat you down with ease! Heck, I bet you'll be so busy being in love with your own title and thinking about being an avenger that you won't notice me wiping the floor with you."

Harrison chuckled, causing Shiro to growl even more. "Why don't we dispense with the petty banter and get down to business if you're so confident."

Shiro suddenly felt his body go cold, and realized that Mizuki and Chizuma were staring at him waiting for his response. He gulped, realizing he was getting himself into something big here. _'But…but petty banter is all I've got!'_

Taking a deep breath Shiro drew up ever ounce of false bravado he had and jerked his thumb towards his chest. "Okay, that's fine with me Kaiser Boy. I'm Shiro Akugi, the Prankster of Duelist Academy, and no overconfident jerk is going to stand in my way! So you ready Harrison? I challenge you to a duel!"

The Kaiser smiled slightly as he held up his left arm, which had his blue DD6 on. "Shiro Akugi, Nobody of No Important Dorm, I, Harrison Wilhelm the Third, Dark Kaiser of Duelist Academy, accept your challenge."

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Author's Note: Shiro's made a whoops here.

_Next Time: Taunt after taunt have come his way, and finally Shiro can take no more. The prankster duelist snaps and declares his challenge to the academy's Dark Kaiser. At long last Shiro will get a chance to back up his words and defeat Harrison in a duel. But can he do it, or is he putting his foot in his mouth?_

_See it all in, Finally They Clash! Shiro VS Dark Kaiser!_


	48. Finally They Clash! Shiro VS Dark Kaiser

Author's Note: At last Shiro and Harrison will do battle!

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Finally They Clash! Shiro VS Dark Kaiser!**

_"Well what do we have here? Two Obelisks associating with the school's resident village idiot. Such a shame that people with talent and intelligence should be involved with such a person." They all looked up as Harrison, his trench coat flapping behind him, stalked up to the table._

_Shiro stood up and slammed his hands onto the table. "Why don't you say that stuff to my face without veiling it you arrogant jackass?"_

_Mizuki and Chizuma looked back and forth between the two boys, one who looked furious and the other who looked smug. "Oh please, the only person who sees my words as veiled is the idiot here. And since you seem to not understand my meaning, I'm talking about you. Idiot."_

_Growling in frustration Shiro held up his right fist, and pointed it right at Harrison's face. "That's it! I'm tired of all your stupid insults, so why don't you put your face where my fist is! I'll take you down in three seconds flat, with no effort at all!"_

_Harrison raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to hide his amused smirk. Shiro growled even more at seeing this. "That's right Kaiser Boy, I'll beat you down with ease! Heck, I bet you'll be so busy being in love with your own title and thinking about being an avenger that you won't notice me wiping the floor with you."_

_Harrison chuckled, causing Shiro to growl even more. "Why don't we dispense with the petty banter and get down to business if you're so confident."_

_Shiro suddenly felt his body go cold, and realized that Mizuki and Chizuma were staring at him waiting for his response. He gulped, realizing he was getting himself into something big here. 'But…but petty banter is all I've got!'_

_Taking a deep breath Shiro drew up ever ounce of false bravado he had and jerked his thumb towards his chest. "Okay, that's fine with me Kaiser Boy. I'm Shiro Akugi, the Prankster of Duelist Academy, and no overconfident jerk is going to stand in my way! So you ready Harrison? I challenge you to a duel!"_

_The Kaiser smiled slightly as he held up his left arm, which had his blue DD6 on. "Shiro Akugi, Nobody of No Important Dorm, I, Harrison Wilhelm the Third, Dark Kaiser of Duelist Academy, accept your challenge."_

Shiro grabbed his duel disk out of his book bag and easily slipped it over his wrist. The familiar weight calmed him, and he stepped away from the table, his deck already in hand. "You ready for a beating Harrison, because I'm taking this to you all the way!"

Harrison followed him so that they were in a slight clearing away from the tables, and then walked until there was about twenty feet between them. "Talk all you want, and shuffle my deck all you want, I don't feel the need to shuffle yours."

The Kaiser reached into his trench coat and pulled out a deck box, which he tossed over his shoulder. Shiro caught it and slid the deck out, quickly beginning to shuffle it. "Just you watch Harrison; you'll see how strong I've become!"

With a shake of his head Harrison turned around to face Shiro and planted his feet in a confident stance. Shiro growled and finished shuffling the deck, sending it flying back towards Harrison in its deck box. Once he had it, Harrison placed it into his duel disk. "Enough talk. It's time to duel!" (HLP: 4000)

Shiro slid his own deck into his duel disk and cast one last glance over at Mizuki and Chizuma before grabbing five cards off his deck. "Right, go ahead and take the first turn Kaiser Boy, since I'm the better man." (SLP: 4000)

Chizuma crossed one leg over the other and placed her hands on the edge of the table, unable to look away. "Mizuki-sama…do you think Shiro stands a chance?"

Mizuki looked from one duelist to the next a few times before answering. "Harrison is a frightening opponent. He's got great analytical ability like mine, and an incredibly strong draw, like Vladimir. Shiro's got…well he's got talent, and he's smarter than he lets people see. But his greatest strength is that when he's enjoying a duel to its fullest his draws are incredible, potentially greater than Harrison's. But overall…I'd say Shiro can't win this, not yet."

She looked over her shoulder, and Kaoru blinked in surprise when she realized that the other girl was looking directly at her. Seeing that she had been spotted she walked out and stood next to the table. "I'll agree with you on this Mizuki, but right now Harrison is confident while Shiro is nervous. That's an advantage for the Kaiser. And I've dueled him before, and understand how amazingly intense he is. Defeating him is…next to impossible."

Mizuki smiled slightly, but then the smile faded. "You're worried that I'm upset with you, so don't be. And as for Harrison, he's not unbeatable, he's just strong. After all…"

Her lips curled downwards into a frown and she closed her eyes, strange images flashing through her mind. She whispered the next words too low to be heard. "I beat him once."

Harrison reached for his deck and drew, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the card. "Prepare yourself Akugi; I'll crush you into dust! With the strength of this deck I could make even the devil himself cry tears of blood!"

Kaoru's eyes widened as her violet eyes saw the burning in his heart, and Mizuki herself couldn't help but frown as she felt the power flow through him. "I begin by summoning Demon Swordsman Vergil (1200/1000) in attack mode!"

Shiro blanched at the sight of a spiky haired blonde man wearing an outfit similar to Harrison's. It was Vergil alright, but his face was younger and slightly less confident than the ritual version he had seen. "Well this is new."

"Indeed he is, when summoned I may equip a card from my deck onto Vergil. So I activate Yamato Blade, powering him up by five hundred attack points!" A long katana formed in his left hand, nearly as tall as the half-devil himself. Vergil gave it an experimental swing, and then smirked slightly as his power rose to seventeen hundred.

"To conclude my turn I place a single face down card on the field. Now Akugi, show me this growth of yours." After he set his card he took a glance at his four remaining cards, and then smirked, looking utterly calm.

Shiro grimaced and drew, knowing what he was up against. _'When it comes to resources, Harrison knows when not to commit and when to commit. If I'm going to get an advantage I'll have to make him use up his resources quickly. So a full strength attack is the best starting strategy!'_

"I start with Action Warrior-Brawler (2000/800)! And he's going to go buck wild on your Vergil and beat him into the dirt! Attack!" The muscular warrior smirked broadly and then launched himself at Vergil, swinging with one meaty fist. Vergil sneered and raised Yamato, blocking the punch with the flat side of the sword.

Both the Brawler and Shiro were shocked by the surprise block and more surprised when Vergil pushed back against the warrior. The strength of the half-devil forced Brawler to slide all the way back to Shiro's field. "What the heck was that?"

Mizuki grimaced, and Kaoru shook her head. _'Just like I thought, Shiro was trying to force Harrison to quickly use up his set card, but Vergil all along had a secret ability. Shiro's trying to think this out too much.'_

Harrison motioned with his right hand towards Vergil, who was already lowering his sword. "While Vergil is in attack mode he cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. However, damage is still calculated." (HLP: 3700)

Shaking off his surprise Shiro took two cards from his hand and placed them into his duel disk. "I'll place these two cards face down, and that's all for now! But just you wait Harrison; I'll beat you, Vergil, and Dante!"

There was no immediate reply from Harrison other than to draw. "We'll see about that. For the moment, I activate the continuous magic card Heritage of Blood. As long as this card is in play, any monster mentioned in its effect text gains five hundred attack and defense points."

A brief red light swarmed around Vergil, pumping his power up to twenty-two hundred and then faded just as quickly. "Vergil now attacks."

Vergil blurred into motion, moving across the field so fast that Shiro barely had time to reach for his duel disk. "In chain to your attack I activate Parting Gifts, which grants each duelist two hundred life points when one of their cards goes from the field to the grave!"

Vergil's daikatana slashed Brawler's head clean off his shoulders fast enough that the head was half-way to the ground before the body started to fall. Once each piece hit the ground they burst into tiny pieces. "I see, so the two hundred damage is effectively negated. Very well, I end my turn."

Shiro drew and then pointed with his left hand that was holding his cards to his remaining set card. "I activate my other continuous trap card, Card Machine Gun! When one of my cards is sent to the grave by an effect you'll take two hundred damage!"

A large chain gun with a series of cards as its bullets now rested on his field next to his Parting Gifts card. "Next up, I play the magic card Grave Life, which sends five monsters from my deck to the grave to gain two thousand life points!" (SLP: 6000)

He smirked and cranked the lever of his Card Machine Gun, sending a series of card bullets slamming into Harrison. Plumes of smoke rose up from Harrison's body, slightly concealing his field. "Since it's a favorite combo of mine, I activate Jar of Avarice, shuffling those lost five monsters into my deck to draw two cards!"

Laughing he restored his hand from his combo and then looked down at the new cards. "Alright, here's my next combo. I summon Action Warrior-Katana Master (1400/1000)!"

His sword wielding movie star matched glares with Vergil, each of them preparing their swords to clash. "But wait folks, that's not all! I equip Katana Master with Action Weapon-Supreme Knife Launcher, which upon activation destroys one monster in play!"

A high-tech looking gun formed in his hands, with four slotted openings in the end rather than a normal barrel. A spray of knives shot out of it, piercing Vergil and blasting him to pieces. "It's a pity you gain four hundred life points from Parting Gifts, but with five hundred bonus points and a double attack Katana Master now finishes you off!"

Strapping the knife launcher to his back Katana Master plowed through the smoke and slashed Harrison twice with his sword. Then he sheathed his blade and walked calmly back to his own field. "Oh yeah, fourth turn and I'm the victor!"

The slight amount of smoke finally faded, revealing something that made Shiro gulp. Harrison's face down card was nowhere to be seen. "Oh damn it…you activated your set cad, didn't you?"

Harrison smirked and held up the chosen card, which showed a man in priest's clothes holding up a goblet of water. "Holy Water turns all life point damage to us during this turn into life gain. So I thank you for giving me fifty-two hundred life points." (HLP: 8900)

With a grimace Shiro looked down at his hand before shaking his head. "That's all I can do this turn. End."

With a slight sigh Harrison drew, his hand once again back at five cards. "Honestly is that the best you can do? If that's the case then this duel will be no challenge."

He glanced at his face-up card which pulsed momentarily. "During my standby phase Heritage of Blood lets me pay five hundred life points to add one of the named monsters in its text to my hand from my cemetery or deck. At this time, I believe I'll add Vergil from my grave to my hand." (HLP: 8400)

With little effort Harrison took the card from his grave and placed it back onto his deck, causing the half-devil to reappear. "I activate Demon Slayer's Greed. If I have one of the monsters named in its text on my field I draw three cards. Vergil is one."

Shiro gulped the moment Harrison finished drawing his third card, meaning he now had seven cards in his hand. "Let me show you what power I possess you arrogant little nothing. I discard two cards from my hand to add a special card from my deck to my hand!"

Mizuki gasped, and both Kaoru and Chizuma looked at her in confusion. "He's going to use one of those against Shiro? I didn't even realize Vergil could evolve like Dante."

Chizuma raised an eyebrow, not following. "Evolve? How the heck does a monster evolve?"

It was Kaoru who responded, as she knew and had seen Harrison duel before. "Harrison's deck style is called 'Evolution' Style, which means his deck changes and becomes stronger under certain conditions. In this case, it's his Combat Style cards which evolve his key monsters. The resulting creatures are…frighteningly powerful."

"Prepare yourself Akugi, for I activate Combat Style-Dark Slayer! By sacrificing Vergil I can shuffle my hand, field, and grave back into my deck. Then I exchange cards from my side deck with my actual deck, and draw cards equal to what I previously held." He swiftly performed the actions, taking only a minute or two to get everything he needed. Then he drew five cards.

"Finally, the monster mentioned in my Combat Style's text is special summoned to the field. Meet Vergil's only advanced self, Legendary Demon Swordsman Vergil the Dark Slayer (2800/2000), who is automatically equipped with Dark Slayer Armament-Yamato Blade!" This monster was just like the ritual version of Vergil, with no apparent differences, just as Dante's evolved forms were no different.

Just like his previous younger form this Vergil was also holding a daikatana, which was just as identical to the last one as before. "As long as he is equipped with Yamato Blade, Vergil can negate the effects of monsters he destroys and gains trample. As well he gains one thousand attack points."

Shiro felt a shiver run up his spine as he was suddenly facing a thirty-eight hundred attack point trample monster which was ready to slice him to ribbons. _'So not good.'_

Harrison raised his right arm and then thrust it out towards Katana Master. "Cut his monster to pieces Vergil! Show him your power!"

There was a flash of light, and then suddenly Vergil was sliding his sword into its sheath. Shiro blinked, not sure what he had just seen. Then Vergil clicked the blade into place, and Katana Master shattered. "Damn…such speed!" (SLP: 2100)

Shaking off his shock Shiro pointed to his face-up Parting Gifts. "My trap card now gives me four hundred life points since I lost two cards from my field!" (SLP: 2500)

The Kaiser didn't look at all worried, and he slid one of his cards into his disk. "I end my turn Akugi, show me if you can actually defeat Vergil, and perhaps I'll show you Dante's power."

To Harrison's surprise Shiro burst out laughing as he reached for his deck. "Oh, this is just freaking awesome! I never thought I'd be facing such a strong monster, but this is too good!"

He drew his grin wider than ever. "Alright, time for a new face to join the party! I hope you like surprises Harrison, because this is a good one. Action Warrior-Science Junky (1000/1500) in attack mode!"

Harrison frowned, not having expected this. "A new Action Warrior? That's certainly unexpected."

Despite the thought of seeing a nerd scientist, Science Junky was surprisingly good looking just like the rest of Shiro's monsters. He had wavy blonde hair and a charming smile, and wore a long white lab coat. "When Science Junky is summoned I can add one card with 'Action' in its name from my deck or cemetery to my hand!"

Still grinning Shiro flicked up the card he had just placed into his hand. "Action Stunt-Super Burly Brawl! If I have one face-up Action Warrior on the field I can activate this card and create clones of that monster in my available zones!"

One after another identical versions of Shiro's professor Action Warrior formed until there were five of them. And Harrison's eyes widened as he thought of something. "Those monsters…they share your creature's effect, don't they?"

"You got that right, so now I add four cards with 'Action' in their name from my deck to my hand! Get ready to take a beating Harrison, because I'm not letting up!" He flipped through his deck until he found four cards which he placed into his hand. Then he smirked and held up his six card hand, frighteningly cocky looking.

With a snicker Shiro held up one of his chosen cards. "Go, Action Stunt-Meaningless Techno babble! If there's a face-up Science Junky in play this card's effect is kind of special, so here we go!"

The five Science Junkies gathered together and began to talk, all of them talking at the same time so that nothing they said could be understood. "While he's in play Meaningless Techno babble can select up to two cards on your field that are magic or trap cards and destroy them. So I'm nuking your equip and your set!"

Harrison sneered and snapped his hand out. "Venom Drain activates! I can either remove a card in my grave to activate its effect or take one thousand of your life points and add them to myself. Since clearly I have no cards in the grave, I choose the second!"

A snake burst out of his trap card and flew to Shiro. It bit down on his neck, making him scream in pain. After several seconds it released and flew directly into Harrison's duel disk. "Damn that hurt…" (SLP: 1500) (HLP: 9400)

The trap card shattered, but nothing happened to the daikatana. "While equipped to one of the combat style selves my equip cards cannot be destroyed by targeting effects. Also, since my trap was destroyed by your card, your own continuous trap gives me life points." (HLP: 9600)

"Yeah, well gloat all you want because I'm not done yet! I equip the original Science Junky with Action Weapon-Supreme Cycle, giving him five hundred attack points and the ability to attack without chain. Plus, my next card is going to seriously rock!" He grinned as Science Junky jumped onto the heavily armed motorcycle, giving him fifteen hundred attack points.

"Go, Action Stunt-Team Battle! During this turn I select one Action Warrior in play and all other Action Warriors in play share that monster's effect. Meaning for this turn all my Science Junkies gain five hundred attack and cannot be chained to, not that it matters at this point." Harrison frowned, realizing that he was potentially at risk.

He saw that Shiro was still looking at one of the cards in his hand, and since he had played all but one of the cards he had received it was easy to assume that was his plan. "Since they'll be sharing its effect, I'll equip the original with Action Weapon-Supreme Nunchaku! With another five hundred point boost my monsters gain the ability to attack directly by reducing damage to half!"

Mizuki jumped up from her seat and thrust her right fist into the air. "Alright Shiro! Show him what you've got! Beat him down with your warriors!"

Harrison smirked and gestured with his right hand towards his body. "Come then, attack me and show me what you're capable of."

"That's exactly my intent! Science Junkies, all together now, SUPER BURLY BRAWL!" Five motorcycles roared to life and began to pour machine gun fire directly into Harrison's body. The Dark Kaiser was battered and pushed back by the rate of fire, but still refused to go down. (HLP: 4600)

When the machine gun fire ended, the sight of the smirk on Harrison's face made Mizuki realized what Shiro hadn't yet. "No way…it can't be true!"

Kaoru nodded, barely able to believe it herself. But the proof was in Harrison's heart. "I can't believe it, but it's true. Harrison is still holding back, because he really does want to see what Shiro can do. In other words, he provoked this duel to measure Shiro's ability."

Harrison shook his head seeming disappointed. "Shiro Akugi, you really aren't prepared for the level of duel that you're going to encounter. I have understood this, and so have Sanzo and Mizuki. But you, you've failed to realize the obvious."

"What the heck are you talking about? I just about cleaned your clock in one turn and now you're spouting all sorts of weird stuff." Harrison's eyes narrowed and Mizuki gasped as in her mind's eye a pillar of dark energy roared to life around him. Kaoru gulped and closed her eyes, trying to shut out the darkness she saw in his heart.

"You idiot fool! Sooner or later you're going to have to face one of the Seven Sins, that's a certainty! You have a measure of power, and Saint has seen that, so you'll be forced to battle one. If you except to duel one and survive you have to be at the peak of your game and mistakes cannot be made! As you are now, you're not ready. Especially not if an opponent like Nightmare appears to challenge you." Shiro's face paled, and he realized he had been hiding from that knowledge behind his silly façade.

"What mistakes are you talking about? I'm in control of this duel and just did five thousand damage to you in case you hadn't noticed. Or were you not paying attention?" Harrison snarled and made a slashing motion with his right hand.

"Idiot, I've seen your duels, and I know at least enough about your cards to know you chose the wrong cards in that turn. What were you thinking, choosing Supreme Cycle? Had you chosen Supreme Katana your monsters could have attacked a second time and finished me off!" Shiro's eyes widened as he realized he had made that mistake without realizing it.

"So…wait…I could have won the duel? I really could have beaten you this turn?" Harrison's blue eyes were aflame as he thrust his right arm into the air, and suddenly darkness spread from his palm, engulfing all five of them in a dome of darkness. They had entered a Darkness Game.

"No, you couldn't have. I could have ended this duel last turn. When it slew your monster Vergil gained a Devil Trigger Counter, and I could have activated it to give him five hundred more points. Then I would have activated a special ability of Yamato Blade in Devil Trigger which allows Vergil to attack instantly. I could also have used it this turn to defeat you before your final attack. But you can't see past what's in front of your face, and that's why you'll lose!" Shiro shuddered, realizing he had been completely out played with almost no effort by his opponent.

"Stand up and duel Akugi! Face me with all of your strength of I'll cut you down now and inflict the most horrible Punishment Game I can think of! You must grow stronger, or all of us will pay for it when Saint uses you to further his plans because you're too weak to win!" Shiro pulled himself to his feet and glared at the Dark Kaiser.

"Shut up and let me do things my way! I set one card face down and end my turn!" Harrison sneered and drew, looking completely infuriated at his opponent.

"You're too weak Akugi, and its beginning to bore me! I activate Cyclone from my hand, destroying your face down card!" The set card shattered and Shiro grimaced, realizing he was defenseless to stop the onslaught of Vergil. Even the life points from his trap were useless. (SLP: 1700)

"Akugi, my turn is over! Now, recover or I'll slice you apart next turn!" Shiro looked over at Mizuki even as his knees quivered from the pressure of the darkness upon him. When he looked at her he saw something he hadn't expected to. Her eyes were glazed over and unfocused.

Harrison frowned and followed his gaze, letting his eyes fall upon Mizuki. Kaoru and Chizuma were both looking at Mizuki just as surprised. "Even when the Darkness Game isn't involving her she's still affected? Impossible!"

Mizuki's eyes suddenly lost their glaze and a wave of force hit all of the four duelists, sending them flying backwards. Her black hair whipped about in all directions from the force she was exuding. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP AND STOP TALKING TO SHIRO THAT WAY!"

The darkness swirled around her, gathering over her body and conforming to her figure. Her hair fell down her shoulders, lengthening and gaining a wild look to it. And her eyes slowly began to change, shifting from emerald green to a bright blue. All four of them stepped back in fear.

Those bright blue eyes suddenly snapped as wide open as they would go, looking almost completely insane. Mizuki threw back her head and cackled, her skin paling to complete the familiar look. "I'm going to have to thank you…you've let me out again! Little brat, I'll destroy you as thanks!"

Kaoru and Chizuma seemed paralyzed by fear, but Shiro was shaking with something other than just fear. "No…it can't be true! How the hell is it possible that you're the same as her? She can't be you!"

The dark haired girl snickered and locked eyes with Shiro, freezing him in place. "The nightmares gave birth to me, her own nightmares. But she never let me truly exist in the real world until that one night, where those two little idiots dueled and released their power. But now, now I exist and will continue to whenever her fears and darkest nightmares boil up to the surface under the influence of the darkness. That's why I am what I am, a being without dreams. That's why I'm Nightmare!"

She stretched out her hand and tendrils of darkness wrapped around Shiro and Harrison, trapped them tightly. "Do you know what her nightmare was that gave birth to me in this darkness? Her nightmare was that you would lose a Darkness Game and be lost forever, that's what it was! But now, in a fit of irony, that's what's going to happen! I'll defeat you and inflict your own worst nightmare upon you!"

Harrison grimaced, realizing that he couldn't move or oppose her with his strength. Despite all the power he had gathered he was like a fly compared to this monster Nightmare. "Nightmare…you're strong, so strong that I want to face you. But right now, I'm not ready. So until that time, stay inside Mizuki and shut up! Vergil, I Devil Trigger you!"

A red aura erupted around Vergil and his attack points rose, his features shifting to become slightly more demonic. Nightmare's eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen. "No! Not so soon after I've come out!"

"Like I said, shut up and go back into the darkness! Vergil, activate Yamato Blade's ability! JUDGMENT CUT!" Vergil unsheathed his sword in a flash, sending a wave of white light roaring across the field. It cut through the tendril's holding Shiro and sent him flying backwards. (SLP: 0)

Nightmare screamed as the other dark tendrils fell apart. She grasped her head between her hands, feeling the receding darkness. Without the power there to keep her active, she was going to be pulled back in. "It's too soon! Damn you Kaiser! I'll destroy you!"

A series of spears of dark tendrils went flying towards Harrison, and he quickly made his declaration. "My Punishment Game, all those in this game save for myself must forget they saw Nightmare today!"

The Darkness Game folded in on itself, and with one last scream Nightmare's features faded, returning Mizuki to normal. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious along with the other three. He frowned and looked at the Dark Slayer on his duel disk. "I'm not ready…none of us are. Prepare yourself Akugi, Rising Star…all of you. This is a darkness you're not prepared for. Grow stronger so that we might survive, especially you Rising Star."

With a faint scowl he stalked away, his trench coat flaring out behind him. "In this tournament, you all must grow stronger, or we're going to lose. And somehow, I fear that no matter what we do Saint will get what he wants."

While he walked away, he remained blissfully unaware that Saint was watching, a portal of darkness hovering in front of him. "Ah, so that's the case. Miss Mitsuhiro's power has released this True Sin. Which means what I suspected about her is the case. Hope…what a perfect name for you Rising Star."

He smiled and folded his hands together. "How utterly perfect."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Not what you all were expecting, I'm sure.

_Next Time: The end of the first stage of the tournament has come, and now the second stage begins. The eight remaining duelists will now face each other in a standard tournament setting with the entire school watching. All eight duelists are prepared and at their best, which will push them all to their limits. And the first to duel is Enzeru, against an opponent who declares that he is the former number one rookie's rival!_

_See it all in, Top 8 Battle; Enzeru's Rival!_


	49. Top 8 Battle! Enzeru's Rival

Author's Note: Time for the top eight battle to begin!

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Top 8 Battle; Enzeru's Rival!**

One week's time had passed, and in that time hundreds if not thousands of duels had been won and lost. Saint felt almost satisfied by the results, but knew he wouldn't be fully satisfied until the final eight showed their power.

The entire school had gathered together in the grand arena to witness the final eight duelists go head to head. It was wait everyone had been waiting for, a duel between those who had proven themselves to be amongst the best the school had to offer.

Tantei adjusted the microphone attached to his uniform and then smiled up at the audience as he addressed them. "My precious students, its time for the top eight battle to commence! These eight duelists are the last remaining, and have struggled their way to the top."

The lights were dimmed on the areas around him, preventing the students from seeing the eight students. "Today we have five representatives from Obelisk Blue here to do battle!"

The Obelisks all roared at their success, certain that once again they were going to come out on top as things were meant to be. "Next, we have two representatives of Ra Yellow!"

This time it was the Ra students who were cheering. But it took several seconds for the entire audience to quiet down as they realized something. That was seven duelists, and two dorms. "And last but not least, we have one representative from Osiris Red!"

The cheering from the Osiris Reds was the biggest, even though they only had one student in the top eight. It still proved that Osiris Reds could slug it out with the best of them. "Let me first introduce to you someone you all have come to know by a special name. Standing in our top eight, the Rising Star of Duelist Academy, Mizuki Mitsuhiro!"

A spotlight came down on Mizuki and she blushed as the audience cheered her on, regardless of dorm. "Miss Mitsuhiro has made a name for herself at this school and its fitting that she who was chosen as a worthy opponent by the Strongman is amongst our finalists."

In the stands Chizuma hooted and hollered for Mizuki, louder than anyone else. "Go Mizuki-sama; kick them all while they're down! Stomp them flat, go for the jugular!"

He smiled as he waited for the crowd to grow quiet again. "Second amongst our finalists is the duelist who graduated nearly two years ago from the Preparatory School as the top student. Last year's number one rookie, Enzeru Yukio!"

Enzeru's silvery hair shown in the spotlight, and he looked up calmly at the crowd. He briefly spotted Kane cheering before his eyes rested on the booth where he knew that Saint and the six remaining Sins were. Including Envy. _'I'll be ready.'_

"Next, one of our other top Obelisks from the previous year, the second ranked graduate of the Preparatory School, Alec Masters!" The Obelisk was clearly a second year based on his uniform, and had close cut blonde hair and blue eyes. He stood just shy of six feet, and had an air about him that seemed…composed.

Tantei smiled and tapped his microphone, drowning out the cheers. "Fourth of our Blues is Kaoru Tsukada, a second year student just like our others so far. She too has made quite a name for herself, and has recently been offered a dueling sponsorship after graduation by Saint Beatrix."

Mizuki cast a glance at Kaoru, who met her eyes. _'You better not lose, because I'm looking forward to dueling you and your Tarot Deck Kaoru. I'll see you in the finals.'_

"Now, last but far from least amongst our Blue representatives this year is one of our top students in terms of grades, and her success in this tournament has placed her at fifth in the entire school! I give you all Kohana Meisuko." The Obelisk Blue girl was petite, barely over five feet in height, and was slender. She had a pretty face almost the color of porcelain and bright blue eyes. What set her apart the most was her dark blue hair which was long, wavy, and went to the middle of her back.

Principal Tantei motioned to the next over space. "First of our two Ra Yellows is Taylor Jones, who accelerated through the tournament as a bit of a surprise to most. We welcome his presence though."

Kane frowned at the memory involving the dark haired boy with the crew cut. He had been the American his sister had faced in the duel review. They had started to go out for a while before the incident with Envy. _'I didn't think he was that strong, but I guess he's really good.'_

"Second of our Ra Yellows is a strange one who made a name for himself by achieving his current dorm through a method almost never attempted. Let's meet Shiro Akugi!" Shiro's appearance was the most dramatic as he was hopping up and down and waving at the audience enthusiastically.

Mizuki shook her head, though when Shiro glanced her way she grinned back at him. Shiro gave her a thumbs up, feeling better than he had in a long time. _'I told you Mizuki, I'm going all the way. Don't lose until we meet in the last round, okay?'_

"Last but certainly not least is our sole Osiris Red duelist. A first year, she's made a name for herself by defeating many strong opponents to become the top ranked student in her dorm within a month's time. Here's Miharu Kanzaki!" Wearing her signature black halter top and open Red blazer, Miharu smirked up at the audience and brushed her wild red hair over her shoulder.

Shiro looked back and forth between Miharu and Kohana and couldn't help but grin. _'Those two mean that I'm in these finals with four amazingly hot ladies. And I can't help but have a thing for girls with odd hair colors. And red on a Japanese girl is sexy!'_

Kane gulped at the sight of the smirking Osiris Red and he shuddered as he remembered their duel. _'Whoever duels her better be careful. She may be Osiris Red, but she duels like a Blue! Her strategy is…brutal.'_

Tantei snapped his fingers and the display board above began to flicker as it ran through names at a blinding speed. "The first rounds will be determined randomly, so even the duelists that are going to duel won't know until they are chosen. Let's see the first result!"

The names lit up and two Obelisks locked eyes. "Our first duel amongst the top eight, Enzeru Yukio and Alec Masters! Duelists take your places, and let's get this top eight battle underway!"

The other six duelists walked off the dueling arena along with Tantei, leaving Alec and Enzeru in the middle. The exchanged decks, and began to shuffle. Enzeru smiled slightly. "It's been a while Alec since we dueled last. I can't help but feel that we were intended to duel."

Alec began to speak, his eyes focused as he shuffled. Once again Enzeru found it strange to hear Alec's British accent mixing with the Japanese language. "Yes, fate I suppose. I'm glad to see you here, because if there's anyone at this school I consider a rival, its you. I hope that you see me as the same."

Enzeru shook his head, but still continued smiling. "I'm afraid not Alec, I view every strong duelist on this island as a potential rival, so limiting myself to one is foolish. I respect you, but I don't view you above any of my other rivals."

"If that's the case, then I'll prove to you in this duel that I'm the only one you should consider a rival. After placing second to you in school, I've enjoyed the challenge of defeating you. Today I'll show you which of us is the strongest my worthy foe!" They returned each others decks and then walked to opposite sides of the arena. Once in place they spun around, duel disks activated. (ELP: 4000) (ALP: 4000)

Enzeru drew first, taking the duel off to its start. "I begin by summoning Paladin Spierel (1800/1300) to the field. His effect boosts all Paladins by three hundred points."

His warrior wore golden armor and had a faint blue glow surrounding his body. His attack quickly increased by three hundred. "I conclude my turn by placing two cards face down."

Alec drew, his eyes quietly determined as he fanned out his hands. "Enzeru, I've always respected the way you looked out for your family. Such a thing is quite important. But in Duel Monsters, your family is your deck, and your deck I can feel isn't as much family to you as mine is to me! Meet the first member of my extended family!"

His chosen monster formed on the field. It was less than impressive as a brown haired middle aged man in grey armor, with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. "This is Angel Knight Tomas-Mortal Aspect (1500/1400)! His effect increases all Mortal Aspects by one hundred per level!"

Tomas' attack strength quickly rose to nineteen hundred, not enough to defeat Spierel but still an impressive amount. "At this time I activate the quick-play magic card Cyclone to destroy your face down card on the left!"

Enzeru frowned and depressed a button on his disk. "I activate the quick-play card Crimson Legion in chain! At this time I special summon three Crimson Paladin (500/500) tokens to the field!"

Three knights in red armor appeared on the field in a crouched position, shields raised in front of them. "Crimson Paladins must be attacked before other Paladins, and all life point damage from them being in battle is reduced to zero."

Alec narrowed his eyes and snapped around one of the cards he was holding. "I activate the normal magic card Dual Aspect! Since there is a monster with 'Mortal Aspect' in its name on my field I can summon the monster in its text with 'Divine Aspect' in its name from my hand or deck!"

The monster that descended onto his field was much more impressive than the previous one. It had long white angelic wings, wore white robes and silver armor, had golden hair, and was also wielding a sword and shield. "Angel Knight Tomas-Divine Aspect (1400/1500) has the same ability as Tomas, though applied to Divine Aspects instead."

Like his previous monster this one also gained attack points, though its attack only became eighteen hundred. "Next I activate the continuous magic card Crusade, which increases all warriors and angels on my field by two hundred for each warrior and angel I control. My two monsters gain four hundred points!"

Having seen these monsters in action before Enzeru wasn't surprised when they became stronger than his monster. "Each of my monsters will deal with one of your tokens."

His two Angel Knights swiftly dispatched two of the three tokens, though no harm was done. "I conclude my turn by setting one card face down and activating the normal magic card Heavenly Intervention. During my next standby phase I'll draw one card for each angel in play, as well as each monster with 'angel' in its name."

Enzeru drew and cautiously placed his drawn card onto his disk. "I'll set a monster in defense mode. Now I activate my face down card, Holy Father's Command. At this time the attack of one monster on your field is added to my Paladin's."

The power of Mortal Aspect flowed into Spierel, raising his attack points to forty-four hundred. "Also, if my chosen monster defeats yours in battle, I will gain your monster's base attack as life points. So now, Spierel attacks Mortal Aspect Tomas!"

His golden armored monster quickly stabbed its blade into Tomas' chest, then withdrew it, shattered the chosen creature. Alec frowned as his life points began to drop. "Impressive assault as usual. However, I activate Return of the Just to special summon Tomas back into play." (ALP: 1900)

Immediately Tomas reformed next to his angelic aspect. But Enzeru didn't seem bothered by this since his monster was stronger. "Since your monster was defeated by mine, my monster now loses its attack bonus. In addition, I gain the life points I mentioned." (ELP: 5500)

With a careful examination of his hand Enzeru knew what his obvious choice would be. "I place one card face down and end my turn."

Alec snapped a card off his deck and then smirked as an angel flew down from above and grabbed two cards off his deck and held them out to him. "I thank the effect of Heavenly Intervention for boosting my hand."

He looked down at his three cards carefully and then placed one onto his duel disk. "I normal summon Angel Knight Helen-Divine Aspect (1200/1700) who gains four hundred attack from Tomas."

This angelic knight wore white robes, golden armor, and held a bow of pure light. She was a beautiful pale woman as well with long golden hair. "Once per turn Helen allows me to discard a card from my hand to destroy a magic or trap card on your field. I choose to do so!"

She drew back her bow, generating an arrow of light, and then let it fly. It hit Enzeru's set card and vaporized it instantly. Enzeru glanced at the three monsters, one with twenty-five hundred, and another with twenty-four hundred, and the third with twenty-two hundred. "Quite an impressive attack force."

"It becomes more impressive shortly, since the card I discarded was Aspect of Man. When this card goes to the grave I select one Divine Aspect in play and special summon its Mortal Aspect to the field. Come forth Angel Knight Helen-Mortal Aspect (1700/1200)!" This knight wore the same grey armor was the mortal Tomas, held a bow, and had short red hair in a ponytail.

"At this time I activate the effect of Helen's mortal aspect, discarding a card from my hand to destroy a monster on your field. Spierel is my choice!" Helen drew back on her longbow and released an arrow which pierced directly through Spierel, killing him in mere seconds.

Enzeru narrowed his eyes and suddenly a man in dull grey armor with a heavy shield in his hand appeared on his field. This monster had no face whatsoever. "Since you destroyed a Paladin I'll special summon Back-Up Paladin (1000/1000) in defense mode. Its defense is increased by five hundred per Paladin in play."

Alec snapped his fingers and the card he had discarded shot out of his cemetery slot. "Divinity of the Mortal can once per game be removed from the cemetery to allow me to draw one card for each mortal aspect and each divine aspect in play. I draw four cards."

"I set one card face down, and now Helen's divine aspect (2400) is going to attack your measly token!" The angelic knight released another arrow of light, blasting the targeted monster into nothingness. Immediately a monster identical to the first Back-Up Paladin appeared.

"Another one? That's fine; I'll cut through both of them easily! Tomas' Mortal Aspect (2700) and his Divine Aspect (2600) will slay your monsters now!" All it took was a single sword stroke from each monster to blast Enzeru's two remaining creatures into nothingness. But as soon as the last one vanished another appeared.

"Again? You refuse to be beaten I see, so I'll just have Helen's mortal aspect (2900) finish the last one off!" A swiftly shot arrow ended the life of the final of the three, clearing a path to Enzeru's life points.

"Here's the kill! I activate Divine Assault, which lets me have all Divine Aspects attack a second time during this turn. Divine Aspect-Helen attacks your set monster and Divine Aspect Tomas goes direct!" Helen unleashed a light arrow that blasted the set monster, and then Tomas did nothing.

The left corner of Enzeru's mouth quirked upwards. "While all three Back-Up Paladins are in the cemetery I cannot be attacked directly. However, during my next end phase one of them will be removed from the game."

"Since you obviously refuse to die I'll end my turn there. But I'm confident that I can defeat whatever you bring against me, no problems at all." The audience was tense as Enzeru drew. It was rare to see a duel where it seemed both duelists were perfectly even in terms of skill and deck power, but this seemed to be one of those.

The previous year's number one rookie smirked at what he saw. _'I can feel it, I've grown stronger. And Alec will be an excellent measure of if I'm coming close to the strength needed to defeat Envy!'_

"Alec, from my hand I activate Called to Crusade! This lets me special summon one templar, Teutonic, or paladin from my hand to the field. My choice is the strongest of my monsters, Divine Paladin Helios (2900/2800)!" Alec stared in awe at the heavily armored monster that approached. It had a golden glow coming from its body and its shield and sword were shining like mirrors.

Alec's eyes widened as he realized that Enzeru was preparing for something heavy, and wouldn't have so casually burned his hand unless he was confident. "That card in your hand!"

"That's correct, at this time I activate Coins From Heaven! Each player draws until they are holding six cards." Enzeru drew six cards, easily restoring his heavy losses over the past few turns in just a single moment.

"I set one monster face down, and now Divine Paladin Helios attacks! At this time I may remove a monster from my deck to increase his attack by that monster's attack strength until the end phase! I remove Ether Paladin Lumos (2600/2200)!" Helios raised his sword above his head and it released a great inner light before he slashed it down against the ground, sending a huge wave of light at Helen's divine aspect.

"I reveal my face down card, Altar for Tribute! By sacrificing the Mortal Aspect of Tomas I'll gain its attack points as life points. Then I receive the attack." He breathed in deeply gaining life points just before the wave of light incinerated Helen. (ALP: 1500)

"Very well, I activate Limitless Power. As long as this continuous card is in play no monster can lose attack points. Meaning Helios has a permanent attack of at least fifty-five hundred. And now, I set one card and end, removing a Back-Up Paladin from the grave." He let out a quiet breath, keeping himself calm as Alec drew, giving himself seven cards in hand.

"I'm not ready to lose, so prepare to face my power at its fullest!" He reached down and picked up the two cards on his duel disk and slid them into his cemetery. Immediately a pillar of energy shot up around each of his monsters, engulfing them and hiding them from view.

"I tribute my two monsters to summon Angel Knight Raziel-Mortal Aspect (2600/2600)!" A tall blonde man in grey armor stepped out onto the field as the pillars of energy faded. He wore the same grey armor as the previous mortal aspects, except he wore a white coat over it, and had a massive sword in each hand.

"Next from my hand I activate a second Dual Aspect, allowing me to special summon Angel Knight Raziel-Divine Aspect (2600/2600) from my deck to the field!" Flying down from the field was Raziel's angelic side. This monster had golden skin, silver armor, a white coat like the mortal aspect, and also held two huge swords.

The power of Crusade immediately increased their attack strength to three thousand a piece. "I follow that up by activating Holy Aura, to gain eight hundred life points per divine aspect and mortal aspect I have in play. That's sixteen hundred!" (ALP: 3100)

Alec then slammed another card from his hand into his duel disk. "I play Divine Judgment, at a cost of one thousand life points I can destroy any card on your field. I choose to destroy Divine Paladin Helios!" (ALP: 2100)

A blast of light shot out of the ceiling and hit Helios, blasting him into oblivion. That left Enzeru with one set monster, a single set card, and his continuous magic card. "Now, I play a card you should know well. I activate Chains of Peace, preventing the activation of all face down cards as long as it's in play!"

Enzeru frowned as chains wrapped around his face down card, eliminating half of his remaining defense. _'It seems I'm going to receive a taste of my own medicine. Although in this case it will nearly empty his hand to use.'_

"Don't be thinking about my cards in hand when I still haven't attacked yet. Raziel-Divine Aspect attacks the set monster, and Mortal Aspect allows Angel Knights to remove monsters they beat in battle from the game. Divine Lightning Slash!" Raziel crossed his swords and swung them, sending an x-shaped lightning bolt flying across the field to crash into the set monster. It was crushed without effort, and Enzeru placed it into his back pocket.

Alec snapped his hand up and pointed to Enzeru, his eyes narrowed and confident. "Mortal Aspect, direct attack!"

Enzeru grunted as twin blades struck his body with enough force that even with holograms he'd probably have some form of bruise later on. "As strong as I remember…" (ELP: 2500)

The other Obelisk smirked and held up one of his two remaining cards. "I play a second Heavenly Intervention, meaning during my next turn I'll draw two cards in my standby phase. End turn, discarding the last card in my hand as upkeep for Chains of Peace."

Enzeru fanned out his four card hand, and then held up one of the cards. "Since heavenly aid seems to work for you, I'll play Graceful Charity."

He drew three times, and looked at his cards carefully. "Since it would be moot at this point I'll discard my own Chains of Peace. I also discard Emergency Provisions."

"Now I summon Paladin Vicix (1750/1100) who gains one hundred attack points per magic card in my grave when summoned. I have six of them, so its attack becomes twenty-three fifty." Enzeru frowned and shook his head, almost as if arguing with himself.

Alec narrowed his eyes at Enzeru, feeling as if Enzeru was backing down somewhat. "Are you cowering from whatever your move is? Worried that it won't work and that you'll lose perhaps? If that's how you act then you can't protect your family no matter how hard you try! If you're going to protect them, protect them!"

Enzeru stopped and looked up from his cards, surprised at what he was hearing. "What are you saying Alec? That I should win no matter the cost if it means protecting my family?"

The British teen shook his head, looking fiercely determined. "No, that's not it at all. One's family is more important than anything, including winning. I'm just saying that if you protect someone you can't think about how they might get hurt. Instead you have to gather you resolve and determine for yourself that no matter the cost to yourself, you'll protect them!"

"Thank you for that Alec, you have no idea how much I needed to hear it. As things stand, I truly must protect my family at all costs. Which means its time I gathered up my resolve and finished this duel!" He slammed one card into his duel disk, his eyes brimming with determination.

Alec beckoned to his rival, looking eager and excited. "That's right, come and face me with all your strength! I wouldn't have it any other way, and only you who understand my strong feelings about family are worthy of defeating me without malice!"

"Then that's what I'll do! Go, Gathered Resolve! At this time I draw one card for each level of a single monster on my field, and then I discard one card from my deck equal to that same number. I draw four and discard four!" He skimmed through his cards quickly, giving him six cards in hand. Then he tossed four cards off his deck and into his graveyard.

"I activate my next card, Equivalent Exchange! By discarding one card from my hand I can add a card of the same type from my deck to my hand. I send Sword of Assault to the grave to add a trap to my hand." He looked through his deck before he found the chosen card, and then he placed it into his hand.

"I set that card face down. And now I activate the normal magic card Holy Father's Mandate. At this time I select one card on my field, and that card cannot have its activation or effect negated. Turn end!" Alec laughed with delight and drew. Then he drew twice more, restoring his hand to a decent size just as he had before.

"Let's see it, your resolve to protect your family! Can it defeat me, or are you just wasting time? Raziel attacks your Vicix! Divine Lightning Slash!" That familiar x-shaped blast of lightning soared across the field, ready to obliterate Vicix. However, Enzeru thrust his hand out to activate his set card.

"You wanted my power and resolve, so here it is! Open set card, Ring of Destruction! And my choice of monster is Vicix!" A circle of grenades strapped itself around the Paladin's neck and began spinning. Alec smiled, happy despite what he saw coming.

With a loud bang the grenades detonated, filling up half the field with smoke. When it faded so did the cards remaining in play. "Excellent play…you even got around Chains of Peace for the kill." (ALP: 0) (ELP: 150)

The two duelists shuffled their decks up and walked to the center of the field. They grasped hands and shook, each of them smiling in that strangely self-assured way. "We're similar people, you and I. But Enzeru, we're also quite different. That's why, above any other reason, I feel we are rivals."

Enzeru squeezed the other duelist's hand tight, feeling more satisfied by the duel than he had in any duel in quite some time. "Perhaps you're right Alec. Regardless of whether I wish to call you my only rival, you are a rival to me. I will always acknowledge that, because you helped me grow stronger when I needed it."

The crowd erupted into cheers as they two duelists released each other's hands. Enzeru turned to walk away, as did Alec, but they stopped at the same time when Enzeru spoke. "Rival or not, I hope you'll consider you and I friends, or at least comrades in battle."

Alec smirked and nodded his head, even though Enzeru couldn't see it. "I'd gladly fight against you or by your side at any time. You're a man of great honor, and I respect you for that. Until we face each other again Enzeru, farewell."

Enzeru got off the dueling ring and let out a deep breath, ignoring the cheers of the other students, even though he knew one of them was his brother Kane. He looked up at the spectator's booth, and in it he could have sworn he saw the small form of Envy looking back. "Envy, I'm coming for you. Be prepared."

In the booth Envy smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "So…you're pretty strong huh? Well I'm jealous of your strength and resolve, so maybe next time…I'll just strip you of that resolve and give it to myself. Just like I did with your sister."

In his seat Saint couldn't help but smile, and he reached over and patted the back of Envy's hand. "Ah, but you should understand by now that of all the people on this island, Enzeru Yukio must be Fortitude. And if you really want to take the best of him, crush his little brother's spirit first. After all, little Kane Yukio is completely expendable."

Enzeru finished walking as he reached the seats that were set aside for the chosen eight duelists, of whom there were now only seven remaining. Mizuki and Shiro grinned up at him, and Mizuki rushed forward to clap him on the back. "Great job big guy. That means you're the first of our group to make it to round two."

Shiro grinned and pointed up at the monitor which was flashing names. "Yeah, well don't get too excited yet. Whoever wins this next duel is going to be your opponent in round two, and if it's me, I'll squash you like a bug big guy."

The names stopped changing and displayed for everyone to see. At the opposite end of the seats one of the other duelists stood and stretched their arms out. "His opponent is going to be me, because I refuse to lose this duel."

Taylor Jones squeezed his hand into a tight fist and steadied himself. The other name on that board worried him, but now he could only go forwards. "Let's go, I've got a duel to win."

He reached the dueling arena first and stepped up onto it. Then he turned his head back to look over his shoulder at his opponent. "Of all those in the finals that I could have faced, you're the perfect one for my first opponent…Rising Star."

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Author's Note: Alec Masters was submitted, at my request, by AngelofBlades. Thanks for that character, I loved his deck.

_Next Time: In the second duel of the tournament Mizuki must battle against Taylor Jones, the rush duelist who previously faced Aya. Mizuki deeply feels for him, as she understands his reason for going so far, but even so she cannot surrender. To give the rush duelist what he really wants Mizuki may have to face the terrors of the deep mystery. In space, no one can hear you scream._

_See it all in, Cosmic Space!_


	50. Cosmic Space

Author's Note: Its Mizuki's turn to duel, and this time she's up against Taylor in the depths of space.

**Chapter Fifty: Cosmic Space**

_Enzeru finished walking as he reached the seats that were set aside for the chosen eight duelists, of whom there were now only seven remaining. Mizuki and Shiro grinned up at him and Mizuki rushed forward to clap him on the back. "Great job big guy. That means you're the first of our group to make it to round two."_

_Shiro grinned and pointed up at the monitor which was flashing names. "Yeah, well don't get too excited yet. Whoever wins this next duel is going to be your opponent in round two, and if it's me, I'll squash you like a bug big guy."_

_The names stopped changing and displayed for everyone to see. At the opposite end of the seats one of the other duelists stood and stretched their arms out. "His opponent is going to be me, because I refuse to lose this duel."_

_Taylor Jones squeezed his hand into a tight fist and steadied himself. The other name on that board worried him, but now he could only go forwards. "Let's go, I've got a duel to win."_

_He reached the dueling arena first and stepped up onto it. Then he turned his head back to look over his shoulder at his opponent. "Of all those in the finals that I could have faced, you're the perfect one for my first opponent…Rising Star."_

Mizuki took a deep breath and slid her duel disk onto her left arm, then walked up onto the platform to join Taylor. "I hope we have a good duel."

She passed him her deck and received his in return and they began to shuffle. "Same goes to you Rising Star. But I've got to apologize ahead of time, because my deck is going to be brutal on you, and you won't like it."

With a laugh Mizuki accepted her deck back and returned Taylor his. "Hey, no worries. I'm not going easy on you, so don't you dare go easy on me. But hey, your Bacterion Elimination Squadron Deck isn't that scary."

She placed her deck into its appropriate zone and walked to the opposite side of the field. Once there she turned and flicked her disk open while Taylor did the same thing. "I'm surprised you knew what B.E.S. stood for, but since Industrial Illusions created the Gradius arcade game I shouldn't be surprised." (TLP: 4000) (MLP: 4000)

His eyes suddenly narrowed to pinpoints and he drew his five opening cards in a single sweep. "But don't expect the same thing from me. My deck that you say was actually a Gradius Deck, revolving around the monsters in the video game. However, to become stronger, I needed to use a stronger deck!"

Mizuki frowned, realizing that she wasn't going to be facing the deck she was expecting. "Then what sort of deck are you using? And why wouldn't you use it normally?"

"Its not that I wouldn't, it's that I didn't have it. Someone helped me construct this deck, and with that aid I'll defeat you and every opponent I encounter! Duel!" Mizuki didn't know what to think of the realization that his deck had been given to him by someone else, but she knew one thing. Somehow, she was certain that in this case Saint wasn't involved.

Taylor snapped his fingers suddenly and a card shot out of his deck. "Before either of us draws the normal magic card Field of Battle activates! At this time each of us may place one field card to the top of our decks."

He found the card he was looking for easily, but Mizuki made no move to search for one. "I don't have a field card in my deck, so that doesn't benefit me at all."

He shrugged and drew, getting his field card. "My deck may have changed, but this aspect hasn't! I activate the field magic card Cosmic Space, transporting us to the depths of the universe!"

The entire arena warped, turning into a field of stars with nebula and galaxies in the background. It felt like they were floating in the middle of space. "Yeah, and Cosmic Space gives all monsters Life Stars equal to their level. During an end phase all monsters lose a Life Star, and when a monster has no Life Stars with Cosmic Space in play they are destroyed."

Taylor nodded and his deck churned again. "You got that right, but part two of this deadly combo makes my Cosmic Space never-ending. When a field card is played from my deck I can activate The Undying Zone, which prevents that field card from ever being destroyed!"

The stars shined brighter than before, and then dimmed down again as his card effect resolved. "I'll end my turn by setting a monster and one card face down. Rising Star, show me what you can do so I can crush you with this deck."

Mizuki nodded and drew. "I start by summoning Rune Berserker (2000/1200) to the field. Then Rune Berserker will attack your set monster!"

The muscular man with glowing runes all over his body made a bellow of challenge and body-checked the set monster. There was a clang as he struck metal, and then he bounced off. Mizuki's eyes widened as a huge shape appeared out of the set card. "What in the world is that thing?"

It was at least thirty feet or more in height, with a core that was a silvery steel cylinder. Extending from the middle were two pylons, each which ended in a cylindrical capsule. There was a radar dish sticking out of the front, and two solar panels were attached at the top. "What is this? It's the start of your demise, my Satellite Base (0/1000)! It cannot be defeated in battle by a monster with level five or less, and during each end phase of mine it gains one thousand defense points!"

Mizuki nodded and slid one of her other cards into her duel disk. "I end my turn, and each of our monsters loses one Life Star, reducing them to three. Strong though your monster is, it can't last long in space!"

Taylor drew without pausing for her to finish, and then as he held out his card the very familiar green jar appeared. "Pot of Greed."

He looked at one of the drawn cards and closed his eyes for a moment. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro the Rising Star, prepare yourself for the beginning of the end! From my hand I activate Final Countdown at a cost of two thousand life points!" (TLP: 2000)

All of the students, especially Mizuki, gasped in surprise at the name of the activated card. Almost immediately one of the stars began to burn intensely brightly. "No way…you actually have one of the instant win condition cards?"

"That's right! Final Countdown begins a turn count of twenty turns, with this turn being number one. After twenty turns, you lose the duel. As you can see, one star is already beginning to start the process, and on turn twenty they'll go supernova and obliterate you!" Mizuki closed her eyes and Taylor stopped talking, surprised at how calm she seemed.

Slowly she opened her eyes, the green orbs brimming with confidence. "That's fine; I'll just beat you before twenty turns are up. That makes it no different than any other duel."

"If you think so, then let me play another card for you! I activate Launch Sequence, which lets me special summon one 'Satellite' named monster to the field if there is a 'Satellite Base' in play. So I special summon Satellite Cannon (0/0)!" Mizuki looked up over Taylor's head as the giant shape of Satellite Cannon was created.

It was huge, at least as big if not bigger than Satellite Base. It had four pylons of solar panels, and it had a central core that extended past the pylons to a narrow end. That was the cannon part of it. "And your monster can't be attacked by a monster of level seven or less. Plus it gains one thousand attack points each of your end phases, though it loses its attack points when it attacks."

"You're right, and I happen to know that you don't have a level eight monster in your deck. And keep in mind that each turn my Satellite Cannon will grow stronger, and each turn you also come closer to defeat from Final Countdown. But wait, there's more!" His deck churned once again and a card shot out of it, which he placed into his hand.

"When I special summon a level five or higher machine while Cosmic Space is in play I can add this card to my hand. I'll forestall playing it though, and just end my turn there." Satellite Cannon powered up to one thousand, the Base to two thousand defense, and another star began to burn brighter.

Mizuki frowned as she drew, looking down at her hand of cards. Then she looked up at her monster, which seemed to be having trouble breathing. _'Rune Berserker only has two Life Stars left, and at my end phase he'll be done to one. This strategy is dangerous, turns are important to keep track of here.'_

"I summon Rune Lancer (1600/1200) in defense mode and then I'll place a card face down. End turn." Each monster in play lost a Life Star, making Base and Berserker at just one, while Lancer and Cannon had three each.

Taylor drew and immediately another star started its dying cycle. "Turn eighteen, and more pain begins for you! I activate Countdown Sequence, which comes into play with three 'Turn Counters'. By removing a 'Turn Counter' I can advance the duel count by one, thus activating the effects of Cosmic Space, and my two Satellites, and making this turn seventeen!"

His two monsters powered up, and then Berserker shattered since it had no more Life Stars. "At this time Satellite Base is destroyed by the effect of Cosmic Space, and then since it was destroyed by an effect its ability activates! I now special summon one Satellite Cannon to the field!"

The base blew apart and another Satellite Cannon flew out of the remains, moving up until it was next to the first. "At this time one 'Satellite Cannon' in play will gain Satellite Base's defense as attack points, while the special summoned one gains half that amount!"

The original Satellite Cannon suddenly rocketed up to five thousand attack points, while the new one reached fifteen hundred. "Next, I activate the card I gained last turn but didn't play. Oxygen Tanks prevents all machine sub-types from losing Life Stars after activation!"

Mizuki gulped, realizing that now she was up against powerful monsters that didn't suffer from his field card, while she suffered from it. _'His deck is so methodical! It's a truly amazing strategy.'_

"Next I activate the magic card Charge! This allows me to increase the attack strength of one Satellite Cannon in play by two thousand, or I could share that amount if I have more than one. At this time, each of my two Cannons gains a thousand attack points!" Even Mizuki was beginning to feel worried, as the last time she had faced such incredible attack strength was against Vlad, and that had been an incredibly difficult duel.

He narrowed his eyes and flipped around one of the cards he was holding. "I next activate Orbital Mining Satellite (0/0)'s effect! By discarding it from my hand I draw one card, plus an additional card for each 'Satellite' monster I have in play. I draw three cards!"

Instantly he had four cards in hand and seemed less than worried about the potential threat of her set cards. "Since I have yet to normal summon this turn, I launch my Satellite Orbital Missile Upgrade (0/0)! This monster now unions to my stronger Satellite Cannon (6000/0)!"

Two pods strapped onto the side of the cannon portion, and slid open to reveal dozens of ballistic missiles within. Mizuki gulped as she saw that they were aimed at her. "When equipped to Satellite Cannon this monster doesn't take up a magic or trap zone. In addition, once per turn I can pay five hundred life points to destroy a card on your field. I choose your left set card!"

A swarm of missiles shot out of the cannon and hit her set card, blasting apart her Rune Curse-Degradation. "You've got a powerful combo going here, but so far you're losing from life point payments." (TLP: 1500)

"Maybe I am, but I'm not worried at all. I have the weaker Satellite Cannon (2500/0) attack and destroy your Lancer!" Light gathered at the tip of the cannon and then fired, instantly annihilating her defending monster. Its flesh burned away and then it screamed as it was peeled apart completely.

He snapped his fingers and a card popped out of his deck. "From my deck, since a level five machine with less than a thousand base attack nuked one of your monsters, I play this card. Since Oxygen Tanks is in the grave, it can work my magic card Oxygen Deficiency Syndrome! All non machine-type monsters now permanently have half their normal Life Stars!"

Another piece of his strategy fell into place, once again hindering Mizuki and aiding him. _'I've never seen a strategy like this before. Its incredible how the pieces are so easy to gather together, giving him all the advantages and me all the disadvantages.'_

"If you thought that Satellite Cannon was going to lose attack points, you guessed wrong! By sending Satellite Recharge Cell (0/0) from my deck to the grave I can prevent that from happening." He added the card to his hand, but paused and didn't discard it.

"Another strategy piece, my continuous trap card Refueling Station. All machine types that are sent to the cemetery by an effect are shuffled back into my deck. Which means I return Satellite Recharge Cell and Orbital Mining Satellite back to my deck." He shuffled the two named cards into his deck, smirking the whole time.

Mizuki grimaced when she realized what was next. "Satellite Cannon (6000/0), direct attack! Vaporize her!"

She reached out and flipped over her remaining face down card. "You should have targeted this card, you would have won! Rune Symbol-Tiwaz now negates your attack and gives me your monster's points as life points!" (MLP: 10000)

Taylor grimaced and once he had discarded and reshuffled Satellite Recharge Cell he slid one of his three remaining cards into his duel disk. "I place that card face down and end. And now as your turn begins it becomes turn fifteen."

Mizuki drew and placed two cards face down on her field, and then placed a monster down in front of them. "Since my monster is set it isn't affected by Cosmic Space. And I'll defend myself with these two cards, ending my turn."

Her opponent drew, bringing the duel count to fourteen. "I sacrifice a Turn Counter from Countdown Sequence, making it turn thirteen. Also, my Satellite Cannons grow stronger."

The strongest one now reached eight thousand points, while the weaker one was at forty-five hundred. "Rising Star, you can't win! Either my Satellites will vaporize you or Final Countdown will end you. And since I control the flow of the turns count in this duel I have the advantage. Even my weakest Satellite Cannon is as strong as a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

He flipped around two of the cards he was holding. "I activate Worm Hole Summon, which lets me remove my Ballistic Satellite System (0/0) from the game. During my next standby phase it will be summoned."

Mizuki remembered that card from his duel with Aya, but it wasn't going to help her out now. "I activate the effect of Missile Upgrades, paying five hundred life points to destroy your left face down card!" (TLP: 1000)

She grimaced and motioned to the set card. "In chain I activate it, Rune Symbol-Sowilo! It lets me draw one card and gain five hundred life points!" (MLP: 10500)

"This assault won't finish you off, but you'll certainly feel it. I have my weaker Satellite Cannon go after your set monster! Annihilate it!" The bolt of pure power hit the middle of the set monster card and it was burned into ashes, and then even the ashes were burned away.

"When you attacked, I activated my set card. Rune Symbol-Fehu's reverse effect discards one card from your hand. And you flipped Rune Researcher (400/400) who now lets me add two cards with 'Rune' in their name from my grave to my hand." She slid two cards out of her grave and into her hand, while Taylor looked at the last card in his hand.

"Your Fehu's reverse effect forced me to discard a machine, so it's shuffled back into my deck at this time. And of course I send Satellite Recharge Cell to the grave and reshuffle it to prevent my cannon from losing points." Mizuki nodded, having gotten used to how that was going to work. She was also perfectly aware that her field was now utterly empty.

"I'm going to crush you Rising Star, with this next attack! Satellite Cannon (8000/0), direct attack!" Mizuki screamed as the wave of power surrounded her, engulfing her entire body in its deadly energy particles. Taylor winced, seeing how painful it appeared to be receiving such a high powered attack. (MLP: 2500)

Chizuma jumped out of her seat at the sight of Mizuki screaming. "Mizuki-sama, don't give up! Get back up and kick that jerk's ass! Do your best!"

The light faded, letting Mizuki fall to her knees with smoking rising off of her body. She seemed limp, with her head hanging and her hair in her eyes. Taylor frowned, but shook his head anyways. _'She's tough, and I can't stop because my strikes are dangerous. If I want to succeed with my intent, I can't back down even an inch!'_

"Rising Star, in chain to that strike I activate my face down card, Mechanical Systems Charge! When a machine does life point damage from battle I gain an amount equal to that as life points!" His entire body was covered in a bright white light as his life points went soaring upwards. (TLP: 9000)

He clenched his fists, feeling his confidence growing at the sight of the weakened Rising Star. "Turn End!"

The steam slowly faded from Mizuki's body, but she didn't move. Her head was still down and her mind was currently occupied. _'He's suddenly so strong…what if I lose? If I'm not strong enough to beat him then my friends could be in danger from the Sins.'_

**_'Heee…looks like you're in dire straights. If you lose, then you're right, you're too weak and all your friends will get eaten alive by the Sins and that Saint bastard. But I can win this duel easy!'_ **Mizuki squeezed her eyes closed as tightly as she could, willing the voice to go away.

_'Leave me alone, I don't want you in there, I don't want you as part of me. I'm not so afraid that I have to fall back on a monster like you!'_ That dark voice chuckled in the back of her head and then it screamed and she felt a pounding pressure at the base of her skull.

**_'I'm not the monster, that's you! You were right to be afraid, and that's the truth! I'm not something different from you; I'm your fear and nightmares given birth by that monstrous dark power inside of you! The real monster is you, and I'm just an excuse! Now shut up and let me win this thing!'_ **Mizuki shuddered, feeling that intense pressure pushing against the back of her mind. Yet still, somehow it seemed more familiar than it had when she had experienced that nightmare the night of Sanzo's duel. The nightmare that had given this monster birth.

Another voice, this one a memory, sounded in her mind. _'Holding in the darkness? No, it's impossible to do that sort of thing. One of the few truths of this world is that the darkness cannot be held back. You just have to beat it into submission so that it understands who the master is. That's how you control the power of a Darkness Game and unleash it at your command.'_

Mizuki felt her body growing cold and the back of her eyes felt like they were itching as Nightmare pounded away, screaming in her mind. Harrison's words hung in her mind, and the past six days all seemed clearer than crystal. _'The stronger I get, the more Darkness I'm exposed to, the more that strange power within me pulses out of control. And I'm beginning to remember it all, the way the Darkness changes me…and this is the change I imagined as worst. The frightful change that made me a monster.'_

In the booth Saint's eyes widened as he felt a fluctuation in Mizuki's power. _'Oh my, she's drawing on the power within her but it's different than before.'_

"Mizuki! Get up and show him your real power! Knock this guy out of the stratosphere!" Mizuki's eyes snapped open at the sound of Shiro's voice, and she snapped her neck up. The pressure in her mind receded and she felt something pulse within her.

With a grin Mizuki pulled herself back to her feet and drew. "Sorry for keeping you waiting Taylor, but I've had some problems I've been working through in the past week. I haven't gotten over it yet, but I'm working through it. But now, now I'll show you my real power!"

Taylor's eyes widened as she flipped around two of the cards she had in her hand, feeling something strange. "What…this is entirely different from how you were before!"

"You can feel it too huh? Just like I thought, that night of the nightmare, you were awake like the others! And now, now I understand exactly what you're after! Rune Symbols-Fehu and Sowilo activate at this time, letting me draw three cards and gain five hundred life points!" Within moments she was up to five cards in hand, and restoring some of the damage dealt to her. (MLP: 3000)

"What are you talking about? How could you possibly know something like that?" Mizuki smirked and threaded the five cards she was holding through her fingers individually, making them a blur as she moved them.

Suddenly she snapped them back together as a normal hand of cards, and her smirk broadened. "Call it a knack for analysis. What you want is to grow stronger so you can bring Aya back, just like Enzeru is striving to do. I'm going to make you stronger, not by giving you a new deck, but by beating that new impossibly strong deck and forcing you to grow as a duelist!"

She looked through her cards and then quickly set three of them, all in her magic and trap zones. "Taylor, come and get me with all of your might! End turn!"

"You…all of a sudden you're way too confident! I'm the one with the advantage, so let me show you why! I draw!" He snapped his card up, frowning at the sight of a Magic Jammer trap card.

"Worm Hole Summon's effect now activates, special summoning Ballistic Satellite System (0/0) to the field!" A boxy satellite floated out of a wormhole in space, its cylindrical core covered by pods much like the ones from the missile upgrades on Satellite Cannon. Only there were dozens of them, and all were much larger.

"Ballistic Satellite System can deal my opponent five hundred points of damage each turn for every monster on the field with 'Satellite' in its name. So take your punishment!" A wave of missiles showered down on Mizuki's field, covering the entire area in fire. (MLP: 2000)

A gust of wind blew the fire away, revealing a singed but still standing Mizuki. "Now I activate the effect of Countdown Sequence, sacrificing its final counter, thus destroying it. It becomes turn ten at this time!"

Now his strongest Satellite Cannon was at ten thousand attack points and his weakest at sixty-five hundred. "Since its effectively a new turn, I once again activate the effect of Ballistic Satellite System!"

Another shower of missiles slammed down on Mizuki's field, burning nearly all of her life points to nothingness. Her knees nearly buckled, but she swiftly shook it off and stood her ground. "Your deck is strong Taylor, its you that's lacking! This isn't going to win anything." (MLP: 500)

"Coming from someone losing the duel, that's just ludicrous! I pay five hundred life points to destroy your middle set card!" Mizuki didn't even flinch as the barrage of mini-missiles shattered her face down card into a million pieces. (TLP: 8500)

"You can think what you will, but I understand the truth! All you've been doing is leeching off of the power of a deck somebody else gave you! That's not strength, that's the epitome of weakness! Unless you can rely on your own power then you've got nothing even close to real power!" Taylor shook his head and gritted his teeth. Then he thrust out his right hand, causing his weaker satellite to power up.

"I'll shut you up with my Satellite Cannon's attack! Show her which of us is actually the strong one!" It blasted its beam of light at Mizuki, who calmly stood her ground and motioned to one of her two remaining face down cards.

Her field was suddenly engulfed in light and light also poured out of her cemetery. "Rune Symbol-Dagaz shuffles my hand, field, and cemetery back into my deck and then lets me draw a new hand."

"That doesn't stop my attack at all! You're finished Rising Star!" Mizuki smirked and pointed to her remaining set card even while the light wrapped around it, ready to suck it back into her deck.

"I'm also activating Rune Charm-Destiny Road! During this turn I can activate magic and trap cards from my hand!" She reached for her now reshuffled deck and drew five cards off the top. Taylor glared as the light from the beam hit her, engulfing her in its light.

"You've failed, my attack has hit!" To his surprise Mizuki smirked and flipped around one of the cards in her brand new hand. Then to his surprise his monster his monster began to glow.

He looked up and saw a strange glowing symbol on the side of his satellite. "Actually, before your attack finished I was able to activate Rune Mark-Life Core, which places a counter on one monster on your field. When that monster attacks me, all life point damage is reduced to zero if I remove that counter. At that time I can gain the attack of one monster on your field as life points." (MLP: 10500)

"You're just delaying the inevitable! I'll eliminate those life points right now with my strongest Satellite Cannon (10000/0)! Go and burn them away!" Once again Mizuki was struck by that light, but she seemed able to withstand the horrifying power more easily, even though she looked weakened and was breathing hard after the hit. (MLP: 500)

"Delaying the inevitable or not, it doesn't matter. From my hand I also activate Rune Mark-Bond of Death. I place a counter on one monster on your field, and when that monster is destroyed you take its attack as damage and I take half that amount." Taylor grimaced as he saw that his stronger Satellite had a symbol on it, and knew that if it was blown away they'd both lose life points, making the duel a tie.

"Fine, if that's the way you want it then I'll set one card face down. My turn is over, and now turn nine begins! Right now, the advantage is mine, and you can't possibly win!" Mizuki smiled in response and drew without a moment's hesitation.

As she looked at the four cards in her hand the audience waited with anticipation, as she seemed unworried about the level of power the Satellites had, as well as how she would take fifteen hundred damage in the next turn. "I activate Rune Charm-Magical Essence. We each draw until we reach a magic card, which we must activate. For every card we draw, I gain five hundred life points."

His eyes widened and he began to draw, feeling suddenly nervous. "Why are you doing this? Just on the effort to survive? You'd need for us to draw eleven cards total just to outlast the blast at all!"

Mizuki shook her head, looking suddenly serious. Her eyes drifted shut, and a faint smile touched her lips. "No…allow me to show you your destiny of self-destruction. That power you've taken, without the proper control, it will end you."

He grimaced and they both drew, he frowned, seeing a trap. Mizuki didn't look at her card, and instead held it up, showing a monster. "Damn it…" (MLP: 1500)

He drew again, and once more he had drawn a trap card. Mizuki held up her drawn, revealing it to be a trap as well. "How is she so confident when she's not even looking?" (MLP: 2500)

His third draw was a Satellite Recharge Cell, and hers was her Rune Paladin. "How can we keep not drawing magic cards? What is this?" (MLP: 3500)

In quick succession he went through three cards, seeing a monster, then a trap, and again a monster. She did the exact same order, and he was beginning to wonder if she was cheating. "How? You have more magic cards than any other type in your deck!" (MLP: 6500)

In his booth Saint was leaning inwards, his eyes alight with anticipation as Mizuki began to respond. "She's strong…strong enough to push her own destiny forwards with her own imagination! She's not just Hope…she's more than I could have imagined! She's exactly what I was hoping to find!"

"This is the destiny that is being called forth, this is what I've seen…and it's going to be true. Now draw your magic card and play it, and I shall do the same." Taylor gulped and looked down at his deck, almost afraid to see what he drew. If it was a magic card he didn't know what he could do.

He slid it off slowly and held it up. Then he grimaced and held it up. "Impossible as it is…you guessed right. The card I've drawn is Time Jump, which accelerates the duel by three turns. Satellite Cannon (14000)'s attack increases, and Final Countdown comes closer to completion." (MLP: 7000)

Mizuki drew and her eyes snapped open as her life points began to increase from that final draw. "My drawn card, the one card amongst my draws that will not be discarded, is the truth of your destiny of self-destruction!" (MLP: 7500)

She snapped it up and Taylor jerked back in surprise. "Impossible! How could that have been the card you drew? It shouldn't be…it can't be…how?"

"I told you…it's the destiny I saw in my mind, and it's the card I've drawn because of it! Rune Symbol-Thurisaz activates at this time, destroying your Satellite Cannon!" His monster began to descend from the sky, flames spouting from it. He shuddered and fell to his knees, moments before it would impact.

"And since it is destroyed Bond of Death deals you its attack as damage, and deals me half that amount! It's over!" The explosive force of the blast whipped outwards, blinding the audience and encompassing both duelists completely. Saint stood up from his chair, more excited than he would admit.

The light from the explosion drifted away, revealing both duelists. The fields were cleared and Taylor was on his hands and knees, breathing hard, while Mizuki stood exactly where she had been before. "But…my strategy…my power…" (TLP: 0) (MLP: 500)

He looked up in surprise when he felt Mizuki's hand on his shoulder. She was crouching down next to him, a smile on her pretty face. "Taylor, I told you before, you were relying on your deck too much, and that was making you weaker. Focus on your dueling skills and not on the power of your deck, and then you'll become much stronger. I'm sure with that deck and improved dueling focus you can bring back Aya."

Taylor pushed himself up onto his feet, and Mizuki grinned and flashed him the victory sign. He laughed as the audience went into crazy cheering session number two. "Rising Star…no Mizuki, you really are an incredible duelist, that's for sure. But you know, one thing about this bothers me. Why would that guy have given me this deck anyways?"

Mizuki stopped grinning and looked at him very seriously. "Taylor, what was the name of the guy who gave you the deck? Did he give you one?"

"Well, not a real one. He just said to call him Mr. Shadow, and then he left. Why, do you know him?" Mizuki shook her head, although she got a strange feeling from the whole thing.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when two more names lit up on the board above. They both looked up, and a sudden cocky laugh let her know who one of the duelists was. "Oh dang it…he's going to overdo it, I know it."

Shiro grinned and hopped up on the dueling ring, his duel disk ready for action. "Don't sweat it Mizuki, I'll take this chick down real easy, and then once I've beaten opponent number two and you've taken down Enzeru we'll see each other in the finals, just like I said."

His opponent stopped her walking right next to him and cast and imperious glance at him, her cold blue eyes looking down on him even though he was taller. "Perhaps you should duel first before you declare your victory."

He laughed in response and gestured at his chest with his thumb. "Don't you worry Kohana; this Prankster will go easy on a cute girl like you if that's what you really want."

Mizuki sighed and walked off the dueling platform with Shiro, shaking her head. "Just don't lose idiot, or else you'll look like a complete moron more than usual."

Shiro rolled his eyes and turned back to his opponent, who was already on the other side of the field. "Have a little faith Mizuki, I can beat this Blue just like any other. Piece of cake!"

Mizuki frowned and sat down, looking carefully at the blue haired girl who seemed so calm. _'Somehow, I don't think its going to be as easy as you make it sound. She's strong, I can tell.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: I loved that duel, honest to goodness I did. My favorite one I've written in a little while.

_Next Time: Now Shiro takes his chance to duel in the finals, and his opponent is the strangely cold and beautiful duelist Kohana Meisuko. The blue haired woman is stronger than even Shiro would have guessed, and her cold eyes begin to chill him to the bone. Can Shiro defeat her, or will he fall prey to the cold first?_

_See it all in, Chilled to the Soul!_


	51. Chilled to the Soul

Author's Note: Let the cold battle begin!

**Chapter Fifty-One: Chilled to the Soul**

_Taylor pushed himself up onto his feet and Mizuki grinned and flashed him the victory sign. He laughed as the audience went into crazy cheering session number two. "Rising Star…no Mizuki, you really are an incredible duelist, that's for sure. But you know, one thing about this bothers me. Why would that guy have given me this deck anyways?"_

_Mizuki stopped grinning and looked at him very seriously. "Taylor, what was the name of the guy who gave you the deck? Did he give you one?"_

_"Well, not a real one. He just said to call him Mr. Shadow, and then he left. Why, do you know him?" Mizuki shook her head, although she got a strange feeling from the whole thing._

_She was interrupted from her thoughts when two more names lit up on the board above. They both looked up, and a sudden cocky laugh let her know who one of the duelists was. "Oh dang it…he's going to overdo it, I know it."_

_Shiro grinned and hopped up on the dueling ring, his duel disk ready for action. "Don't sweat it Mizuki, I'll take this chick down real easy, and then once I've beaten opponent number two and you've taken down Enzeru we'll see each other in the finals, just like I said."_

_His opponent stopped her walking right next to him and cast and imperious glance at him, her cold blue eyes looking down on him even though he was taller. "Perhaps you should duel first before you declare your victory."_

_He laughed in response and gestured at his chest with his thumb. "Don't you worry Kohana; this Prankster will go easy on a cute girl like you if that's what you really want."_

_Mizuki sighed and walked off the dueling platform with Shiro, shaking her head. "Just don't lose idiot, or else you'll look like a complete moron more than usual."_

_Shiro rolled his eyes and turned back to his opponent, who was already on the other side of the field. "Have a little faith Mizuki; I can beat this Blue just like any other. Piece of cake!"_

_Mizuki frowned and sat down, looking carefully at the blue haired girl who seemed so calm. 'Somehow, I don't think its going to be as easy as you make it sound. She's strong, I can tell.'_

Kohana's cold blue eyes narrowed slightly as she raised her left arm, her duel disk activating. "Let's begin Shiro Akugi. I would request that you take the first turn." (KLP: 4000)

Shiro shrugged and flipped open his own duel disk, getting ready. Then he drew, just like she had asked. "If that's what you want, that's what you'll get. Now let's see what I've got!"

He smirked as he looked down at his six cards, and then casually began to place them down. "I'll throw two cards face down and add a monster in defense mode to mix things up. Your turn!"

She drew and looked at his set cards, and then directly into his eyes. "Shiro Akugi, I begin by playing the magic card Connection to the Depths. At this time the top three cards of my deck are discarded to the cemetery."

With her fingertips she tugged three cards off, and held onto one while she discarded the others. "I can choose one of those three cards to place into my hand. Afterwards, I draw one card."

She placed her newly drawn card into her hand, and then held up her recovered card. "I activate the normal magic card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two additional cards at this time."

Her eyes flicked up to his set cards after she finished drawing, and then she coldly held one of the two aloft. "I activate the magic card Bait Doll. Your left face down card will be activated, and if the timing is incorrect it is destroyed."

Shiro grimaced slightly as his set card flipped up and then shattered. "Bait and Switch can only be activated during the battle phase so it was destroyed. On the other hand, when it is sent from the field to the grave I can shuffle it into my deck and draw one card."

Kohana nodded and took her played magic card and slid it into her deck. "Much like Bait and Switch, after its effect resolves Bait Doll is shuffled back into my deck."

Once she had finished shuffling she held up one of her other cards and Shiro grimaced, recognizing it. "Frozen Greed allows me to discard one water or aqua type to draw two cards. Any water or aqua types I draw by this effect have their level reduced by two."

Selecting one of the two new cards, she pointed with it towards Shiro's remaining set card. "Once more I activate the magic card Bait Doll, thus revealing your continuous trap card that remains face down."

The prankster shrugged as his Cycle of Life trap card revealed itself. "Well that didn't affect me at all; I was going to activate it anyways."

Mizuki grimaced and squeezed her knees with her hands. _'Idiot…listen to what she said! She knew that your set card was a continuous trap somehow! Not only that, but since she used Bait Doll it means she wanted that card face-up for a reason, and she wanted it face-up now!'_

Kohana's features remained cold and calculated as she slowly placed one of the cards in her hand onto her duel disk. "I may special summon Frost Serpent (1500/1200) from my hand if you have a face-up magic or trap card."

An ice blue snake with a hooded skull like a cobra squirmed out onto the field, reared its head and hissed at Shiro. Kohana continued by placing another card onto her duel disk. "For my normal summon I call forth Ice Knight (1300/1200), whose special effect gives him four hundred attack points for every aqua sub-type monster in play. Including him, that is two."

A humanoid figure in light blue armor with a red cape descended, holding a double-ended lance in its right hand. "Its attack strength is now twenty-one hundred, which makes it powerful enough to defeat your defending Super Spy."

Shiro's eyes widened and he took an involuntary step backward. "How did you know I had Super Spy as my set monster?"

Mizuki smacked her forehead. _'Idiot! She guessed and you just told her!'_

Kohana finally smiled for the first time, and it was a chilling sight. "I analyzed your deck and dueling strategy, and made the assumption that your most likely set monster at this early stage of the duel would be Super Spy, as it has the highest defense of any Action Warrior."

She placed her right hand on her hip, still smiling coldly as she spoke. "In addition, its special effect allows you to destroy a magic or trap card in play when it deals life point damage in battle. Your most likely plan was to hope that I struck it with a weaker monster, allowing you to destroy a magic or trap card I might have set."

Shiro felt a chill run up his spine at everything she was saying. "Your contingency plan was, should I summon a monster stronger than it, to defend with Bait and Switch. Or, should I not set a magic or trap card, to destroy your own set Bait and Switch with Super Spy's effect in order to draw a card from your deck for your next turn."

Moving on she pointed with her left hand at his Cycle of Life trap card. "After I had determined that Bait and Switch was your set card on the left, I was certain that your remaining card was a continuous trap, as you place at least one continuous trap on the field ninety percent of the time while dueling. Also, having seen you duel I've seen that you most often set defensive cards on the left section of your duel disk, which made your first card the real threat."

Mizuki blinked and shot a wide eyed gaze at Kohana. _'She noticed that as well? The way she's talking…this Kohana girl is as analytical as I am. Maybe even more so.'_

Kohana let her cold smile drop, returning her face to its emotionless mask. "I'm certain that you had hoped to be able to maintain an advantage if I used a card effect to destroy Super Spy, thus allowing you to shuffle it back into your deck with Cycle of Life. However, since I created a combination that lets me overwhelm the defense of Super Spy, this is not an issue."

Thrusting out her left hand Kohana finally moved on with her move. "Since I've effectively picked apart your meager form of strategy, I'll continue. Ice Knight shall destroy Super Spy."

Her knight thrust its lance into the face-down monster, which briefly appeared as a man in a tuxedo before bursting into tiny pieces. "Next, I attack you directly with Frost Serpent."

Shiro grimaced as he was bitten by the snake on the side of the chest. It spread a little bit of ice over his right side, which didn't vanish even after the snake left. "Dang it…not the best second turn of a duel for me ever." (SLP: 2500)

"I place one card face down and conclude my turn. I believe it is your turn Shiro Akugi. Try and give me something more difficult to pick apart next time." He gulped and reached for his deck, his mind a blur of thought as he tried to figure out what he was up against.

He picked up the top card and added it to his hand, not looking at it yet. _'Okay, so she's clever enough to understand my strategy, and apparently she's got a great enough eye and memory that she saw something about my dueling habits that I didn't know. She's smart, and she's freakish in her ability to analyze the field and opponent. Hell, I hadn't even thought of destroying Bait and Switch with Super Spy.'_

Grimacing he looked at his drawn card, seeing Jar of Avarice. _'Damn it, at the moment that card is useless to me, since I can't use it unless I have five monsters in the grave.'_

Moving his gaze to his next card, the one drawn from Bait and Switch, he bit back a smirk. _'Pot of Greed eh? Looks like somebody up there just wants me to be greedy this turn.'_

Before he even reached for the card Kohana spoke aloud. "The card you drew this turn is a card that can allow you to draw cards. The same is true of the card next to it, which you drew from the effect of your trap card."

Shiro stopped his hand from touching Pot of Greed, and raised his head to meet her eyes, stunned. "What? How are…what are you talking about?"

Again that cold smile appeared. "When you looked at each of those cards, your eyes briefly flicked to your deck, indicating that they had draw abilities. However, you seemed slightly disappointed with your newest drawn card, meaning you cannot meet its cost at this time. Based on that, I would assume it is Jar of Avarice. I would also wager a guess that your other card is Pot of Greed, since you showed that it could be used."

"You…can tell all that just by watching my eyes? What the heck are you?" Kohana briefly ran her free hand through her blue hair, her smile fading. She offered no response, simply waited and watched Shiro.

"Yeah…well analyze all you want, knowing doesn't stop me! I activate Pot of Greed!" He did a mental leap of triumph at his incredible luck upon seeing one of the two cards he had just drawn.

"Your eyes lit up and you flicked your gaze to your cemetery, and then to your deck. This indicates that one of the two cards you have drawn has a draw effect, as well as being related to something in the cemetery. Since only Super Spy and Pot of Greed are in the grave, the obvious draw is Research on the Pot of Greed. When activated during the same turn as Pot of Greed it lets you draw two cards, so it makes perfect sense." Shiro grimaced and flipped up his second drawn card, revealing that it was Research on the Pot of Greed, just like she had estimated.

Shiro scanned his now impressively sized hand, trying to shake off his unease at knowing she had picked apart his draws so easily again. "Shut up, I'll destroy your monsters and blast into your life points this turn, so just watch!"

"Ah, perhaps you're referring to the Knife Flinger that is the second card on the left side of your hand? After all, you nearly reached for it when you set a monster last turn, meaning it is a monster. In addition, you looked at it briefly before making that declaration of destruction. Am I correct?" He slammed the named card onto his duel disk, growing in frustration.

Immediately a handsome man with a bandolier of knives did a flip out onto the field and hurled a flurry of knives at Ice Knight. "It doesn't matter; Action Warrior-Knife Flinger (1300/1600) still destroys your Ice Knight!"

The knives slammed into Ice Knight's armor…and then bounced off. Shiro blinked stupidly, not quite sure he followed. "What the heck was that? How come your monster didn't die?"

Kohana reached for her cemetery and a card slid out of it, which she held up. "Once per game I can remove Guard of Frost (0/800) from my cemetery to prevent on water or aqua type from being destroyed during a turn. Obviously I remove the Guard of Frost I discarded for Frozen Greed's cost."

With a frown he slid three cards from his hand into his duel disk. "Fine, if I can't blast your monster then I'll just set these three cards down and call it a turn."

She drew and looked down at his face down cards. "You have made a fatal error Shiro Akugi; allow me to demonstrate what that error is. First, I activate Deep Water. This allows me to add one water or aqua type monster from my deck to my hand."

A quick flick of her wrist fanned her entire deck out, and she easily saw and picked out the card she wanted. Then her two monsters on the field were suddenly frozen in blocks of ice. "I sacrifice both of my monsters to summon my ultimate defender, Pillar of Ice (0/2800) in defense mode."

Shiro gasped as a wave of water crashed down on each of their fields, and that water instantly froze, covering up their set cards. Then from the frozen ground on Kohana's side of the field a tower of ice rose, a floating crystal orb hovering above it. "As long as Pillar of Ice is face-up, no face down cards can be activated."

Kohana snapped her fingers and a cold mist surrounded her, and her deck began to churn. "At this time I activate the special effect of a card in my deck. By paying half my life points I can activate it at this time." (KLP: 2000)

He stared in shock as spires of ice shot out of the ground all around them, one bye one rising to the ceiling until they were completely hidden from view. Directly behind Kohana a solid structure that resembled a blue castle of ice formed. "My field card has revealed itself, the Fortress of the Ice Goddess. As long as this card is in play, face down cards cannot be activated."

Shiro shivered, his body feeling colder than it had even after he was bitten by her serpent. "Yeah? Well, that's the same effect as your Pillar of Ice. So what's the point?"

She pointed up at the orb above Pillar of Ice, which began to glow brightly. "While the Fortress of the Ice Goddess is in play the Pillar of Ice has its beacon activate. As long as that beacon is activated, my own face down cards are immune to the effect of my Fortress."

Carefully she folded her three card hand up and narrowed her eyes. "At this time I will reveal the second effect of my Fortress. At all times we must set any trap cards we hold. I have no traps in my hand, and based on your eyes, you hold none either. However, should you draw one in your next turn, it will be instantly set. Thus you will no longer be able to play magic or trap cards."

He gulped, realizing he was now officially in big trouble. He had to hope he lucked out next turn or he was screwed. "Yeah, well I've got a good chance of drawing a different type of card, so I'm not too worried."

"You may believe so, but that is simple foolishness. I continue my turn by activating the magic card Conqueror of the World. By sending two magic cards from my hand to the grave I may special summon one level seven or eight monster from my deck to the field." From the top tower of the fortress a graceful figure dropped to the ice, one hand planted to reduce the impact.

Slowly that figure rose to its full height, revealing a woman with a blue aura, pale skin, a mantle and cape that were blue, as well as a crown with ice shards extending out of it. In her hands she held a staff made of crystalline ice. "This is Ice Blizzard Master (2500/2500) my strongest attack. She will freeze your Knife Flinger."

Ice Blizzard Master raised her crystalline staff and a flurry of razor edged snow flakes swarmed around her. Then they all blurred outwards, slashing Knife Flinger into ribbons. Shiro gasped as it was destroyed, and his legs began to freeze. "What the heck?" (SLP: 1300)

Kohana smiled slightly, looking completely calm. "Be careful Shiro Akugi or my monsters will freeze you alive. Turn End."

He looked down at his deck, his heart pounding in his chest. _'I can't lose here, now matter how tough her combo seems. I've got to win this one, or Mizuki will give me hell and I'll look like a fool!'_

He paused to consider that one and shuddered. _'Well more of a fool anyways. But the point is, if I draw a trap right now then I'm finished, no two ways about it! I have to trust my deck, have faith and draw!'_

His heart beat slowed and he flicked his eyes up to Kohana's assembled cards. "Your strategy is awesome, and that's why I'm going to have a hell of a fun time fighting it! Draw!"

As the only one who could see the duel using his dark mirror, Saint found himself intrigued at the pulse of power from Shiro. "Ah yes, just as I anticipated. But though he was my initial interest, something about this Miss Meisuko intrigues me."

Shiro burst out laughing as soon as he saw what he had drawn. Kohana appeared surprised, not sure what to make of it. "Why are you laughing? I don't understand."

"Of course not, because there's no way your analytical stuff would get it when you've never seen this card before! I got just yesterday, and it was given to me by a close friend." He smirked, his mind going back to the day before.

He and Mizuki were eating together, and had discussed how they were some of the last duelists left in the tournament. Then she had reached into her bag and pulled out a small case, which she took the top card out of. _"Here, take this for the finals. I'm sure you'll make good use of it, and I know it wouldn't fit my deck."_

Laughing he had accepted it happily and looked it over. Then he had grinned at her and winked. _"Whenever I play this card, I'll think of you and your strong throwing arm."_

"Here it comes, the card that might as well be Mizuki in Duel Monster form! Meet my newest team member, Action Warrior-Femme Fatale (1900/900)!" The ice at his feet shattered and a new figure jumped out of it. It was clearly feminine, and it landed with one knee on the ground, much like Ice Blizzard Master had.

When it rose to its feet its true figure was seen. It was a beautiful woman with long black hair wearing a tight leather bodysuit that hugged her curvaceous figure. Over her right shoulder there was slung an assault rifle, and her ruby red lips were curved upwards into a feral smirk. "Femme Fatale is one of the most risky and dangerous of all the Action Warriors. And while some may say the ice is a fickle mistress, this woman is much more fickle!"

Her smirk turned into a snarl as she spun on her high heeled feet and leveled her assault rifle at Shiro. Kohana frowned at this sight. "What is she doing? Why is she suddenly facing you?"

"Why? Because when she's summoned Femme Fatale destroys all cards on my field besides herself!" Kohana stared in disbelief as the leather clad woman unleashed a heavy barrage of gunfire on all four of Shiro's cards, turning them into tatters.

Once she was finished obliterating his set cards she dropped out her clip and slammed in a new one before turning back to glare at Kohana. "She's gotten a bit of her aggression out, but she's not done yet! Next, for every card her effect destroyed, I select one monster in my deck with 'Action Warrior' in its title and send it to the cemetery! I cannot choose two of the same monster."

He smirked and fanned out his chosen cards. "I've selected Action Warrior-Brawler (2000/800), Action Warrior-Gunner (1800/1000), Action Warrior-Cyclist (1700/1200), and Action Warrior-Slow Mo (1600/1400)!"

Each of his monsters appeared on the field, and grinned lecherously at Femme Fatale. She growled and shouldered her rifle. _"I don't like it when I'm eyed like a piece of meat. Get out of my face you chauvinist pigs!"_

Kohana watched with great curiosity as Femme Fatale darted into their middle and gave Brawler an elbow to the chin, Gunner a kick to the gut, Cyclist a jump kick to knock him off his bike, and finally a kick to the groin for Slow Mo. Each monster fell to the ground and blew apart. "What does all this accomplish?"

"It's easy, for the duration of this turn Femme Fatale gains the attack of all monsters sent to the grave by her effect! That gives her a grand total of nine thousand attack points!" Kohana didn't gasp in surprise; all she did was calmly watch as Femme Fatale's attack power skyrocketed.

He continued to smirk as he flicked around a card he had drawn in his previous turn. "Jar of Avarice now lets me shuffle five monsters in my grave back into my deck to draw two cards. Of course, I'm shuffling in everybody but Slow Mo."

Two cards left the top of his deck, and then one was instantly grabbed by a hand of ice which reached out of the ground. "Damn…I drew a trap so its set face down, keeping me from activating it."

Shaking off that bad luck, he held up his other drawn card. "I activate Stage Select, which lets me shuffle your deck in order to place one card from my deck to the top of it."

They approached each other, meeting in the middle of the dueling floor and Kohana gave him her deck. He shuffled it rapidly, giving it a nice quick three times through shuffle before handing it back. "Better hope your set card is good, or this duel is over Kohana!"

Femme Fatale snapped her rifle up and aimed it at Ice Blizzard Master. "Open fire Femme Fatale!"

The lethal woman turned her head to glare at him, and he gulped. "That is, if you feel like it of course."

She turned back and pulled the trigger, releasing a spray of bullets which went straight for the master. Before they hit the Blizzard Master evaporated instantly, turning into a heavy mist over Kohana's field. "My trap card Frost Cloud lets me sacrifice a water or aqua type monster to reduce all damage to me for the turn to zero. Your attack is worthless."

Shiro frowned, seeing his chance at obliterating her life points in one shot gone. But at least he had freed up space on his field to play cards. "I'll end my turn there, and I'll just have to hope you don't top deck anything really good."

Kohana drew and placed the card onto her duel disk. "I summon Frost Witch (1100/1600) in attack mode. When summoned she forces each of us to view the top three cards of our deck."

Both players picked up their top three cards and looked at them carefully. Shiro looked up at her over the three cards. "What next? I'm sure that's not all."

"Next, all magic and trap cards of those three are placed face down on our field. Any monsters are shuffled back into our decks." Each of them shuffled a single card back into their deck before placing two cards face down.

"Since attacking at this point would be pointless I simply conclude my turn." Kohana placed one hand on her hip, waiting patiently as Shiro drew for the turn.

As soon as Shiro had drawn, she motioned to her left face down card. "At this time I activate my trap card, Hidden Trap in the Snow! Prepare yourself for a dangerous choice Shiro Akugi, a choice you cannot win with."

He bit his lip, not liking the sound of that one bit. "Okay, what do I have to do?"

She smiled coldly and pointed to her other set card. "You must select one face down card in my magic and trap zone. If that card is a magic card, Hidden Trap in the Snow is sent to the cemetery and I shuffle all my face down cards."

Shiro liked the sound of what might be coming even less. "And if it just so happens to be a trap?"

"If that is the case, then you receive seven hundred points of effect damage. Following that, I set Hidden Trap in the Snow face down again and shuffle all my set cards. Of course, I'm sure by now you understand the problem you face." He nodded slowly, seeing the damage on the horizon.

"You've only got one set card on the field, and you wouldn't have activated Hidden Trap in the Snow unless that one set card was a trap. Which means I take seven hundred points of damage." He grimaced as ice crept up his body, reaching the middle of his chest. He shivered uncontrollably. (SLP: 600)

As soon as he was done freezing her trap was covered again, and the two flickered, rearranging themselves. _'Damn, she can activate it again in her next turn, which means I've got to win this in this turn!'_

Shaking off that somewhat foreboding feeling he raised his drawn card up. "Win in one turn? I like that challenge! Graceful Charity starts me off!"

He slid three cards off his deck, and then gasped as one of them was dragged down onto his field. "What the heck was that? You mean it doesn't matter when they're drawn, traps are forced face down?"

With a frown he selected two cards from his hand and discarded them, putting him at two cards in hand, less than he should have been. _'That didn't go as well as it could have.'_

He shook that feeling off and slapped his last remaining drawn card from Graceful Charity. "Here's another of my team members, Action Warrior-Science Junky (1000/1500)! And since he was summoned I get to add a card with 'Action' in its name from my deck to my hand!"

It took only a few seconds to find the card he wanted and then he took a deep breath. "Awesome strategy, but I'm breaking it now and going for the kill! It's a risk, but I'll take it to fill up my last zone. I equip Science Junky with Action Weapon-Knife Launcher!"

The handsome man in the lab coat smirked as he reached into his coat and pulled out a heavy duty weapon that looked like a modified grenade launcher with square slots at the front. "When it is activated, Knife Launcher lets me destroy one monster on the field. I choose Pillar of Ice!"

A barrage of knives shot out of the launcher, punching a hole in the giant pillar. He thrust his hand into the air in triumph as it came toppling down. "Alright! Now without that monster in play you can't activate any set cards!"

Kohana didn't even flinch at seeing her strategy go down the tubes. Science Junky then swiveled his knife launcher to aim at Frost Witch. "Okay Science Junky, shred that crazy witch!"

Another series of knives shot out of the launcher, these ones punching through the stomach of the pale skinned woman with the white hair and gnarled hands. She screeched, and to Shiro's surprise her attack counter shot downwards before she was blown apart. "What the heck was that?" (KLP: 2000)

Kohana held up her destroyed monster, as calm as ever. "When Frost Witch enters battle she loses one hundred attack points for every face down card on the field. She lost six hundred attack points. I gain an amount of life points equal to that." (KLP: 2600)

She placed the card into her cemetery and then met Shiro's eyes again. "When Frost Witch is destroyed as a result of battle I take no life point damage from that battle. So my life points did not decrease."

"Well whatever, I've still got the advantage here! Femme Fatale, if you really want to, take a chunk out of her life points!" The beauty smirked and pulled down hard on the trigger, pounding Kohana with a heavy hail of bullets, which drove her back up against the fortress. (KLP: 700)

Shiro cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. "Duel's almost done, your turn now Kohana. I'm not going to back down an inch, so you better not either!"

Kohana drew and then didn't even bother to watch as her drawn card was forced face down onto her field. "It seems that my top deck gave me nothing I could use, and now I am trapped and prevented from using my set cards. I am defenseless."

The prankster shrugged and jammed his hands into his pockets. "Guess that's just the risk you run when you use cards that lock down both players like that. Your own strategy backfired, it's bound to happen."

To his surprise the blue haired girl slowly smirked, chilling him to the soul with that image. "True, a risky strategy such as mine is bound to backfire at some point. Which is why I carefully and analytically built my deck so that I had every opening completely covered. There is no weak point to my strategy, as I shall demonstrate."

A blue pillar of energy roared up to her left, followed by one to her right. Shiro jerked backwards, surprised by the sudden fountains of light. "What the heck are those?"

"These are tributes. You see, one of the two cards I discarded with Connection to the Depths was called Testament to the Frost Goddess, which while in the cemetery allows me to remove water or aqua types on my field or in my grave from the game to act as tributes for water or aqua types in my cemetery or hand." She held up Frost Witch and Ice Knight, and Shiro realized that she had two choices, and the choice was clear.

The light skinned woman with the ice crystal headdress floated up out of the ice as if it wasn't there, and the two fountains of light poured into her body. "Ice Blizzard Master (2500/2500) has returned to the field. And now, she attacks Femme Fatale!"

Shiro threw up one arm as a pale defense as a flurry of snow flakes spun from the woman's staff like razors, ripping his female Action Warrior's clothes up. She gasped and spat blood on the ground before shattering into a million pieces. "No way…Femme Fatale…" (SLP: 0)

The ice fortress fell apart, revealing the two duelists to the crowd. There was an eruption of cheers, and Shiro realized that the whole time they had been visible on the projector above the dueling field. "I…lost. All my talk and I still lost."

Kohana finished shuffled her deck and replaced it into her duel disk. "Fear not Shiro Akugi, it was as I said. My deck and my strategy carry no flaws, defeating me would have been next to impossible for someone nearly incapable of strategizing."

She walked up to Shiro until she was standing less than a foot away from him, and then reached out and tapped him on the nose. His eyes widened as he felt something strange stir in him. "What…what was that?"

The blue haired girl leaned in close, getting him to lean down so she could whisper in his ear. In cold and calm tones she told him, and he shivered and pulled away. She started to walk away from the stunned duelist, but stopped when he whispered something that only she heard. "What…what are you?"

She paused and look back at him, her blue eyes shimmering in the light. "I am Kohana Meisuko. But perhaps you wanted to know my real name? If that's the case, then I am the True Sin, Frost. A pleasure to meet you."

As Shiro finally stumbled off the stage, the last two names lit up on the screen. The names were obvious, as they were the only two duelists left to duel. The next duel was Kaoru Tsukada with the Heart's Mind against Miharu Kanzaki, the top duelist of Osiris Red.

As Shiro watched Kohana walk away, Saint was watching from his booth, and he was smiling. "Ah, I see. How perfect…another True Sin has revealed them. Welcome to my little experiment Frost, I'm quite glad you could join us."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: And lo and behold, another True Sin hath appeared.

_Next Time: From the coldest of cold to the hottest of hot, the last of the first round duels is under way! Kaoru must duel the fiery spirit that is Miharu Kanzaki, a duelist who is so hotheaded that even Kaoru finds it difficult to stare into her heart for fear of being burned. Its burn or be burned in this hot duel, and only one duelist is coming out of it intact!_

_See it all in, Rolling Inferno!_


	52. Rolling Inferno

Author's Note: The final of the first round duels is now!

**Chapter Fifty-Two: Rolling Inferno**

_Shiro threw up one arm as a pale defense as a flurry of snow flakes spun from the woman's staff like razors, ripping his female Action Warrior's clothes up. She gasped and spat blood on the ground before shattering into a million pieces. "No way…Femme Fatale…" (SLP: 0)_

_The ice fortress fell apart, revealing the two duelists to the crowd. There was an eruption of cheers, and Shiro realized that the whole time they had been visible on the projector above the dueling field. "I…lost. All my talk and I still lost."_

_Kohana finished shuffled her deck and replaced it into her duel disk. "Fear not Shiro Akugi, it was as I said. My deck and my strategy carry no flaws, defeating me would have been next to impossible for someone nearly incapable of strategizing."_

_She walked up to Shiro until she was standing less than a foot away from him, and then reached out and tapped him on the nose. His eyes widened as he felt something strange stir in him. "What…what was that?"  
_

_The blue haired girl leaned in close, getting him to lean down so she could whisper in his ear. In cold and calm tones she told him, and he shivered and pulled away. She started to walk away from the stunned duelist, but stopped when he whispered something that only she heard. "What…what are you?"_

_She paused and look back at him, her blue eyes shimmering in the light. "I am Kohana Meisuko. But perhaps you wanted to know my real name? If that's the case, then I am the True Sin, Frost. A pleasure to meet you."_

_As Shiro finally stumbled off the stage, the last two names lit up on the screen. The names were obvious, as they were the only two duelists left to duel. The next duel was Kaoru Tsukada with the Heart's Mind against Miharu Kanzaki, the top duelist of Osiris Red._

_As Shiro watched Kohana walk away, Saint was watching from his booth, and he was smiling. "Ah, I see. How perfect…another True Sin has revealed them. Welcome to my little experiment Frost, I'm quite glad you could join us."_

Mizuki gave Kaoru a nod as the other sixteen year old stood to go for the dueling floor. Miharu had already jumped up out of her seat and raced to the opposite side of the dueling field. "Kaoru, do your best, okay? I still want to duel you."

The purple eyed girl nodded, feeling somehow more relaxed that Mizuki was being kind to her. "Thanks for the support Mizuki, I wish to duel you as well."

As she walked to the arena, Shiro passed by her, and she got a chill running through her entire body. She shook it off, and Shiro sat down next to Mizuki, completely quiet. Mizuki looked at him and frowned. "You okay?"

"I….yeah, I'm fine. Guess I'm just out of sorts after losing when I was certain I'd win." Mizuki frowned, but left it alone. It didn't sound as if that was all that was happening, but she couldn't pry and force him to answer truthfully.

Up on the dueling ring, Kaoru gave Miharu a brief bow. "I hope to have a good duel against you Kanzaki." (KLP: 4000)

Miharu rolled her eyes and tossed her wild red hair over her shoulder, her blue eyes shaking with anticipating. "Don't hope anything stupid like that, just fight with me and we'll see about fun! And guess what? I start this duel off, draw!" (MLP: 4000)

The Osiris Red first year snatched her first card fast and flipped it up. "Let me show you my signature style, by burning a trail of destruction onto the field! I activate Bury the Dead, sending three monsters from my deck to the grave!"

She quickly tossed the three monsters into her grave, and then burst out laughing as she held up three cards from her hand. "The effect of my chosen monster activates if I remove a fire or pyro monster in my grave from the game, which I will. In this situation, Inferno (1100/1900) is special summoned!"

A swirling ball of fire with an evil face and blue eyes roared to life on her field, and suddenly two more appeared, one on each side of it. "Guess what? I just summoned three of them, completing my signature style. The Inferno Rush Summon!"

Kaoru frowned, her purple eyes reflecting the fires from the three burning monsters. "How did you manage to draw all three copies of Inferno on your first turn?"

Miharu held up one finger to her cherry red lips as she smirked, signaling for silence. "Shhh, that's a secret. But here, I'll show you an advantage of that by equipping the middle Inferno with Hell Alliance, which increases his attack by eight hundred per same named monster on the field!"

The middle burning skull roared even hotter, shooting up to an impressive thirty-five hundred attack strength. "I conclude my turn by activating the continuous magic card Hell Greed! During my standby phase it lets me draw two cards, though its upkeep is half my life points each turn. Still, three cards a turn is impressive right?"

Kaoru drew, frowning at the excited look on Miharu's face. She dipped into her power and looked into Miharu's heart. Suddenly the entire room burst into flames, and she screamed as the fire licked at her.

Across the field of flame Miharu sat in an obsidian throne, laughing as attractive and muscular men surrounded her and fanned her with giant leaves. "What in the world…how is this a person's heart?"

Miharu narrowed her eyes at the sight of Kaoru and her eyes were suddenly blazing with inner flame. "Get the hell out of my face little girl, I don't want to see anybody here but me! GET OUT!"

Kaoru withdrew herself from Miharu's heart as a fireball streaked towards her. As soon as she was free she realized she was shaking and sweating, and Miharu was staring at her with a confused look on her face. "You going or not?"

The purple eyed girl gulped as she looked down at her hand. _'Her heart is so filled with heated passion and penned in rage that even I can't look at it without being injured. It seems I'm locked out without risking myself here.'_

Trying to shake off the fear Kaoru placed her drawn card onto her disk and a card started rotating over her head. At the same time a black skinned monster with red lines running along it like a volcanic being appeared. It had a pronged tail and horns. "I summon Arcana Force XV- The Devil (1800/1800). Say stop when you want it to stop."

Miharu snorted and flipped her hair back from her shoulders. "I'm gonna have to say that a lot against your lame ass Tarot Deck aren't I? Fine, stop."

The card slowed and stopped upside down. "Its reverse effect means that once during each of my turns each of us will receive five hundred points of damage. So let it begin!"

The Devil stretched out one hand in each direction and shot a fireball at them. Kaoru winced as hers hit her chest, whereas Miharu just smirked as it exploded against her chest. "That's nothing but a little wussy flame compared to my Inferno here!" (KLP: 3500) (MLP: 3500)

Kaoru next held up another card causing it to start spinning. Miharu almost immediately called out for it to stop. "Suit of Swords VII upright forces you to send one magic or trap card on your field to the grave."

Miharu shrugged and her equip card shattered instantly. "Is that all you've got? Come and attack me then and I'll show you what real strength is!"

"You'll regret that arrogance soon. The Devil will slay your middle Inferno!" The Devil cupped his hands together and shot fire from the joined hands. It was strange to see fire strike fire, but Inferno shuddered and exploded into sparks anyways. (MLP: 2800)

"I place one card face down and end my turn!" Miharu smirked and drew as soon as she heard that Kaoru was ending her turn.

She then snapped two cards off her deck and licked her lips as Hell Greed was surrounded by a fiery aura and so was she. "I pay half my life points as upkeep for Hell Greed!" (MLP: 1400)

After looking at the three cards she was holding, Miharu smirked and reached for her cemetery. "Here, let me show you something hilarious! I remove the Inferno in my cemetery from the game to special summon this monster from my hand!"

She slapped it down, and suddenly a burning fireball in the shape of an evil face with blue eyes formed in the middle of the other two. "And my choice of monster is Inferno (1100/1900)!"

Kaoru jerked in response, and then burst out her reaction. "But that's cheating! That would mean you had four copies of Inferno in your deck, and you can only have three copies of any card in your deck."

Miharu smirked and reached into the inner pocket of her jacket where she had placed her removed pyro monsters, and then fanned them out to show them. "Oh? Then how is it that the three monsters I removed for summoning purposes were each Inferno?"

Most of the audience gasped and couldn't think of any way it was possible. The only ones who weren't surprised were those who had been crushed by her strategy, just like Kane had. "Confused? Existing within my deck is a normal magic card called Pure Battle Soul. As long as it exists in my hand, cemetery, field, or deck I can only have one monster in my deck, though I can have infinite copies of it. My choice was Inferno of course, so all twenty monsters in my deck are Inferno!"

"A one monster focus deck…that is all copies of that one monster. And with Inferno's ability to special summon itself, and the fact that each meets the need of the others it's an excellent rush strategy, despite their weak attack strength." Miharu snickered and tapped a finger against the side of her head.

"That's not all smart girl, Inferno has one other effect. When it destroys a monster in battle it deals my opponent fifteen hundred points of effect damage! With that power at my hands, I can easily overwhelm and burn my opponent to cinders!" Kaoru frowned, but took assurance in the fact that her one monster was stronger than Miharu's three.

Still smirking Miharu placed one card from her hand face down, and then held up another. "I play the continuous magic card Hell's White! As long as this card is active I have to play with my hand open, but in your standby phase you take six hundred damage. Of course, at the moment I have no hand, so it doesn't matter."

Kaoru glanced at her The Devil and frowned. _'With The Devil's ability I'll take eleven hundred damage during my next standby phase. However, with the damage done to her, during her next turn Hell Greed's mandatory payment will reduce her to four hundred and fifty life points, enough so that in my turn she'll lose to The Devil.'_

"You seem pretty confident for a chick who is gonna burn during her next turn. Whatever, I switch all three of my monsters into defense and end there." There was nothing to signify that the three burning monsters had changed modes, but Kaoru knew that she couldn't strike now with their defense as it was.

She drew carefully, and gritted her teeth as the face-up magic card covered her body in flames. At the same time The Devil shot a fireball into each of them, draining them of more life points. "So far your Pure Inferno Deck hasn't been that effective Miharu. How have you been winning?" (KLP: 2400) (MLP: 900)

"Keh, the same can be said of you. With all your cards being based on chance its stupid to think that you got in here based on skill. Which is why I'm gonna trample all over you during my next turn!" She threw back her head and laughed her eyes wide and filled with fire and passion.

Kaoru looked down at her hand of cards and then held up one, causing it to start spinning. "I activate Suit of Wand III."

Miharu again rolled her eyes. "Stop now."

It stopped upside down. "Its reverse effect lets you view the top three cards of your deck, and then select one to add to your hand. The others are shuffled back into your deck."

The Osiris Red girl held up Hell's Gauntlet and then shuffled the other two back into her deck. "You gonna help me out with any other cards, or are you done with aiding me?"

"Next I summon Arcana Force VI-The Lovers (1500/1500)!" Two large skulled grey-skinned beings, one in a dress and the other in a suit, were joined hand in hand. At the same time their card rotated above their heads.

"Stop again. I'm getting bored of this stupid stuff already." The card turned a few more times before coming up as tails.

"Tails gives one monster on my field this monster's attack as additional attack points. So now, The Devil (3300) attacks an Inferno!" Another fireball streaked out and blew apart the fire monster. Immediately Miharu's set card flipped up and spat flame out at Kaoru.

"Backfire activates when a fire type monster on my field is destroyed in battle. At that time you take five hundred damage, so you pay for burning my monster!" Kaoru grimaced as her life points trickled down further, even though she still had the advantage. (KLP: 1900)

Kaoru shook her head to clear it, and then gave Miharu a nod to indicate that she was done. The red girl drew, her body being engulfed by a red flame as Hell Greed forced her to pay for it. "I draw two cards now!" (MLP: 450)

She slipped two more cards off of her deck and they appeared alongside the other three. One was Hell's Gauntlet, the next was another Inferno, and then there was a Tremendous Fire and Hellish Accountant. "Heh, this is good stuff. I activate Hellish Accountant."

A demon in a business suit and wearing glasses appeared on the field and began looked over Kaoru's field carefully. "Hellish Accountant totals the cards on your field and lets me draw that many. In exchange you can either summon a copy of a monster on your field to the field, or draw cards from your deck until you reach a monster which you'll special summon."

"I have no copies of monsters in my deck, so I'll begin drawing." She picked up three cards before she reached a monster, which she held out, revealing Arcana Force VII-The Chariot (1700/1700).

Her monster had a bulbous grey bottom with eyes on it, with a spindly top patched with numerous arms. The bulbous bottom had two grey tentacle extensions with cannons on them. Miharu immediately shouted her answer. "Stop!"

"When The Chariot is reversed, when it is destroyed in battle it gets special summon to your side of the field." Miharu shrugged and drew three cards since Kaoru had two monsters and a set when Hellish Accountant was played.

Three new cards appeared hovering above Miharu's head, revealing themselves as Inferno Panacea, Inferno Crash, and Back-draft. "I'll remove the Inferno in my grave to special summon Inferno (1100/1900) from my hand!"

Once again she had a full set of three in play, though their attack points didn't seem to be enough to help out. "I'll continue by activating Inferno Panacea! I gain the attack or defense of all monsters on my field named 'Inferno'. So I gain their defense points!" (MLP: 6150)

Laughing she slammed another card into her disk, and Inferno Crash vanished. "Inferno Crash lets me triple the attack strength of one pyro monster in play, though it loses the ability to deal life point damage in battle."

Her newly summoned Inferno shot upwards to thirty-three hundred attack strength, dead even with The Devil. "Next I equip him with Hell's Gauntlet! This equip card lets me sacrifice monsters to the equipped monster to give him an additional attack, as long as it isn't direct."

She snapped her fingers and a huge spray of flame erupted from the equipped Inferno's mouth, roaring towards The Lovers. Kaoru snapped out her hand and her set card flipped. "Call it!"

Miharu snorted once again. "I don't care right now, so stop!" The card rotated and came up in the upright position. Immediately the flames were drawn directly into Kaoru's duel disk, doing her no harm. (KLP: 5200)

"You gave me the upright effect of Queen of Cups, which negates your attack and increases my life points by the attacking monster's strength. Looks like you've only aided me." Miharu snarled and motioned to her Inferno on the right, and suddenly the middle one turned and ate it whole.

"I sacrifice that Inferno to Hell's Gauntlet's effect! Now Inferno (3300) attacks The Lovers once again, this time without interference!" It fell upon the happy couple who screamed as they were burned alive.

She smirked broadly as Inferno floated in front of Kaoru and it blazed hotly, forcing Kaoru to her knees from the heat. "Since a monster of yours was destroyed in battle by Inferno, you take fifteen hundred damage!" (KLP: 3700)

With another laugh she snapped her arm out to the remaining Inferno that hadn't attacked. "I sacrifice my last Inferno to the gauntlet's effect, and now Inferno (3300) attacks The Chariot!"

Once again another of Kaoru's monsters was immolated by Inferno, and then it began to flash fry her with its super heated body. "And that's fifteen hundred damage for you!" (KLP: 2200)

The Chariot formed on Miharu's field and began to rotate. Kaoru shuddered and called out to it. "Stop."

It appeared in the reversed position just as it had for Kaoru. Miharu sneered at it. "Doesn't matter, if a monster is summoned to my field that isn't the name of my chosen monster, Pure Battle Soul instantly removes it from the game."

There was a flash and The Chariot vanished, gone for the rest of the game. Kaoru frowned and also watched as her The Devil fell in attack points. "Since The Lovers is no longer face-up on the field The Devil returns to its original attack points."

"You think I care? I activate the last magic card in my hand, Tremendous Fire! At this time you take one thousand points of damage and I take five hundred! Let's burn together!" Kaoru screamed and Miharu laughed as both of them were engulfed in flames, burning away more of their life points. (KLP: 1200) (MLP: 5650)

When the fire faded Miharu slid her last card into her duel disk, and Kaoru was left on her knees, breathing hard. "I throw my last card down and end my turn. And now, now you burn even more!"

Kaoru shuddered and drew, and then was instantly struck by the flames of The Devil, and then by the flames of Hell's White. She didn't even notice that Miharu had also been damaged. _'So strong…'_ (KLP: 100) (MLP: 5150)

She shook her head, and looked over at Miharu's field. _'She's down to one monster, but it has thirty-three hundred attack. My own The Devil is a liability and next turn I'll take eleven hundred damage from it and Hell's White. Backfire will also deal me five hundred damage if I do beat Inferno in battle, and Back-draft deals a fire monster's attack as damage to the opponent after it deals damage to life points.'_

Taking a deep calming breath, Kaoru made her plan. "I activate Suit of Cups VIII, if reversed, forces you to discard the top eight cards of your deck, and if upright does the same to me."

Miharu yawned. "Stop."

The card stopped upright, and Miharu snickered. "Your stupid luck card backfired again on you! So pathetic!"

Her laughter halted when she saw that Kaoru was snickering. "Let's find out if that was a backfire, shall we? I summon Queen of Wands (1300/1200), now pick."

"Gah, stop already!" It slowed to a halt and ended up upright.

The elegantly dressed woman waved her wand and Kaoru was covered by a glowing light. "Upright Queen of Wands gives me one hundred life points for every card in my grave!" (KLP: 1500)

She slid the next card from her hand into her duel disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Tarot Reading; Echoes of the Past. For the next six turns, once per turn I can check the bottom card of my deck."

Miharu yawned and Kaoru pushed forwards. "If that card is a monster with Arcana in its title it is special summoned. If it is magic or trap with Suit or Ace in its title it is activated, but if it's a trap and the timing is wrong it is destroyed. I'll start for this turn!"

She picked up the top card and then suddenly there was a giant orb of pulsing grey matter floating on the field. "Arcana Force XXI-The World (1000/3000) is special summoned!"

It rotated and Miharu stomped her foot against the ground. "No more spinning! Stop!"

It stopped face-up, and suddenly energy began to pour into the orb of matter. "Upright means that at this time it gains the attack of all other monsters in play as attack power. So now, The World (6100) attacks Inferno!"

Miharu snarled as a beam of pure light plowed into her being of fire, shattering it into nothingness. "That's not going to be enough weak little luck girl! Backfire retaliates!" (MLP: 2350)

Kaoru gasped as she was again engulfed in flame, her body sweating under the intense heat she was experiencing. "I'm not done yet…not by the slightest bit. The Devil attacks directly!" (KLP: 1000)

A fireball hit Miharu in the side, and she snarled and patted out the flames immediately. "Is that all you've got little wimp? I'll burn you to ash in my next turn!" (MLP: 550)

"Are you stupid? This is the last turn! Queen of Wands attacks you directly!" Miharu's eyes widened as a beam of light from the queen's wand struck her in the chest, making her slide backwards a few feet. After seeing the impact Kaoru dropped to her knees, tired.

"What are you on your knees for? This duel isn't over yet!" Kaoru's eyes widened as she picked her head up. To her surprise Miharu was still standing, and her cards were still in play, so the duel wasn't done. (MLP: 1050)

"Confused? Since I had a monster in my removed from play pile and you attacked me directly I was able to activate Dimensional Panacea, giving me three hundred life points per removed monster, which is six. So I gained eighteen hundred life points and then took the hit." Kaoru gulped, and then motioned to her The Devil, which shifted into a crouch.

"I can't make any other moves, so I end my turn." Miharu smirked and drew, her body instantly engulfed by fire thanks to her continuous magic card. Once it drained her life points she drew two more times. (MLP: 525)

Above her head there was an Inferno, a Hell Blast, and Inferno Tempest. Kaoru shuddered and reached for the bottom card of her deck. "At this time, my Echoes of the Past activates Suit of Cups II! According to its effect, if upright we each gain a thousand life points. But if reversed, we each take one thousand damage!"

Miharu gritted her teeth as the card started spinning, finally taking the spin seriously as she realized that this could determine the duel. If it was reversed, the duel would end in a tie. "Stop!"

It creaked slowly from position to position until it finally stopped…upright. Miharu gasped in relief and wiped sweat from her brow. "That's right; we gain a thousand life points, meaning you've lost!" (KLP: 2000) (MLP: 1525)

She laughed as she slammed one of her three drawn cards into her duel disk. "Hell Blast activates during a turn after I have had all monsters on my field destroyed. I can destroy one monster on your field and deal half its attack as damage to your life points!"

The World exploded spraying grey liquid all over the field. Kaoru grimaced and fell to her knees as the ooze dripped down on her, as her life points fell fast. "No…" (KLP: 0)

She was breathing heavily for several seconds before all of a sudden hands on the front of her blazer dragged her to her feet. She found herself looking down at the short but fierce looking Miharu. "You lost Obelisk brat girl, and I showed you up. Guess what? That means my rank is higher than yours, and I'm just a little Osiris Red drop-out, right?"

Kaoru frowned, and reached for Miharu's hands. When she gripped the girl's wrists she jerked her hands back, feeling them burn. "You're burning up!"

Miharu smirked, her ruby red lips shining in the light of the arena. "That's right, I'm burning up. Burning with passion and rage, just like you saw on your attempted tour into my heart. But I'm too hot to handle for you little blue. After all, I'm Miharu Kanzaki, the True Sin called Inferno and you're just the little Virtue they call Charity!"

The Osiris Red dropped Kaoru to the ground and stomped past her, her smirk still in place. She stopped part way and looked back. "Oh yeah, mention I said that until I say its okay and I'll vaporize you so that even bones don't remain. Got me?"

Kaoru gulped and nodded slowly, and though she was stunned, in his booth Saint was laughing with delight. "Who would have thought that this tournament would have yielded such magnificent results? Two True Sins have shown themselves in the space of half an hour, incredible results!"

Miharu hopped off the dueling ring and threw a wink at Mizuki, who frowned in response. Then Mizuki looked back at the ring where Kaoru was stumbling down, her body shaky from the hits she had taken all duel long. _'She's strong…she'd be a deadly opponent.'_

The Osiris Red dropped down into her seat next to Kohana, who gave her a brief nod. "Heh, told you I'd crush that little Virtue without using my full strength. We won't have to use full power unless we at least face a Sin or Virtue who knows what they're doing."

Kohana shook her head and sighed. "I told you before; neither of us can unleash our full power until we get a chance to face Mizuki Mitsuhiro in a duel. I must know the truth about that girl in order to come to a conclusion about our current problem."

Miharu snorted and crossed one leg over the other. "You think things through too much Frost, I'm just eager to take on that girl with that incredible power. I'm sure she'll be a great duel!"

Frost sighed once more. "This is why, between the two of us, I am in charge of planning. If we don't solve our dilemma soon then we won't be able to solve it at all. And I'm sure by now that Saint Beatrix is aware of our presence. He managed to force us out of hiding for whatever his twisted purpose is."

Inferno growled and glared up at the spectator's booth. "Why can't I just incinerate him and get it over with? Or heck, why not just let me duel him and crush him at full strength?"

"Because at this point, I'm not sure if we are capable of defeating someone of his caliber. And his powers are a mystery to us, so facing someone like that is foolhardy. No, for the time being, stay the course. Mizuki Mitsuhiro is our target." The two looked over at Mizuki, who shivered as she felt a cold gaze and a heated gaze on her back. When she turned, neither of them was looking at her.

She blinked in surprise when she saw Enzeru standing in front of her, smiling down at her. "Are you prepared Mizuki the Rising Star? I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

Her gaze went upwards, where at long last the first pairing for the second round was showing. It was going to be her against Enzeru. "You know what Enzeru? So have I. Let's duel!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: And lo and behold, another True Sin hath appeared. Again.

_Next Time: Enzeru spent his entire first year at Duelist Academy being called the 'Number One Rookie' thanks to graduating at the top of his class from the Prep School. Yet even he felt that the one who deserved such a title was Mizuki. Now he gets his chance to see whether he really deserved that title or if it was Mizuki's all along. For the first time since coming to Duelist Academy, Mizuki faces the strongest of the Yukio Triplets!_

_See it all in, VS Enzeru; Rookie Supreme Battle!_


	53. VS Enzeru Rookie Supreme Battle!

Author's Note: At long last Mizuki faces Enzeru in battle!

**Chapter Fifty-Three: VS Enzeru; Rookie Supreme Battle!**

_Miharu hopped off the dueling ring and threw a wink at Mizuki, who frowned in response. Then Mizuki looked back at the ring where Kaoru was stumbling down, her body shaky from the hits she had taken all duel long. 'She's strong…she'd be a deadly opponent.'_

_The Osiris Red dropped down into her seat next to Kohana, who gave her a brief nod. "Heh, told you I'd crush that little Virtue without using my full strength. We won't have to use full power unless we at least face a Sin or Virtue who knows what they're doing."_

_Kohana shook her head and sighed. "I told you before; neither of us can unleash our full power until we get a chance to face Mizuki Mitsuhiro in a duel. I must know the truth about that girl in order to come to a conclusion about our current problem."_

_Miharu snorted and crossed one leg over the other. "You think things through too much Frost, I'm just eager to take on that girl with that incredible power. I'm sure she'll be a great duel!"_

_Frost sighed once more. "This is why, between the two of us, I am in charge of planning. If we don't solve our dilemma soon then we won't be able to solve it at all. And I'm sure by now that Saint Beatrix is aware of our presence. He managed to force us out of hiding for whatever his twisted purpose is."_

_Inferno growled and glared up at the spectator's booth. "Why can't I just incinerate him and get it over with? Or heck, why not just let me duel him and crush him at full strength?"_

_"Because at this point, I'm not sure if we are capable of defeating someone of his caliber. And his powers are a mystery to us, so facing someone like that is foolhardy. No, for the time being, stay the course. Mizuki Mitsuhiro is our target." The two looked over at Mizuki, who shivered as she felt a cold gaze and a heated gaze on her back. When she turned, neither of them was looking at her._

_She blinked in surprise when she saw Enzeru standing in front of her, smiling down at her. "Are you prepared Mizuki the Rising Star? I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."_

_Her gaze went upwards, where at long last the first pairing for the second round was showing. It was going to be her against Enzeru. "You know what Enzeru? So have I. Let's duel!"_

Mizuki stood and side by side both of them strode out onto the dueling field. Their eyes remained fixed on each other as they shuffled up each other's deck, and the tension between them was clear.

From his new seat up in the audience Alec Masters folded his arms over his chest and smiled. "This should be an interesting duel. My rival against the Rising Star. Show me how worthy you are, Enzeru."

Inferno leaned forwards, her grin as broad as her face and her blue eyes practically glowing. "This should be fun! He's good, but she's Mizuki Mitsuhiro after all!"

Frost merely nodded in response, not finding it necessary to speak. She merely watched as Mizuki and Enzeru made it to their separate places, each one with deck at the ready. "Duel!" (MLP: 4000) (ELP: 4000)

Mizuki drew five cards and then looked up at Enzeru. "I'm hoping to get a great duel from you Enzeru. I dueled your sister several times, and I dueled Kane once in boredom while tutoring Shiro, but you…I've never dueled you. And after seeing you duel Vlad and Alec, I want to duel you!"

Enzeru calmly drew his own opening hand. "Mizuki, I'll duel you with all of my might. You see, from the beginning of last year I was called the 'Number One Rookie' because I graduated at the top of my class from the prep school. However…"

His right hand curled into a fist as his eyes took on a look of determination. "Watching you duel all last year I felt myself thinking 'I don't deserve this title'. The one who seemed to deserve it was the one who was rapidly rising through the ranks and surprising everyone. The Rising Star of Duelist Academy, you!"

He made a slashing motion with his right hand, leaning forward with a smile touching his lips. "I've been wanting since that time to uncover the truth of the matter! Which of us deserves the title of Number One Rookie? Is it you, or is it me? Let's discover that truth in this duel!"

Mizuki drew, meeting his smile with one of her own. She threaded the card between her fingers before bringing it up to her eyes. "Don't you worry Enzeru; I'll give you a duel you won't forget. And by the time it's done, you'll know for sure which of us is better!"

She slapped a card horizontally down onto her disk, and a large card version of it appeared face down in front of her. "I'm not rushing this duel since I want to enjoy it. So I set two cards behind this monster and end."

Enzeru reached for his deck, but paused as his fingers touched the top card. "Mizuki, think of this duel as a treat. You will be the first other than my siblings to taste the power of my true deck!"

He drew and Mizuki's eyes widened. _'That draw was stronger than his normal ones…what is this?'_

"Mizuki, this deck has become my creation over the past four years, and has stayed in the background waiting to be unleashed. It is the deck I created, rather than the deck designed to fit with my two siblings. Therefore, it is my true strength, and with it I will defeat you!" He slammed one of his drawn cards onto his duel disk and a knight in solid white armor appeared on the field.

"Ride out into the darkness to purify it, Pure Land Knight-Volrath (1500/1400)!" Mizuki planted one foot behind her, smiling at the sight of that monster.

_'Pure Land Knight? I know about these cards. To think that all this time he's been hiding his true strength just so he could honor his sibling's choice of cards so they would have a connection.'_ She felt happiness brimming up in her at the thought of facing Enzeru at his full strength, which no other opponent but his siblings had done.

He held aloft another card and white winds whipped around the field in response. "Pure Storm destroys one magic or trap card in play, but if there are no monsters in my cemetery it lets me destroy all of the opponent's magic and trap cards."

Mizuki snapped her fingers together and both cards flipped up. "In chain I activate my two set cards, Rune Symbol-Kenaz in merkstave deals you eight hundred points of damage, and Rune Symbol-Sowilo lets me draw one card and gain five hundred life points!" (MLP: 4500)

Enzeru braced himself as a bolt of white energy shot out of the quick-play card and struck him in the chest. His feet slid slightly backwards, but he was able to hold his ground. "Try as hard as you wish, I refuse to yield. Victory shall be mine!" (ELP: 3200)

The two duelists matched stares for a few moments, before Enzeru held up one of his other cards. "Time of Peace allows me to draw two cards, plus one additional card if I have no monsters in my cemetery."

Just that fast he pushed himself back up to a full starting hand, and had little opposition. "From my hand I activate the continuous magic card Purest Power! As long as I have zero monsters in my cemetery all monsters on my field gain one thousand attack points!"

Volrath shot up to twenty-five hundred and Mizuki cast a worried glance at her set monster. "Alright then Enzeru, come at me!"

"So I shall! Volrath, strike down that defense monster!" Volrath swung his white sword down and with no indication that he had even struck the set monster it was split in half, briefly revealing a white robed blonde man with a shield with runic symbols on it.

Enzeru closed his eyes, smiling slightly. "That was your Rune Guardian (1000/2000), just as I thought it might be. I've seen you use that monster to great effect, as at any time you may remove it from the cemetery to reduce all life point damage to you for the turn by half. However…this time it will not avail you!"

Volrath sheathed his sword and a card was shot out of Mizuki's graveyard, causing her to catch it even through her surprise. "What in the world is going on?"

"When Volrath defeats a monster in battle I may shuffle one monster in the cemetery back into its owner's deck, even if it is the defeated monster. Additionally each player that has no monsters in their cemetery when this effect resolves gains five hundred life points." As Mizuki shuffled Rune Guardian back into her deck the two duelists were surrounded by a white glow, their life points shooting upwards. (MLP: 5000) (ELP: 3700)

He slid one card and then a second moments later into his duel disk. "I place one card face down, and activate the continuous magic card Magic Power of the Pure Graveyard. As long as I have no monsters in my grave during your standby phase you take one hundred damage for each card in your cemetery. End turn."

Mizuki drew and hissed as red light suffused her body, burning a handful of life points away from her. "Just like I remembered, a Pure Land Deck revolves around card effects that are made powerful by having no monsters in the cemetery." (MLP: 4800)

She grinned as she shook off the pain and flipped up her drawn card, holding a second card along with it as she did so. "Rune Charm-Hypnosis allows me to gain control of one monster on your field for the duration of the turn, so Volrath is mine!"

The white armored knight stumbled over to Mizuki's field and turned around to face Enzeru. Its attack power fell back to its original fifteen hundred. "Don't worry though, this monster doesn't fit my strategy, so I tribute it for Rune Blader (2300/2300)!"

Another white armored warrior appeared in place of the previous one, although this warrior held one sword in each hand, and had rune symbols on its armor and swords. "And now, Rune Blader attacks you directly!"

Enzeru pointed to his face down card, looking confident as it flipped up. "Return to Peace will send your monster to the top of your deck, and allow me to shuffle one monster in either cemetery back into its deck."

His eyes widened when Return to Peace shattered without ever getting off its effect. Then Rune Blader slashed its sword across his chest, driving him backwards. Mizuki winked after seeing the surprised look. "Any trap that targets Rune Blader is negated and destroyed. He's Rune Soldier's big brother." (ELP: 1400)

With another wink she tucked a card from her hand behind Rune Blader. "I'll set this for later and pass the turn back to you."

Enzeru drew and held up the card. "Monster Rebirth allows me to shuffle a monster in my cemetery back into my deck, so Volrath goes back from whence he came."

Casually he placed another card from his hand onto his duel disk, and a slimmer white armored knight appeared, this one wielding a short sword. "Pure Land Knight- Coren (1400/1200) gains six hundred attack points when there are no monsters in my cemetery."

Combined with the power of Purest Power Coren's attack strength quickly rose to three thousand, giving it a significant advantage over Rune Blader. "With the purest of power my monsters will strike down anything that stands in their way. Attack!"

Enzeru was somewhat surprised when Rune Blader was casually cleaved in half with no reaction by Mizuki. "So your set card was a bluff?" (MLP: 4100)

"Actually, it just needed your help to activate. Rune Curse-Weakening! The attack of my monsters is now deducted from your monster's, making it a weakling!" Enzeru frowned as his powered up Pure Land Knight fell to a mere seven hundred attack points, putting it in a range virtually any of Mizuki's monsters could defeat.

"Very well, I set one card face down and end my turn." Mizuki responded by snatching a card off her deck, and then getting burned by Enzeru's continuous magic card. (MLP: 3600)

She slapped a card down onto her duel disk and a small elderly looking blonde man in loose fitting white robes formed in front of her. "Rune Caster (800/1200) isn't tough, but he'll do for this situation. I activate his special ability, calling a Rune Symbol back to my hand."

Mizuki took the card, then grabbed another and played it. "Rune Symbol-Eiwhaz allows one monster on my field to attack twice this turn, so I choose Rune Caster. And now he attacks!"

Enzeru motioned to his set card and white light engulfed his body. "Pure Light Reflection activates when I have no monsters in my cemetery. I gain the attack or defense of one monster on your field or in your cemetery as life points. I choose Rune Blader." (ELP: 3700)

Seconds later a pulse of white light hit Coren, shattering the monster easily. "Pure Light Reflection's second effect activates at this time. By shuffling it into my deck I can also shuffle one monster that goes to the cemetery during the same turn as it back into my deck." (ELP: 3600)

Mizuki took a step forward, looking quite pleased with his move. "That's fine with me! Rune Caster, direct attack!" (ELP: 2800)

Smiling slightly she took the last two cards in her hand and placed them down. "I end with that."

Enzeru drew, still looking calm despite the fact that he was behind in life points and hadn't been in control at all so far. "Mizuki, considering you've seen Shiro duel; perhaps you should recognize this card. Grave Life activates at this time, sending five monsters to my grave to gain two thousand life points!" (ELP: 4800)

Mizuki's eyes widened and she looked to the other card in his hand. _'Then that remaining card is Jar of Avarice!'_

"I activate Jar of Avarice, shuffling the five discarded monsters back into my deck to draw two cards." He slipped two cards off his deck, and then held up one of them, which was a white mirror.

"Pure Mirror activates when I have no monsters in the cemetery. I choose two cards in my cemetery. Then you must select one, which is activated. The other is shuffled into my deck." He held up two cards and Mizuki looked between the two.

_'His logical choices are Time of Peace and Return of Peace, since at the moment there are no cards in his cemetery other than those that would benefit him at this time. The question is which one is which. So…'_

"I select the card on the right." She grimaced when he showed it to her, revealing Time of Peace. So he drew three more cards and shuffled Return of Peace back into his deck.

"I now summon Pure Land Knight-Cyrus (1200/1100). When there are no monsters in my cemetery he may reduce his attack points by half to attack your life points directly." Mizuki frowned, realizing that with the power bonus he would become a direct attacker with eleven hundred points.

"Now, prepare for my power to be revealed. I activate the field magic card Pure Land!" Mizuki raised an arm in front of her eyes as suddenly the entire arena was white washed. Even their bodies were completely white, as if somebody had dumped a bucket of white paint on everything.

"While there are no monsters in a player's cemetery, Pure Land grants all monsters on their field five hundred attack and defense points. In addition, they gain one hundred life points per card in their cemetery during their end phase." Cyrus rose to twenty-seven hundred attack points.

"Cyrus is stronger than your Caster, so a direct attack would be pointless. So he attacks Rune Caster now!" The monster raised its crossbow and sighted at Caster. Then it launched a white quarrel at the rune monster.

The quarrel hit a glowing white barrier and bounced off. "Rune Symbol-Raidho negates your attack. And in chain to that I might as well activate my set card, Rune Symbol-Kenaz to deal you eight hundred damage." (ELP: 4000)

Enzeru nodded and placed a card into his duel disk. "I end my turn, and gain life points." (ELP: 4500)

Mizuki winced when she was surrounded by the power of Magic Power of the Pure Graveyard, draining her life points. "Your card combination is getting on my nerves, so I'll break it as quickly as I can." (MLP: 2900)

She held up one of her cards and the field began to shake. "Rune Symbol-Tiwaz allows me to pay half my life points to destroy all cards in play!" (MLP: 1450)

To her surprise the shaking stopped as Enzeru's sole face down card revealed itself. "Purity Shield allows me to pay fifteen hundred life points when I have no monsters in my cemetery to negate anything at all and destroy it." (ELP: 3000)

The rune user frowned and calculated her options. She could easily bring back Tiwaz and play it, but then she would be defenseless. _'I suppose I'll have to use the method I intended to activate when Tiwaz had its effect go through. Rune Caster, I'm counting on you.'_

"I activate Rune Caster's effect, returning Rune Symbol-Sowilo to my hand. I activate it, drawing one card and gaining five hundred life points." She drew again, her eyes burning with her focused determination. (MLP: 1950)

"Alright, here's a new chance just for you! I activate Rune Symbol-Gebo, which allows me to sacrifice one card on my field to draw five cards from my deck! Farewell Rune Caster!" Her runic monster shattered and she slid the top five cards of her deck free.

She fanned out her hand and then selected one of them. "I activate Rune Charm-Heart's Flame! I can now remove one monster in my cemetery from the game to deal you half its base attack as damage!"

Rune Blader jumped out of her cemetery, his body alight with flame and he rushed at Enzeru. The eldest of the triplets screamed as the fire being slammed into him, hitting his life points hard. "I see…your deck spans many areas, making it difficult to counter." (ELP: 1850)

Mizuki nodded and flipped around another card. "Rune Symbol-Ansuz lets me view the top five cards of my deck and arrange them in whatever order I wish."

She picked up her next five cards and after careful examination replaced them in a different order. "I summon Rune Mystic (1500/1300) and have it attack!"

Enzeru frowned as the monster attacked his. "I know that monster's effect; it lets you destroy any card on the field when it is destroyed. But why would you spend twelve hundred life points just for that?"

"Who said anything about life points? I play Rune Symbol-Algiz, which negates all life point damage to me for the turn!" Enzeru grimaced as his monster counter-attacked and cut down Mystic. Seconds later Cyrus blew apart.

"Pure Land shuffles all monsters destroyed by effect or battle back into their controller's decks. So I may continue to use the effects of Purest Power, Magic Power of the Pure Graveyard, and Pure Land itself." Mizuki smiled somewhat mysteriously as she grabbed the last card from her hand.

"We'll see how good you are in a few turns. I activate Rune Charm-Hidden Treasure. By removing one monster from my graveyard I can draw one card per every two levels it has. So I remove my caster, which lets me draw two cards." She drew twice, and Enzeru frowned, realizing that she knew exactly what cards she would be drawing and had set them up ahead of time.

"I set two cards face down and end my turn. Go ahead Enzeru, its time for you to show me what you can really do." He frowned and drew, feeling as if he was missing something important.

"I summon Pure Land Knight-Chansen (1700/1300). While there are no monsters in my cemetery once per turn Chansen may deal you five hundred points of damage." Mizuki winced when the white armored knight thrust out one gauntlet and hit her with a ball of white power. (MLP: 1450)

Enzeru pointed to his knight and its power began to rise rapidly. "From the effects of Purest Power and Pure Land my monster gains fifteen hundred attack points, reaching thirty-two hundred."

He squeezed his hand into a ball and thrust it forwards. "Chansen now attacks you directly!"

The white knight's strike with a gauntleted fist was blocked by a wall of white light that suddenly erupted in front of Mizuki. "My face down quick-play Blank Rune copies the effect of Rune Symbol-Tiwaz in merkstave, negating your attack and giving me your monster's attack as life points!" (MLP: 4650)

The triplet grasped the last card in his hand and flicked it towards Mizuki. "Pure Blow allows one monster on my field to attack a second time this turn at a cost of one thousand attack points as long as I have no monsters in my grave!"

Mizuki was doubled over by the powerful blow to her stomach by the strong armed monster. She coughed, trying to recover her breath after the strike. "I won't allow any of your efforts to defeat me Rising Star! I will win and prove my strength!" (MLP: 2450)

White energy flowed into his body as Pure Land activated its effect during his end phase. "Can you understand Mizuki? I cannot lose as long as my family's pride rests on the line! I will grow as strong as necessary to defeat any opponent needed to protect my family!" (ELP: 2550)

Mizuki brushed her lips dry from her coughing fit and stood up. When her head lifted Enzeru was surprised to see just how confident and sad she looked. "I understand Enzeru, that's why I'm going to defeat you! Defeat makes us stronger than victory, so I'll make sure you're as strong as possible to protect your family!"

She threw back her head and gritted her teeth as she was burned by the effect of Enzeru's continuous magic card once again. Enzeru felt his hands shake at seeing her shake her head to clear it, and continued to look at him with such sad eyes. "You…want to win just to help me grow stronger? Why?" (MLP: 1150)

"Because if I had the chance and could be strong enough I'd go back and help my father through his hard times. I know what its like to see a family member suffer under the pressure placed upon them, and I know what its like to see them drift away into nothing because of it. So for that reason I'll make you as strong as necessary in order to save Aya from such a fate!" Suddenly her face down card flipped up and Enzeru gasped as power flooded the field, and an explosion rocked it, covering them both in smoke.

When the dust settled all that remained on the field was Enzeru's Pure Land Knight, and the field was its normal color. "Mizuki…you'd aid me? Thank you…"

"Don't thank me until you grow stronger Enzeru, its not over yet. Rune Symbol-Hagalaz may have destroyed all magic and trap cards in play, but the duel is far from done. Rune Berserker (2000/1200), destroy Chansen!" Her muscular rune monster rushed forwards and slammed one fist into the knight's face, crushing it inwards. (ELP: 2350)

"Turn End! Come on Enzeru, its not done yet! Show me your strength!" Enzeru nodded and looked down at his deck, knowing that he had to make a strong top deck in order to even continue to fight against her.

"I will face you with all my strength, and gain the power necessary to protect my family through this battle! I will show you now, what power I have! Draw!" He slashed a card off his deck, and Mizuki felt his power flare, feeling the strength of that draw.

"Go, Pot of Greed! Then I activate a second Monster Rebirth, shuffling Chansen back into my deck!" He slid the named monster into his deck and shuffled, leaving him with one card in his hand.

"Now, let me show you that strength! I activate Pure Summon, which allows me to special summon one monster from my deck if I have no monsters in my grave. So come forth, my ultimate monster!" Mizuki's eyes widened as a pillar of white light erupted from the center of his field.

The pillar of light burst outwards, revealing the creature within. It was a massive dragon with wide white wings with spiked tips, and a white body with mirror sheen scales. Its golden eyes narrowed at Mizuki, making her feel like its next appetizer. "Pure Land Dragon- Cyrano (3000/2000) has come!"

Enzeru pumped his right hand into the air, and then leveled it at Mizuki, his eyes calm like a storm brewing beneath the surface. "Mizuki, Cyrano's effect activates at the time of summoning and is deadly for one reason. It crushes the enemy's means of counter-attack almost instantly. Upon being summoned Cyrano sends all monsters in the opponent's hand and deck to the grave!"

Mizuki grimaced as a dozen or more cards slid out of her deck. "That really is an impressive effect, and it prevents me from gaining advantages from any of your pure cards. Looks like all I can fight back with is Rune Berserker."

"Not for long. Cyrano, attack with Pure Flame!" White fire erupted from the jaws of the dragon, sweeping over the muscular rune monster. It tried to fight off the strike, but in mere moments it was swept away by the flame. (MLP: 150)

Enzeru made a slashing motion with his left arm, leaning towards Mizuki with his eyes burning with confidence. "Mizuki! I've come at you with my ultimate monster, now fight back against me with all of your power so that I can crush it and grow stronger! I won't allow anything less than your absolute best in this duel!"

The dark haired girl smiled, her eyes growing warm and losing their sadness. "Enzeru, I intend to not only give you my best in this duel, but also to defeat you in this next turn. The tenth hour has passed, and the time for your future to be determined is now!"

As Mizuki drew, Enzeru's eyes widened as he understood. "In a few turns…when you said that you meant the eleventh turn, during which you would finally be able to use a Rune Lay-Out!"

Her eyes drifted shut and seven cards appeared floating on her field. "The time has come to divine your future Enzeru. I hope for your sake that is a good future."

The first symbol revealed itself, and began to glow. "Ansuz in standard position shows that you will be inspired soon, by something or someone."

The second symbol also flipped up, becoming connected to the first by a path of light. "Raidho is also in a standard position, signaling that you will undertake a journey. Connected with Ansuz this means the inspiration will lead you to this journey."

When the third symbol flipped up, Enzeru visibly flinched. "Kenaz in merkstave indicates a sense of false hope. You will undertake this journey to eliminate what seems like a false hope in order to find true hope."

The fourth moved into position, causing Enzeru to frown. "Gebo is standard, and indicates that during this journey you will come to a conclusion that brings balance to some personal relationship in your life."

For some reason he could not understand Enzeru's heart was pounding by the time the fifth card moved forwards. "The fifth position is Hagalaz in merkstave. Should you not undertake this journey there will be disaster in your life."

Mizuki's humming took on a cheerful note when she moved to the next one and her voice when she spoke was also happy. "Eiwhaz in its normal position shows that you will prove to be someone others can count on and your goal is within reason."

Her eyes snapped open the moment she began to speak of the next one, and Enzeru stared at her in surprise, having seen something no other duelist had before. She was still speaking of her rune lay-out, but her eyes were blank. And they were a bright blue color as she spoke. "The final symbol of the lay-out, Algiz. In this position, Algiz tells us that you will experience some form of awakening and it will change your life."

The seven symbols glowed with their connection, and Enzeru felt himself grow in confidence, despite the strange feeling that was in his heart. "Through inspiration you will undertake a journey and follow it to eliminate your false hope, eventually finding balance in personal life. At the end of this journey an awakening will occur and change all that you know, for better or for worse, that choice is up to you."

Mizuki's eyes returned to their green color and suddenly a cyclone of blue light surrounded Enzeru. "Now its time to explain the effect of this lay-out! We must draw cards from our deck, and whenever we each reach a monster those monsters battle and we take respective damage from those. We do this until we run out of monsters in our deck or one of us loses."

Enzeru frowned, and looked over at his Cyrano. "But you don't have any monsters in your deck. What does that mean for this effect?"

She smiled slightly and pointed with one finger to Cyrano. "It means that a player who has no monsters may select one monster in play, and choose that monster to represent them for all battles. If it is destroyed at any time, they lose the duel. Effects are not applied."

Cyrano floated over to her and roared its challenge. Enzeru gulped and began to draw, and after two draws a white armored knight appeared on his field. "Pure Land Knight-Goren (1600/1200) must battle with your monster."

Mizuki's brand new monster breathed out white flame, incinerating the newly summoned monster. "Do you see Enzeru? The journey to destruction began to the moment you crushed my supposed means of fighting back. Because in terms of the Pure Land Deck, the monster I remembered best was its strongest creature, Cyrano!" (ELP: 950)

He chuckled as he reached his next monster, finally understanding. "You pushed me to my limits, and you knew that I would manage to summon Cyrano in order to fight back with my full strength. All along you were prepared for it. You truly are magnificent, Rising Star."

Another white knight formed, and it charged bravely towards Cyrano. But the white dragon snapped its jaws down, finishing the brave monster off almost instantly. "Thank you Enzeru, my only hope is that you grow stronger thanks to this." (ELP: 0)

The two duelists smiled at each other as the duel ended and the crowds erupted in cheers. Inferno smirked and cracked her knuckles. "That girl, I'm going to enjoy dueling her, that's for sure."

Enzeru and Mizuki walked up to each other and shook hands, both smiling warmly at the other. "Thanks for the great duel Enzeru, I'm glad I could help."

"It was my pleasure to duel you Mizuki Mitsuhiro, after all, you're the true number one rookie. Although I suppose now that title is a bit pointless. By now you've far surpassed that term. It won't be long before you're a true pro."

In his booth Saint smiled and curled his fingers together. "Miss Mitsuhiro, you are truly a rising star who will find their way to the heights of heaven. It shall be interesting to gain your power for myself, and to purify this entire world of sin. Then it shall truly be a world of virtue, once and for all!"

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Author's Note: Ah, there's something very pleasing to me about the use of a Rune Lay-Out.

_Next Time: The tournament continues with surprises that none involved could have expected. Even Saint is left baffled at what occurs. All that can be done is to sit back and watch the next duel begin, and the self-declared True Sin known as Inferno is bound to be a dangerous opponent._

_See it all in, Elimination Surprise! VS Inferno!_


	54. Elimination Surprise! VS Inferno!

Author's Note: For those of you who haven't realized it I'm also doing a crossover with WolfGeneral in his story The Infinity Chronicles. Check it out.

**Chapter Fifty-Four: Elimination Surprise! VS Inferno!**

The crowd was hushed with anticipation as the next two names lit up, showing exactly what everyone had known was coming. One of Obelisk Blue's top duelists, Kohana Meisuko against Miharu Kanzaki, the top duelist of Osiris Red. Harrison himself seemed intrigued by the match. "Both duelists have proven to be powerful, but can a rush burn deck such as Kanzaki's hope to face a control deck like Meisuko's?"

Mizuki looked over as the two duelists stood up and nodded to each other. Then she grinned at her Enzeru, Kaoru, and Shiro, who all frowned in response. "Oh come on guys, don't look so glum! This should be an exciting duel, and the winner here faces me in the final round!"

She did a little jig, looking frighteningly happy. "And thanks to their wins in the tournament Kohana is ranked fifth in the school, and Miharu is ranked nineteenth. So beating one of them could really shoot my rank up another notch."

Kaoru tapped her chin, feeling her curiosity getting the better of her. "Come to think of it, what is your rank in this school anyways? People call you the Rising Star because of a fast rising rank, but what is it? I'm ranked thirtieth in the school myself."

Enzeru nodded, folding his arms over his chest. "And I'm ranked twenty-sixth after my victory over Alec."

He looked over at Shiro, who grunted out his answer. "Fifty-second."

They looked up at Mizuki, who smiled and winked at them. "Lucky number seven."

Both Kaoru and Enzeru gawked at Mizuki, who giggled and turned around, watching as Kohana and Miharu walked up to the edge of the platform. "This duel should be a lot of fun to watch, and it will give me good chance to analyze their strategies and capabilities."

Kohana stopped in front of the ring whereas Miharu jumped straight up, her red hair flowing out behind her. "Alright, let's get to the next stage as quick as possible. I'm eager to get to the duel I've been aching for!"

Frost nodded to her erstwhile companion, and then held up her duel disk clad left arm. Slowly she reached towards it…and then placed her right hand over her deck. "I forfeit this match."

Mizuki's eyes widened at those words. "What? She's the fifth ranked duelist and she's forfeiting now? What is this?"

Saint frowned slightly, as he saw the girl's icy blue eyes looking up at him. "Conniving little girl aren't you? I should have known a True Sin with as great an intellect as you possess would have known that I wanted to see a battle of True Sins. You're avoiding letting me see your full strength."

His eyes narrowed as he watched the one called Inferno smirk and flick her hair over her shoulder, grinning at Mizuki. "Or perhaps you forfeit to allow that one a chance to duel Miss Mitsuhiro with no trouble. I wonder precisely what interest the two of you have with her."

Sanzo from his spot grimaced, feeling the raw energy pouring off of both of those girls. "Kohana's power is so cool and controlled, colder than anything I've ever felt. But its level, although restrained, is roughly the same level that Gluttony had at his peak using those pills."

The other one was different though. In his mind's eye she was a maelstrom of barely contained energy. A storm red aura shook around her body, leaping out as if she had no control over it. "Miharu's strength is completely unrestrained, and surpasses Gluttony's highest level by a high margin. I feel like just staring into that power could burn me alive."

The principle coughed into the microphone, grabbing everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, due to this unexpected occurrence we'll be moving this tournament onwards. The final round of the Rank-Farming Tournament begins now!"

A spotlight came down on Miharu, who smirked and raised her arms in the air, accepting the roaring praise eagerly. "First we have the strongest duelist of Osiris Red, who in this tournament has achieved a ranking of nineteenth in the school. Since a forfeit offers little value, her ranking is now eighteenth. Ladies and gentlemen, our eighteenth strongest duelist striving to be number one, Miharu Kanzaki!"

Then a spotlight came down on the surprised looking Mizuki, who blinked in confusion as she was cheered on. She was still barely able to accept the fact that Kohana had so suddenly surrendered. "And our second duelist who has risen rapidly in the ranks throughout her tenure here at the school, the seventh ranked duelist of Duelist Academy, Rising Star Mizuki Mitsuhiro!"

Mizuki took a deep breath and started walking towards the arena, with Kohana walking towards her away from the arena. As they crossed paths Kohana placed a hand on Mizuki's shoulder, halting her in place. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro, when you duel, I would like you to know what rides on this matter."

She frowned at the blue haired girl, not quite sure what she was getting at. "Okay…back up. What are you talking about Kohana?"

The icy eyed girl slowly drew her gaze towards Shiro, who shivered when their eyes met. "To begin, although you know me as Kohana Meisuko, my truest name is that of Frost, True Sin of Ice. And my companion Miharu Kanzaki is Inferno, True Sin of Fire."

"True…Sin?" An image of a blue eyed woman with wild black hair flashed through Mizuki's mind and then was gone.

Frost nodded once calmly. "That is correct. Inferno and myself have been investigating a certain matter, and depending on what we learn from this duel we may have questions for you. In order to bring out your highest level of performance, I have added insurance to push you farther."

"Insurance? Push me farther? What the heck are you going on about now?" Frost raised her left arm and pointed at Shiro, and Mizuki followed the gesture. When Shiro looked away, Mizuki's eyes widened.

"What have you done to Shiro?" Frost sighed and opened up her right hand, and briefly a flower of ice formed before dissolving away.

"If my name did not indicate it, my ability is the control over water molecules in the surrounding atmosphere. Specifically I can reduce the speed at which the electrons within water molecules move, thus reducing its energy and producing ice. At the moment, I have a seed of ice within Shiro Akugi's chest. At my command it can expand, puncturing his heart and thusly eliminating him." Mizuki's eyes widened and Shiro looked at his feet, his hands shaking.

Frost walked past her, and then casually sat down in her previous seat and put one leg over the other. Mizuki felt her entire body shaking with bundled up rage, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't just stand there all day Rising Star, come and fight me!"

Mizuki swung her head around, hair flying out behind her. She met eyes with Inferno, who beckoned her to come. With narrowed eyes Mizuki jumped up onto the arena and flipped open her father's old duel disk. "Fight you? Is that how you view this? A fight?"

Inferno laughed and beckoned towards herself with both hands. "That's right! A duel is just another method of battle, and in a duel I want to pit our respective strengths against each other! Can your dueling skill survive against the raw flames of my heart? Let's find out!"

The Rising Star slammed her deck into place while Inferno did the same. "You're insane!"

The red head cackled madly, and then thrust her right arm into the air. "Hah! I never claimed to have such a thing as sanity; all I've got with me is my deck and the fire that's always in me! So come and taste my flames Mizuki Mitsuhiro!"

Up in the stands Chizuma gulped and wrapped her arms around her body, looking to Kane and Sanzo for support. "Guys…how come Mizuki-sama looks so mad?"

Sanzo frowned, and glanced between Miharu and Kohana. "I can't say, but I know it has something to do with those two. They're dangerous, incredibly so."

From his space Harrison gritted his teeth, feeling the aura flooding off of the girl on the field. "That girl, she's like a raging furnace of power with no control whatsoever. Mizuki…even after the past seven days of intense preparation, are you prepared to face such a level of opponent?"

Saint leaned in eagerly, his eyes alight with passion. "I eagerly await your performance Miss Mitsuhiro. Show me precisely what you are capable of at your strongest."

Mizuki and Inferno reached for the decks at the same time, with Mizuki looking determined and Inferno appearing eager. "Miharu, or Inferno, or whatever you call yourself…get ready to face my wrath! DUEL!" (MLP: 4000) (ILP: 4000)

Inferno drew the first card for the duel and slammed it into her duel disk. "Let's start off with a bang! I activate Inferno Charity, which lets me view the top five cards of my deck!"

She snatched them off and instantly five giant holographic images appeared. Each one was a monster made of flame with blue eyes. "All fire and pyro monsters amongst the five are discarded, and for every one discarded I draw one card and gain five hundred life points!"

Mizuki showed little reaction as Inferno dumped all five cards into the graveyard and then was suddenly surrounded by blue flames. "Yeah, that's the way! The flames of rejuvenation!" (ILP: 7500)

Inferno grinned as wide as her face and her field slot opened. She slapped a card in and fire exploded all around them. Mizuki flinched away from the flames, which felt surprisingly real. "Welcome to my second home, Inferno Paradise!"

Fire was everywhere; they were completely surrounded by flames that leapt nearly as high as the ceiling. Mizuki felt sweat beading on her forehead from the heat. "You're adding heat to the fire, aren't you?"

"You catch on quick Mizuki-chan! Let me show you just what it does though, because now I activate the effect of my one and only monster. I remove all five Infernos in the cemetery and special summon five Infernos (1100/1900 X5) from my hand!" Mizuki grimaced as five skulls of flame formed on Inferno's field.

The flames surrounding Inferno suddenly turned blue, and Mizuki remembered the term 'flames of rejuvenation.' "The effect of Inferno Paradise now lets me gain the attack or defense of any Inferno removed from the game. So I gain nineteen hundred life points five times!" (ILP: 17,000)

Kaoru grimaced, seeing those life points shoot up like that. "I don't get it, is Miharu's strategy burn, rush, beatdown, or life gain?"

Enzeru gripped his knees tightly, feeling the heat coming from the arena as if it were real. And somehow he didn't doubt that it was. "Most likely her deck balances those four strategies together. It appears to be quite effective as well."

Mizuki stood up straight, letting the flames whip around her. "Gain all the life points you want Inferno! In my turn I'll beat down every last one of those monsters and smash your life points!"

Inferno laughed with delight. "That's the kind of confidence I love to hear from my opponents! I hope to see you try, but it'll be hard since Inferno Paradise increases the attack of every Inferno in play by three hundred for every one I've got. So each one gains fifteen hundred!"

The five identical monsters shot up to twenty-six hundred attack points a piece, but Mizuki didn't flinch. Frost smiled slightly as she watched the two. _'She's not worried Inferno, be cautious. This girl at her best…most likely she can equal my level, and perhaps even surpass it.'_

The True Sin cracked her neck and slipped two cards from her hand down. "Go ahead and come at me Mizuki-chan! Breaking through my wall of monsters and my two face downs will be next to impossible in one turn!"

Mizuki reached for her deck, and Inferno's eyes widened when her opponent's eyes suddenly flashed blue. "That's what you believe, but I'll show you that as long as it's what I desire, I know I can achieve it! Drawing the right card in this situation to crush you has a probability of 1.3759 percent, however…"

She snapped the card off, and Inferno had to take a step backwards as she felt a strange power wash over her. Even Saint's eyes widened. _'That's the strongest level I've felt from her so far. She's actually aware and focusing her strength? This level of power is at least as great as Greed's!'_

The Rising Star slowly pulled the card up to her eyes, appearing completely calm and focused. "When it is what I desire absolutely, I feel that the probability of drawing the card that I want is one hundred percent!"

Finally she looked down at the drawn card and smirked in a manner that seemed reminiscent of Harrison as she flipped it around to show to Inferno. "Rune Symbol-Tiwaz activates, at a cost of half my life points…everything…is destroyed!" (MLP: 2000)

Inferno threw up an arm up in defense as a wave of blue light swept over the field, brushing away the flames and shattering all seven cards that she had in play. "Impossible! All my work, gone with one card!"

Mizuki's smirk faded and she grabbed another of her cards quickly. "I hope you're not too shocked Inferno, because I intend to make good on the next part of my declaration and smash your life points! I activate Rune Charm-Summon!"

She slapped a third card onto her disk and a glowing white armored form of her mightiest monster took shape. "Rune Paladin (2600/2400) is special summoned! And joining him for my normal summon is Rune Ninja (1700/1400)!"

A lithe figure in a white ninja outfit appeared, brandishing throwing stars that glowed with runic symbols. "Rune Paladin, attack Inferno directly! Rune Energy Wave!"

Rune Paladin swung his mirror sheen sword down, sending a wave of blue energy rolling across the field. It swept over Inferno, but the duelist laughed, her body covered by a sphere of flames that protected her. "If you want to hurt me, try harder Mizuki-chan!" (ILP: 14,400)

"Try this one for size then! Rune Ninja, direct attack!" Ninja snapped out its hand, sending a handful of shuriken hurtling across the field at Inferno. The red head just laughed as they were incinerated by the flames around her. (ILP: 12,700)

"Still not enough! You've got to put some real energy into it to hurt me, and this just isn't cutting it at all!" Her flames dissipated and she chuckled…until she was struck with a barrage of shuriken. (ILP: 11,000)

Mizuki gave a brief nod to her ninja, which bowed to her. "You got cocky Inferno, and you paid for it. Rune Ninja can attack twice during the battle phase, and you let your shield down too early."

Inferno shrugged, and brushed her red blazer off. "Whatever, it's not like you really hurt me. But I'll admit that your turn was impressive. Had I not gained so many life points my first turn you would have gotten a one turn kill against me with that combo. Pretty impressive."

She closed her eyes briefly, then looked over her shoulder at Shiro. _'Don't worry Shiro, I won't allow them to hurt you. Even if I have to push myself past my limits I'll win this and protect you!'_

"I play one card face down and end my turn! Now that I've crushed your efforts, can you recover Inferno? Let's see if you've got more than just a fire in your heart!" Inferno grinned and drew, looking darkly eager to prove herself.

"Hey Mizuki-chan, I hope you liked the flames, because once per duel I can add Inferno Paradise from my cemetery or deck to my hand as long as I have at least five Inferno in my grave or removed from play pile. So it's back to the fire with us!" The flames leapt up around them, once again cutting them off from the rest of the audience.

She cracked her knuckles and raised up her drawn card. "Dimension Shift lets me send up to five monsters in my out of play pile to my grave. Then I can add that same number of monsters in my removed from play pile or cemetery to my hand."

With a flourish she pulled the five Infernos out of her back pocket and exchanged them with the five Infernos in her cemetery, putting them into her hand. "Now I'll remove my newly placed Infernos to bring out the other set of Infernos (1100/1900 X5)!"

The same five flaming skulls formed, and their attack points began to rise. "Once more, thanks to Inferno Paradise each of my Infernos has twenty-six hundred attack. And of course, time for the flames of rejuvenation!" (ILP: 20,500)

Sanzo grimaced. "What an insane level of life points…"

Chizuma whimpered at seeing the red head's life points so quickly restored to a point surpassing their previous amount. "Mizuki-sama…be careful…"

"Since my monsters each have the same attack strength as your paladin, I think I'll just sacrifice one of them to clear it out of the way. Inferno, immolate that shiny loser!"

Mizuki pointed to her face down card, and suddenly the Inferno that had started to move forwards slowed to a stop. "Rune Symbol-Ingwaz prevents you from attacking for three turns, counting from your end phases. Meaning for the next three turns, your fireballs are dead weight!"

Inferno growled in frustration, and pushed a card into her disk. "Whatever, I'll just burn you down after those three turns."

As soon as Mizuki drew she took her previously left over card and placed it next to her ninja. "Rune Spearholder (1900/1200) in attack mode!"

Her white robed monster spun its spear in a circle, ending the flourish with the bladed weapon pointing at one of the living balls of flame. "I hope you're ready to have those fireballs of yours smacked down, because here I come!"

Inferno snorted and placed her hands on her hips. "What are you going to do? Even your strongest monster only equals the strength of each of my Infernos."

"You're wrong! My monsters have much greater strength, thanks to this card I've drawn! Rune Mark-Power, double Spearholder's attack for this turn!"

The fire wielding girl's eyes widened as her monster's attack shot up to thirty-eight hundred, surpassing even Rune Paladin. "Damn it…"

"Go and get one of them Spearholder! Rune Spear Strike!" With a bellow the spearholder thrust his spear forward, sending a lance of energy shooting out from the tip. The blast punched directly through the middle Inferno, splitting it apart. (ILP: 19,300)

Inferno frowned as her four remaining monsters shrank slightly. "With one fewer of them in play, each of my Infernos falls to twenty-three hundred attack. Now you can defeat another with Rune Paladin."

Mizuki shook her head and thrust her hand out towards Rune Ninja. "No, I won't let you get off that easy! By sacrificing the monster affected, I can change the target of that power to another monster I control! Rune Ninja, I bestow the power upon you!"

Spearholder bowed and shattered. Glowing light from its body floated to the side and settled around Ninja, getting absorbed into the monster's body. Its attack strength steadily climbed until it reached thirty-four hundred. "Now who's weak Inferno? Rune Shuriken Strike!"

A trio of shuriken slashed another Inferno into three even sections, which hovered in the air for a brief moment before turning to dust. "And while you take life point damage, your other monsters weaken!" (ILP: 18,200)

The red haired girl snarled, seeing what was coming next. "Che and your stupid ninja gets a second attack, so you can beat another of my Infernos."

'That's exactly right! Attack the next one and cut it to pieces!" The ninja nodded and threw a double handful of shuriken, piercing through the living flame in half a dozen places. The remaining pieces shattered seconds later. (ILP: 16,800)

Mizuki curled her left hand into a tight fist, and Rune Ninja faded away, leaving the energy from before left. "I tribute Rune Ninja to transfer its newly inherited power to my Rune Paladin!"

Enzeru gawked at the fifty-two hundred attack strength monster and at Mizuki. "This methodical dueling…she's like a dueling machine! Is she really the same duelist who I was able to actually challenge? At this level of playing, I wouldn't have stood a chance."

Kaoru slowly nodded, and wished for the life of her that she could see into Mizuki's heart to understand what the girl was going through. "Mizuki…why are you acting like this?"

Shiro frowned, bunching up the material of his pants as he gripped it with his hands as hard as he could. _'I'm sorry Mizuki…that you were put into this situation because I couldn't beat Frost.'_

Mizuki pointed at the Inferno closest to Inferno with her right arm. "Rune Paladin, blast that one into nothingness with Rune Energy Wave!"

Rune Paladin's sweeping wave of energy completely annihilated the being of fire, and with the heavy difference in power even Inferno was forced to put up her shield of flame once again to guard herself. "That's really impressive Mizuki-chan…but I've still got an assload and a half worth of life points!" (ILP: 13,300)

The Rising Star closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down and sooth the seething anger inside her. "End turn."

Frost narrowed her eyes as her compatriot drew. _'In moments you will revive your Infernos and directly damage Mizuki Mitsuhiro's life points. Focused though she is, the girl's anger will ultimately be a determent. Whereas for Inferno, anger gives her steady strength.'_

Inferno drew and her set card glowed and revealed itself. "Inferno Sweeping Revival brings back all Infernos destroyed in the last two turns, and for every two revived I draw two cards. So here they all come back, and I get two draws!"

Mizuki felt a twinge in her heart, but suppressed it. _'Even pushing myself as hard as I can I'm not holding her down for more than my own turn. The only reason I'm maintaining an advantage is because she can't attack. And I'm using up all my resources just to dent her life points.'_

The fiery duelist held up one of her two drawn cards. "I hope you like to share pain Mizuki-chan, because I've got a big blast coming at both of us! Go magic card, Tremendous Fire!"

The fire of Inferno Paradise swept to life, gathering together like a giant hand in front of each duelist. Mizuki screamed as the burning hand wrapped around her, while Inferno just laughed. "You know what they say, if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen!" (ILP: 12,800) (MLP: 1000)

When the hands released them, Mizuki fell to her knees, wincing in pain as the fire beneath her was nearly as hot as what she had just felt. Smoke rose from her body, and her Obelisk Blue uniform was singed. "Dirty strike…"

"Call it dirty if you want, but burn strategies are just as valid as any other. And in case you didn't know that card well, Tremendous Fire deals me five hundred damage and you one thousand. So we each took a bit of pain. Though in your case it nearly finished you didn't it?" She chuckled and reached for her other drawn card.

Shiro's eyes widened as Inferno held up the card she was about to activate. He started to move from his seat and open his mouth, but was silenced when he felt an icy stare against his back. _'That's right…Frost said if I called out to encourage Mizuki she'd freeze my heart in my chest.'_

Enzeru didn't fail to notice Shiro's reaction, especially how he held himself back from speaking. _'My suspicions were correct. Whatever is making Mizuki act like this it's also the reason Shiro is acting so strangely. Most likely Kohana is behind it all, though what she's done I can't tell.'_

He leaned towards Kaoru and whispered into her ear. "Kaoru, can you look into Kohana's heart and learn her intentions? I'm certain she's behind whatever is wrong with Mizuki."

Inferno laughed as fire gathered in her free hand, forming a fireball. "Ookazi is my card of choice, and it deals you eight hundred points of direct damage! Try this one on for size!"

She shot the fire out, hitting Mizuki in the chest. The dark haired girl screamed as the fireball exploded, hurling her a few feet backwards. Mizuki rolled around, holding her stomach with her hands. _'That impact felt too real..' _(MLP: 200)

Her red headed opponent cracked her knuckles as if she had already won. "Another saying for you. If you play with fire, you'll get burned!"

Kaoru looked over at Frost and her violet eyes glowed. "Let's see what's in your heart Kohana Meisuko, and exactly what you intend."

Frost turned to look at her, and Kaoru gasped as to her mind it seemed as if her entire body was suddenly encased in ice. The world around her shifted, revealing an icy expanse. "Kaoru Tsukada, you tread on thin ice in this realm, for this is my heart of hearts, and only a True Sin can know the content of another True Sin's heart. You are not wanted here."

Kaoru withdrew, her body shivering from the cold she had experienced. "No, I can't do it. She's too strong for me…but I did learn that she's a True Sin, just like Nightmare. And just like that Miharu girl…she called herself Inferno. Whatever they are, they're too powerful for me to see into their hearts."

Enzeru sighed and rubbed his chin. "That's what I was afraid. It looks like at this point all we can do for the time being is sit back and leave everything to Mizuki. We have to trust that she can win this, even with whatever is happening."

From her place in the stands Chizuma punched a fist into the air. "Do your best Mizuki-sama, we believe in you!"

Then she raised a flag with Mizuki's name on it with hearts all around it and waved it around. "Mizuki-sama is the best! Go Mizuki-sama!"

Sanzo rubbed the bridge of his nose, a sweat-drop forming on the back of his head. "There's a limit to enthusiasm, and this girl crossed it a long time ago…"

When he looked back down at the field a card was shimmering into view in front of Inferno. "End turn Mizuki-chan! With two hundred life points left, do you think you can hold on much longer against me? After all, only one more turn left where I can't attack!"

Mizuki drew, and then pointed to one of the revived Infernos. "Rune Paladin, attack it!"

The living ball of flame shrieked and swooped down across the field, colliding with Rune Paladin. The warrior roared out his challenge and shoved his sword deep into the fireball's chest. The creature exploded, consuming both. "And both are destroyed. But mine will be back. I activate Rune Charm-Revival to bring back Rune Paladin (2600/2400) and I end my turn."

Inferno drew and chuckled. "Your efforts were in vain, I remove the destroyed Inferno to special summon the one I just drew! And not only do they power up again, but I gain the removed one's defense as life points!" (ILP: 14,700)

Mizuki bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw a bead of blood. _'No matter what I try she just recovers almost instantly. And top-decking like this makes it too hard to fight back.'_

"I end my turn Mizuki-chan, ending the seal of your Rune Symbol. Next turn, next turn I get to attack and I'll burn you to ash!" Mizuki gulped and reached for her deck, feeling her confidence that she had drawn on earlier in the duel fading bit by bit.

She shook off the worming feelings of doubt in her mind and held up the drawn card. "Rune Symbol-Fehu lets me draw two cards."

With the next two draws she felt even weaker, like her strength was draining away. It was like dark fingers were clawing at her brain, sapping her of her strength faster than she could use it. _'No, I can't stop now. I have to go forward full force!'_

"Rune Paladin, suicide strike against another Inferno!" For the second time Mizuki's monster clashed with an Inferno and both were immolated by the fiery creature's destruction.

Mizuki thrust forward one of her two drawn cards. "Blank Rune is a quick-play that can copy the effect of a Rune Symbol or Rune Charm in my cemetery! So I use Rune Charm-Revival to bring back Rune Paladin!"

Her strongest monster once again returned to the field, blade at the ready. "And since I revived him during my battle phase I get to attack with him again! Rune Energy Wave!"

The blast of blue energy crushed one of the weakened Infernos, punching a tiny chunk out of Inferno's life points. But nothing that the True Sin had to worry about. _'Even with my best efforts I'm still barely hurting her. That many life points is just too much to get around.'_ (ILP: 14,400)

Inferno placed her right hand on her hip and flashed Mizuki a cocky grin. "That all you can manage? This is all the so-called Rising Star can do? I'm not impressed at all!"

Mizuki slid her last card into her disk, feeling weaker second by second. _'She's right…I've got nothing…I don't understand this, how can she be so much stronger than me? I thought I had the advantage, but bit by bit I'm just losing ground.'_

Sanzo gasped as he realized what was happening. _'The oppressive aura that's surrounding Mizuki…its not just because she's depressed, that aura is coming from within her, but somehow its not even hers! Something inside her is weakening her!'_

Harrison frowned, feeling his own aura being pushed back by the darkly oppressive aura flowing out of Mizuki. _'Without a doubt, the source of that dark aura is Nightmare. Mizuki wasn't ready for this sort of attack, and she isn't aware enough of it to suppress it. If something doesn't stop it soon, she's going to…'_

Inferno snapped her fingers as soon as she drew. "Since I can attack, its time for me to crush you! I activate the trap card Inferno Joint Strike! This allows me to combine the attacks of my Infernos together this one time. And guess what? All six thousand points are aimed at your Rune Paladin!"

The three Infernos merged together into one giant monstrosity of flame and began to blast across the field towards Rune Paladin. The paladin's armor began to melt from the mere presence, and Mizuki had to hold up an arm to hold off the heat. "Burn Mizuki-chan! Burn you false Rising Star! Burn you weakling!"

Rune Paladin groaned as his body began to crack and Mizuki reached out as he blew to pieces. Inferno cackled as bits of flame hit Mizuki, bombarding her and making her stumble backwards. "And that's the game Mizuki-chan!"

Mizuki stopped her stumbling and shook her head, her determination faded but still present. "No, it's not done yet." (MLP: 5400)

Inferno snarled and flames leapt from her body, her eyes sparking. "But I had you, I know it! How did you survive and gain life points?"

The Rising Star held up a card, revealing that she no longer had a set. "Rune Blessing-Gathered Life activates when a Rune monster would be destroyed in battle. Before damage calculation I gain the total attack points of all monsters in the battle as life points. So my life points reached eighty-eight hundred before I took damage."

The True Sin held up her right hand and bunched it into a fist. "I'll still burn you! When an Inferno destroys a monster as a result of battle the opponent takes fifteen hundred points of effect damage! And all three of my Infernos beat a monster in battle…so take three instances of that damage!"

Mizuki's body was suddenly engulfed in flames, a towering inferno swarming all around her. The audience was deathly silent at the sound of her screams, and Shiro looked like he was going to crush his kneecaps from the pressure he was putting on them. Even Chizuma couldn't speak. "How does it feel, to live in the flames? To always be surrounded by that unstoppable heat?" (MLP: 900)

The fire dissipated, and Mizuki's body was deposited face-down on the ground, steam rising from her back. "Heh, I guess you didn't like it. But I live always in flame, my body is suffused by it, I can't get away from it, so the only option was to embrace the flames! If you can't do that, you're seriously gonna die Mizuki-chan!"

No response came from the fallen girl, and still the dueling arena remained deathly silent save for Inferno. "Since you're not talking I'll move onto my second main phase and play Inferno Impact Revive! Every Inferno destroyed by a monster beaten in battle this turn is revived, so my two beaten Infernos from last turn are back!"

Twin blasts of flame joined the three already on his field, and their attack points rose again to twenty-six hundred a piece. "I hope you're intending to actually put up some sort of fight next turn weakling, because this, it's not even making me sweat!"

A card appeared behind the five beings of fire and Inferno planted her feet heavily on the ground. "Come on Mizuki-chan; face me with your strength, whatever is left of it at least! I don't want it to be done yet, since I'm finally getting a chance to go full power against an opponent!"

Shiro and Chizuma, from opposite sides of the dueling arena, at the same moment had the same thought. _'Get up…you have to get up!'_

"Che, full power? That's not power at all!" Inferno's eyes widened as Mizuki's body began to stir and suddenly her body felt like it had just been hit by a heavy weight.

_'What the heck is this level of power? It's stronger than me…it's actually stronger than Frost!'_ Mizuki's body lifted up as if being pulled by marionette strings, and the room dimmed, going grey.

There was no motion save for the two of them, and almost everyone in the audience had been grayed out just like everything else. "I'm curious little Inferno…what sort of power it takes to be considered a True Sin in your circle?"

Mizuki's eyes snapped open, and Inferno saw a shade of blue similar to her own. "You…you're the one we sensed…the True Sin filling this entire island with her foul dark energy!"

Mizuki's body changed, growing taller and more voluptuous. It was soon covered by a dress of shadow, and her duel disk darkened. Her hair lengthened and grew wilder, and her face matured by a handful of years so that she looked like an older version of Mizuki.

With a smirk on her face the blue-eyed woman bowed slightly to Inferno. "That's right. True Sin, Nightmare at your service."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Again she appears.

_Next Time: Nightmare has appeared once again, and the duel between Mizuki and Inferno suddenly turns into a deadly battle between two True Sins. As powerful as the mysterious True Sin has shown herself to be, even the deadly Inferno might not be able to match up. But victory in this case may be worse than defeat. _

_See it all in, VS Inferno; Extinguish the Flames!_


	55. VS Inferno Extinguish the Flames!

Author's Note: Part two of Mizuki versus Inferno is up!

**Chapter Fifty-Five: VS Inferno; Extinguish the Flames!**

_Shiro and Chizuma, from opposite sides of the dueling arena, at the same moment had the same thought. 'Get up…you have to get up!'_

_"Che, full power? That's not power at all!" Inferno's eyes widened as Mizuki's body began to stir and suddenly her body felt like it had just been hit by a heavy weight._

_'What the heck is this level of power? It's stronger than me…it's actually stronger than Frost!' Mizuki's body lifted up as if being pulled by marionette strings and the room dimmed, going grey._

_There was no motion save for the two of them, and almost everyone in the audience had been grayed out just like everything else. "I'm curious little Inferno…what sort of power it takes to be considered a True Sin in your circle?"_

_Mizuki's eyes snapped open and Inferno saw a shade of blue similar to her own. "You…you're the one we sensed…the True Sin filling this entire island with her foul dark energy!"_

_Mizuki's body changed, growing taller and more voluptuous. It was soon covered by a dress of shadow, and her duel disk darkened. Her hair lengthened and grew wilder, and her face matured by a handful of years so that she looked like an older version of Mizuki. _

_With a smirk on her face the blue-eyed woman bowed slightly to Inferno. "That's right. True Sin, Nightmare at your service."_

Nightmare came up from her bow and smirked, the right corner of her lip curling up to reveal a sharp fang. "I'm going to enjoy burying you beneath your own dark fears little Inferno, so let me show you my power!"

Inferno raised her arms over her head and her body was suddenly engulfed in flame. Her skin became a crimson color, her hair a mane of active flames. "You want me, then come and get me! Face the power of the True Sin of Fire, Inferno!"

The other True Sin snickered, apparently unimpressed by the display. "So that's the form you take when you unleash your full level of power? The true vision of the sin of being you, a being living in fire and unable to experience even the slightest amount of anything but heat. Too hot to handle indeed!"

With a snarl Inferno thrust out her hand and a wave of white hot fire shot out, streaking towards Nightmare. "Don't talk about things you can't understand you dark haired bitch!"

Nightmare smiled slightly and tendrils of shadow shot up in front of her, forming a barrier. The barrier of shadow began to bubble and melt, but by the time it was gone the flames had dissipated. "This is my realm, and in it nobody can beat me. But enough of this, I was going to crush you in a duel I believe?"

She reached for her deck and drew, smirking as she held up the drawn card. "An apt card. I activate Nightmare Begins, which sends all cards on my field and in my deck to my cemetery."

Inferno blinked in confusion when Nightmare dumped her entire deck into the graveyard. Then the shadows began to swirl and push itself into the True Sin's open deck slot. "At this time I can replace the discarded deck with a deck of my choosing, and I choose the deck of my own soul, since forcing my soul into Mizuki-chan's deck is annoying."

Once the deck was completed Nightmare thumbed through a few cards and picked them up. "Of course now I draw six cards. And since its just the beginning, I'll activate the key card I drew!"

The fire around them died out and huge gothic columns that might once have been intact erupted from the ground, moving endlessly in each direction at their sides, creating an endless hallway. "Welcome to the Court of Shattered Dreams, and say goodbye to your strategy!"

Inferno gasped as her field faded away, and all the cards on her duel disk popped off. "What the heck is going on?"

"It's simple; when Court of Shattered Dreams is activated all cards in play are returned to their controller's hand. So your field is empty…but I'm not ready for my attack yet. I start by summoning Apostle of Genocide (1200/1500)!" An ashen faced man in pitch black armor marched onto the field, holding a sword of bone.

The other True Sin gulped, recognizing that card. "Damn…that monster…it's the ultimate enemy of my deck!"

Nightmare winked and picked one of the cards free from her hand. "That's absolutely right. When I summon this monster I declare one sub-type and discard a card from my hand. All monsters of said sub-type in your hand and deck are sent to the cemetery. Obviously I declare pyro."

Inferno growled and slid the five monsters in her hand into the cemetery and then dumped the nine remaining Infernos in her deck into the graveyard as well. "Fine, so you got rid of my monsters, but I can bring them back."

Her opponent chuckled and pointed straight into the endless grey sky. "That's what you believe. But let me prove different, as I activate the effect of Court of Shattered Dreams. From wherever it exists I can activate a card with 'Twisted Dreamscape' in its name."

There was a flash of light, and to Inferno's surprise they were suddenly standing on charred grounds with burnt skeletons all around them. The empty plain stretched for miles, showing splinters of burnt trees and burned out shells of buildings. "What is this place?"

Nightmare sneered. "This? Its Twisted Dreamscape-Scorched Lands, the realm of your nightmare in which everything has been consumed by fire, leaving only those who thrive on flame left! The realm where there is nothing left to burn!"

She snapped her fingers and a small ball of fire with large blinking eyes appeared on her field. "Once per turn I can produce a Hinotama Soul Token (500/500) on that player's field. If such a token is destroyed its controller receives five hundred points of effect damage."

The dark haired woman pointed at the token and grinned. "And I know that Pure Battle Soul removes a monster summoned to your field that isn't your chosen creature, but it doesn't count tokens, so you're not safe. Especially since when a Hinotama Soul Token is destroyed it places a counter in that player's cemetery that counts as a pyro monster."

Inferno raised a burning eyebrow. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Just watch and see. I myself don't intend to have a single of my own tokens destroyed, so I activate the continuous magic card Nightmare Image. Using this card I can make tributes to summon a demon or undead sub-type monster from wherever I choose regardless of cost. So I tribute Apostle of Genocide and my Hinotama Soul Token!" The two monsters faded away and a huge roar shook the burnt lands.

From above a tremendous dragon of bone with a long mane of hair swooped down and slammed onto the ground. "Inferno, meet the deadly Berserk Dead Dragon (3500/0). It attacks you directly with Berserk Necrotic Flame!"

Toxic black flame flew from the creature's cracked lips, sweeping over Inferno. To the girl's surprise the flames burnt even her, sending her falling to her knees, her body singed. "Undead flame that can even hurt me…impossible!" (ILP: 10,900)

Nightmare snapped her arm out and Inferno's cemetery churned. "Once per turn I can remove all pyro types in each player's cemetery from the game! Which means the twenty Infernos in your grave are removed!"

The True Sin grimaced and placed all twenty of her monsters into her back pocket. "Fine, I'll show you that even without my key monsters I can beat any opponent! You've got nine hundred life points left, and I can easily destroy that! Draw!"

The moment she drew the flames around her body began to leap out from her flesh, striking the burnt ground around them. She screamed as if her flesh was jumping away from her. (ILP: 8,900)

"I told you there's a point. Scorched Lands deals a player one hundred points of damage for every pyro type monster in their removed from play pile during their standby phase. And now…take a Hinotama Soul Token!" Inferno fell to her knees breathing heavily as one of the little fireballs appeared on her field.

Inferno looked down at her three card hand and glared. _'I'd displace this ruined land, but I can't activate Inferno Paradise unless I have at least one Inferno in my cemetery. And the trap I had for last turn only works when I have an Inferno in play.'_

She narrowed her eyes as she focused on the third card in her hand. "I play Card Destruction, so we both discard the two cards we're holding and draw two new cards."

Nightmare slid the two cards she held into the grave, and then held up her hand and two new cards materialized out of the darkness. "Each Twisted Dreamscape has its own deck, and while a Twisted Dreamscape is equipped to Court of Shattered Dreams when I draw I can choose to draw from the specific deck related to that dreamscape. That's what I've chosen to do."

"Do whatever you want, it won't stop me! I place one card face down and then activated Hell's White. As long as I play with my hand open during your standby phase you'll take six hundred points of damage. End turn!" Nightmare grinned as she drew and was engulfed in flames, not flinching in the slightest. (NLP: 300)

"I chose to draw from the deck related to Scorched Lands. So now I activate Scorched Denizens, which summons a Hinotama Soul Token to all open monster zones. I get four and so do you!" Inferno grimaced as her field was filled up with the weak tokens, all in defense mode.

"In case you didn't know, Berserk Dead Dragon (3000) loses five hundred attack points during my end phase. Of course it makes up for this with the ability to attack all monsters on the field when it battles. But wait, there's more!" She made a sweeping motion with her left hand and the four tokens on her own field shattered.

"I sacrifice all four of these monsters to Nightmare Image and special summon two more Berserk Dead Dragons (3500/0 X2) into play!" There was now a trio of the zombie dragons on her field, their wings spread out as wide as they could go as they roared at Inferno.

_'And if they can attack all my monsters in play, I'll lose all five in one strike and take twenty-five hundred damage. Then she'll be able to directly attack with the remaining two. This woman isn't anywhere near normal in her dueling level!'_ Nightmare reached out and stroke the mane of hair on her first zombie dragon, who snarled in response.

"My giant pet, go and annihilate all five of those weak little monsters. Berserk Necrotic Flame!" The noxious black flames swept over all five of the tokens, incinerating them in mere seconds. Inferno screamed as more of the fire on her body was pulled away, returning her hair to normal. (ILP: 6,400)

Inferno shuddered and her body returned to its normal stage, her power reduced enough that she couldn't maintain that form. "Damn you…I'm not going to fall here, not to you!"

"Let's see about that shall we? Berserk Dead Dragons, double direct attack with Twin Berserk Necrotic Flame!" Her two stronger dragons opened up their mouths and spewed out the dark flames, swirling them around Inferno's body and scorching the red head.

When the flames faded Inferno was on her hands and knees breathing heavily, but she didn't seem finished. "I don't lose that easily…not to someone like you!" (ILP: 5400)

Nightmare snickered, looking surprisingly pleased that the duel wasn't over. "If it ended that fast I'd be bored. And of course I know you activate Dimensional Panacea from your deck to gain three hundred life points per monster in your removed from play pile before my attacks struck."

"You're smart…but not smart enough! Because I survived that hit during your next turn Hell's White will end you! And if that's not enough, I activate Inferno Tempest! Since I received more than three thousand points of damage from one attack I can remove all monsters in each of our hands and decks from the game!" Nightmare shrugged and pulled a dozen or so monsters from her deck and tossed them aside carelessly.

"Considering I have another deck to draw from, I don't really care. Or perhaps you were thinking that all of this mattered to me? If that's the case, you'd best look for a new career other than dueling!" Inferno growled and reached for her deck, but was cut off when a black tendril caught her arm.

"Don't get hasty little Inferno, I'm not done. First I set a card face down. Then I remove the five tokens in your cemetery from the game. And I end my turn, reducing the power of my monsters." Her first dragon fell to twenty-five hundred while the other two reduced to three thousand each.

Once the monsters had weakened Inferno drew, and thanks to Hell's White the card appeared in the air above her head. "I've drawn the perfect card for this situation! Hellish Accountant!"

Before she could activate it she was forced to experience the pain of her body being ripped of its flames thanks to the effect of Scorched Lands. "The glorious pain, isn't it magnificent little Inferno?" (ILP: 2900)

Inferno snarled and held out her card. "Shut up! I activate Hellish Accountant!"

Nightmare grinned. "Ah yes, that's right. For every card on my field you can draw one card, so you'll get to draw seven since I've got a field card, a field equip, three monsters, a continuous magic card, and a set card."

"Don't forget that when I activate this effect you can either special summon a copy of one monster on your field from your deck or draw cards from your deck until you reach a monster to summon. But there's a problem with that isn't there?" Nightmare didn't seem worried, despite what Inferno was getting at.

"That's right you freaky bitch, you don't have any other copies of Berserk Dead Dragon and couldn't summon them if you did since they have a cost. And thanks to Inferno Tempest you have no monsters in your deck. Since all cards not the monster drawn by you for Hellish Accountant are discarded, you lose your entire deck!" Nightmare shrugged and tossed aside her entire deck, leaving her with an empty deck tray.

"So what? I can still draw from my other deck. And I get to see all seven cards you draw." Inferno drew seven times, and the cards formed above her head.

She was holding Hell Blast, Hell Alliance, Inferno Reckless Summon, Chaos End, Lost Next, Graveyard of Wandering Souls, and Backfire. "Heh, perfect! I activate Hell Blast since all monsters on my field were destroyed last turn. I now target the three thousand point Berserk Dead Dragon and destroy it, dealing you half its attack as damage!"

The dragon blew apart, and embers fall all around Nightmare. "If you thought that would work, you were mistaken. My continuous trap is No Need for Fire, which prevents me from taking effect damage while it's in play."

Inferno growled and slammed another card into her disk. "Shut up, I won't let that be it anyways! Since I have more than seven cards removed from the game Chaos End destroys all monsters on your field!"

The remaining two dragons were vaporized by a strike from above, leaving Nightmare's field barren save for her continuous trap card. "Impressive. Well, since you want it anyway I produce a Hinotama Soul Token on your field."

The fireball formed, and Inferno nodded at it. "I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Since Nightmare had no deck in her tray her new card materialized in her hand, obviously from her Scorched Lands Deck. "Ah, Hell's White deals me damage…but it does nothing."

She shrugged off the flame, grinning the whole time. "And your two face down cards based on Hell's White are Graveyard of Wandering Souls and Backfire."

The True Sin rubbed her chin, smirking as she did so. "Backfire deals me five hundred points of damage, negated by my trap, when a fire monster such as Hinotama Soul token is destroyed as a result of battle. And Graveyard of Wandering Souls produces a Hinotama Token whenever a monster on your side of the field or in your hand goes to the cemetery. So you've got a double defense."

Inferno growled, not enjoying having her strategy analyzed like it was being. "Just shut up and make your move already!"

Nightmare nodded and a Hinotama Soul Token appeared on her field. "If I kill your Hinotama Soul Token you'll get a Hinotama Token to defend with, meaning I'd need three attacks to hit you directly. So I'll just have to get that now won't I?"

She placed one of the cards in her hand onto her duel disk and a gaunt figure with burnt and charred flesh appeared, one arm nearly falling off. "Scorched Land Denizen (300/400) is my choice. He's weak, but he gives me the opportunity I need. I sacrifice both of my monsters to Nightmare Image!"

The two creatures shattered and a massive hand punched through the ground, and began to pull something out of it. "Before I introduce my beast, when Scorched Land Denizen goes to the graveyard my opponent takes three hundred damage." (ILP: 2600)

As soon as Inferno's life points ticked down the full features of Nightmare's newest monster were revealed. It was a massive spider-like creature with barbs on each of its legs and a maw of dozens of fangs. Riding on its back was a large brutish looking man. "Hellfire Spider Master (1900/1400) is a level seven monster despite its stats…and its going to smash you! Attack!"

The rider punched his mount in the head, and the spider shrieked and lashed out with one of its barbed limbs. The barb stabbed into the Hinotama Soul Token, shattering it. Inferno grimaced and both of her set cards flipped up. "My traps activate, so you take negated damage and I special summon a Hinotama Token (100/100) to the field!"

Nightmare laughed and suddenly the rider pounded his mount again in the head. "With its second attack I'll crush the Hinotama Token!"

Again Inferno's monster was blown apart, and again flames that tried to stab at Nightmare were reduced to nothing by her continuous trap card. "So it's a level seven with such weak stats because it has two attacks?"

"Not quite! It's a level seven because though it must attack each turn, when it does it gets three attacks each battle phase! So now I attack you directly!" Inferno screamed when one of those sharp limbs slashed across her chest, sending her life points spiraling downwards. (ILP: 700)

Nightmare threw back her head and laughed. "It's not quite enough is it, as I bet I know what you plan to do next. However, I remove the pyro monster in your cemetery. And now I end my turn!"

Inferno drew and her body went spastic as it was attacked by the damage effect of Nightmare's field equip card. "You can't beat me…strong though you are, I refuse to lose…" (ILP: 5900)

"That's right, just like I thought you activated the second Dimensional Panacea from your deck. So you gained seventy-eight hundred life points before you took twenty-six hundred damage. Impressive save, but it can't last forever!" Inferno grimaced and looked up to see what card she had now.

Inferno grimaced, seeing only the equip card Hell's Gauntlet. At the moment it was as useless as the rest of her cards. "I gain a Hinotama Soul Token, and then I end my turn."

Nightmare drew from her unseen deck, smiling as she shrugged off the negated damage from Hell's White. "Ah, this will be so very glorious. Especially since beating a True Sin will likely let me take all the power I want to be rid of that little annoyance Mizuki-chan forever!"

She laughed and a Hinotama Soul Token appeared on her field for just a brief second before it faded away. "Nightmare Image lets me sacrifice that token to special summon Mefist the Infernal General (1800/1600), a monster with a trample effect!"

A demon riding a warhorse rode out onto the field, holding a spiked staff in one hand. "Mefist, attack the Hinotama Soul Token!"

The other True Sin grimaced when her monster was cut in half, even as her second line of defense formed. "No…" (ILP: 4600)

"And since Mefist deal you damage, discard a card from your hand at random." A ghostly hand reached out from Inferno's graveyard and snagged Lost Next, pulling it down into the darkness.

"Now, I attack all three times with Hellfire Spider Master! Go and get him!" Three legs launched forward, one punching through the weak Hinotama Token and the next piercing into Inferno's flesh. When they were wrenched free a spray of blood came from each wound, and Inferno fell to her knees, her breathing shallow. (ILP: 800)

Nightmare snickered and snapped her fingers. "Once again I remove your token from the grave. So as I end my turn, your next turn will mean you take twenty-seven hundred damage."

It was just as she had said as Inferno drew, her body draining of almost all of her remaining strength. "From my deck I activate my final Dimensional Panacea, preventing me from losing." (ILP: 6200)

The True Sin sighed at the sight of Tremendous Fire and let her cards dip from her hand. "I…end my turn."

A Hinotama Soul Token formed on her field even as Nightmare started her turn, gaining one of her own. "It looks like this is going to be the end little Inferno! Against my strength yours was nothing! You're going to wish your parents never even thought about sex!"

Inferno looked up weakly, her face drained of all its previous fire and passion. Her eyes were clouded over, and there were tears in the corners of her eyes. "I grew up without knowing my true parents…I'm alone, save for those like me."

"Well then there will be not a single soul to miss you when you're gone! I sacrifice my Hinotama Soul Token and special summon Dark Ruler Hades (2450/1800). And Mefist smashes the token!" Inferno looked away as her monster was cut down. (ILP: 4900)

"Hellfire Spider Master will do just as it did last turn, going double direct after it finishes your last token!" Again Inferno was bloodied by the spider, her body growing going paler. But still, despite death coming closer, she didn't feel cold. She was incapable of it even now. (ILP: 1100)

Nightmare cackled and pointed at Inferno's prostrated form. "One last direct attack and you and Mizuki-chan will be finished forever! I win, little Inferno!"

"MIZUKI!" Nightmare's eyes widened and she spun around. To her surprise Shiro was suddenly standing, looking at her. No…not at her, but rather through her.

"What the hell? Shut up and sit down, you should be frozen still like the rest of these weaklings!" Shiro shook his head, swinging an arm out to his side.

"No, I can't sit still and be silent while I watch Mizuki fade away to be replaced by some freak monstrosity who only cares about making others as miserable as she is! Mizuki, you have to wake up! Don't worry about me, no matter what happens, don't lose to this monster!" From off to the side Frost smiled slightly at Shiro's impetuousness.

_'Even in the face of his own death that boy is willing to stand up for those he cares for. He feels strongly and without restraint. Such a person is admirable in a foolishly endearing sort of way.'_

Nightmare snorted and Shiro gasped when she was suddenly in front of him. She snapped an arm out and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up off the ground. "Little boy, you don't know what you're dealing with! I'm a True Sin, and you can't even comprehend what that means!"

She threw him backwards, causing him to slam into the metal wall. He slid to the ground and coughed up blood. But despite the pain he looked up at her, a quirky smile on his face. "You're right; I don't know what I'm dealing with. But I know that I prefer Mizuki to you. So get the hell out of here and let Mizuki wake up!"

"Wake up Mitsuhiro-chan!" Nightmare jerked her head around, finding herself looking up into the audience where Sanzo was standing, looking down at her.

"Shut the hell up!" She was startled when the girl sitting next to Sanzo also jumped up, this one waving a flag around.

"Wake up Mizuki-sama! You're number one!" Nightmare snarled and began to gather her power to blast them both.

"You have to wake up Mizuki!" Enzeru jumped to his feet, his heart filled with dread at the power flowing off of Nightmare, but still he stood.

Kaoru followed him to her feet, looking directly at and through Nightmare. "Mizuki, you must wake up. You can't let this demonic creature control you and fill your heart with darkness!"

There was a sound of clothe rustling and Harrison stood, his trench coat flaring out behind him. "Rise up Rising Star! Rise and awaken yourself to the truth! Rise up and beat down the darkness!"

Nightmare screamed, grabbing at her head in pain. "Shut up all of you! Shut up!"

Her power threw all of them backwards as she screamed even louder, the sound piercing into their minds. Even though she was being forced back by the power, Frost smiled slightly and whispered. "Wake up, Mizuki Mitsuhiro. Now isn't the time to fall into shadow and flame."

Despite the pain, Shiro pushed himself off the wall and smiled at Nightmare, whose eyes were suddenly green. "Wake up Mizuki, come back to us. We can't go on without you."

The True Sin threw her head back and screamed, a blast of silver light erupting from her eyes and her mouth. "I'll return when she's weakest, I won't be gone long! And I'll leave you a parting gift, by using Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Nightmare Image, shattering my entire field!"

Her dark body shattered, tinkling to the ground like so much glass. And as Mizuki fell to her hands and knees the grey color that had dominated the room faded, letting everyone become active again and see the duel. "I…I'm back?"

Shiro smiled at Mizuki and gave her a small salute. "Welcome back, Mizuki."

Inferno looked weakling at Mizuki. "You're back, but with your field destroyed, in your next turn you'll lose the duel. Nightmare was too strong for me to beat, but you're too weak for me to lose to!"

Mizuki slowly rose to her feet and took a deep breath. "No, what you were fighting before was me weakened by insecurity. I'll show you that my real power with the support of those who care about me and those I care about is beyond things like weak or strong. It's simply who I am!"

She looked down at her hand and held up one of the cards there. "By discarding Court of Shattered Dreams and the rest of my hand I can shuffle as many cards in my cemetery as I want back into my deck. Then I draw one card."

Without looking at those that remained Mizuki discard Nightmare's leftover cards and took her discarded deck and shuffled it together, then replaced it. Then she drew. Inferno sneered. "You're too weak I say! Even if you can beat me now, how would it matter? Without Nightmare you wouldn't have made it this far!"

To Inferno's surprise Mizuki smiled and held up her drawn card. "I activate the magic card Tenth Hour. This card returns the entire duel back to the tenth turn in all ways. Deck, grave, removed from play pile, fields, and even life points!"

There was a flash of light and suddenly Inferno's field was filled with five Infernos, each at twenty-six hundred attack points. They were within the Inferno Paradise, and she had one card face down. "You…even restored my energy? How can you beat me now though?" (ILP: 14,400) (MLP: 900)

Mizuki smiled and placed two fingers on the top card of her deck. "I'm going to prove to you that I can defeat you on my own power. And if you remember correctly, before Nightmare took over it was the start of the tenth turn and I was going to top-deck. So let me do that now!"

She drew and her smile broadened. "I activate Rune Symbol-Dagaz! I shuffle my hand, deck, and cemetery back into my deck and draw a brand new hand of five cards!"

Five cards left her deck quickly, giving her a brand new start. Inferno rolled her eyes. "So what? Now that we're back to this situation you can't win one way or the other!"

Mizuki smirked and winked at Inferno. "I've got three words for you Miharu Kanzaki."

"And those would be?" Mizuki grinned and began to speak.

"One…" Inferno and Frost's eyes widened.

"Turn…" Saint leaned closer to the window, looking desperately eager to see what would happen.

"Kill!" Mizuki slammed one of her cards into her duel disk, and it appeared face-up.

Inferno growled. "Don't make ridiculous claims like that! I've got fourteen thousand life points, you can't one turn kill me!"

Ignoring the True Sin completely Mizuki declared the activation of her card. "Merkstave allows me to activate Rune Symbols with their reverse effect if I so choose. And now, I activate the reverse effect of Rune Symbol-Kenaz, which deals you eight hundred damage!"

A white blast of light hit Inferno, which the girl just shrugged off. "Ooo, eight hundred damage. You can't finish me off that way!" (ILP: 13,600)

Mizuki held up a third card and continued to smile. "Rune Symbol-Othala, on activation goes to the cemetery. Once it does I shuffle my cemetery, which means little since I've only got two cards."

Inferno rolled her eyes. "So you shuffled your grave? What does it matter?"

"After I've shuffled my cemetery Othala allows me to draw the top two cards of my cemetery!" At this declaration Inferno's eyes widened with realization. She seemed frozen in place as Mizuki's grave spat out two cards.

"You see it now don't you? My graveyard contains only two cards, Othala and Kenaz! Which means I've got myself an infinite loop! So feel my power Miharu Kanzaki, the True Sin of Fire Inferno! Infinite Loop, start!" Inferno gasped as she was engulfed in a pillar of white light, hit with infinite instances of damage. (ILP: 0)

When the field faded away, the entire audience erupted into cheers. Even though they were confused as to why it had turned out this way, they still knew that Mizuki had one turn killed her opponent with an infinite loop. And Inferno couldn't get over it. "I…lost?"

Shiro ran and jumped onto the arena, grabbed Mizuki and swung her around, laughing with delight. "You won! You won the whole tournament!"

Mizuki grinned, realizing with a start that Shiro was right. She had won the entire Rank-Farming Tournament. Everyone was applauding her; she could even see Harrison applauding. "I really did win, didn't I?"

Frost stood up and clapped, meeting Mizuki's eyes. Mizuki's grin faded and she tapped Shiro on the shoulder, getting Shiro to release her. "It's not over yet Shiro. There's something I have to take care of."

Even as she walked towards Frost the principal was shouting out his declaration. "Winner of the Rank-FarmingTournament, Duelist Academy's Rising Star, the fifth ranked duelist in the school, Mizuki Mitsuhiro!"

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Author's Note: For those of you who have enjoyed my original plotlines and my stories overall, this author's note is for you. Coming within the next month on my first online published original story, a story in the anime style, begins. Look for it soon, under the title Antichrist Gospel!

_Next Time: With the Rank-Farming Tournament at an end Mizuki confronts Frost and Inferno. The two True Sins have questions of their own for Mizuki, and the Rising Star discovers that mutual answers between the three of them reveal some startling truths. Just what is the nature of a sin?_

_See it all in, Dark Nature of the Sin!_


	56. Dark Nature of the Sin

Author's Note: This chapter is primarily dialogue. There is no duel in this chapter.

**Chapter Fifty-Six: Dark Nature of the Sin**

Saint stood up from his seat and turned for the door. "Well, that was most certainly educational. The level of power I have seen from these True Sins is quite great. I will require time to analyze it."

Pride frowned, looking between his leader and the window. "Sir, didn't you want to watch and see what goes on between those two and Hope at this point?"

The German man waved his hand as if brushing an insect away. "Sloth's ability comes in handy at times like these. He'll report back to me as soon as they are finished."

He opened the door and began walking down the hallway, a warm smile on his face as he walked. _'Hope, Justice, Temperance, Fortitude, Charity, and Faith…these Virtues have been revealed to me. Which amongst those left in this place is Prudence?'_

It came as no surprise to him when Envy suddenly appeared walking at his side, looking up at him with a grin on her face. "Saint Sir, now that the tournament has come to an end, can I make my move?"

Again he waved it off casually, still smiling. "Most certainly dear. Carry out your plan, as long as it does not interfere with my own."

Envy stopped walking and grinned, even as Greed stepped up beside her. "Kane Yukio, I'll begin your destruction soon enough."

Greed patted her shoulder, watching Saint leave them behind. "With this debacle over, I feel like its time for me to make my move. I know the weaknesses of Hope and know not to provoke her enough to unleash that True Sin. Soon it'll be my turn to squash her under heel."

Suddenly he slammed his fist into the wall of the hallway, causing Envy to jump. "Damn that Saint…I'll show him what comes of doing this…"

His female companion blinked and looked up at him with big eyes. "What are you talking about? What's Saint done that's got you so irritated?"

He looked down at her, his eyes shaking from the intensity of his gaze. "Outside of the obvious, I'd say its how he's getting ready to throw us to the wind. Cast us aside for these Seven Virtues…and for the True Sins. That bastard, he's treating us as disposable trash, like we were mundanes!"

"You don't really think he'll abandon us in favor of those guys and those freaky girls do you? We're his seven loyal retainers, his most trusted allies. Why would Saint do that to us?" A cocky chuckle reached their ears and both turned, finding the purple haired Pride approaching them.

"If only I had the liberty of being as ultimately naïve as you Envy. All Seven of us since the very beginning have been disposable. If you knew the nature of Saint's character you'd understand that to him, we're exactly the kind of thing he doesn't want around. So he'll use us up and then brush us aside in favor of his newer, cleaner allies. No…not allies, servants." Envy gulped, feeling the combination of the two intense gazes on her.

"So, if you've known this all along, how come you still follow Saint? If you're so certain that he's going to do it like you say, then why not just leave?" Pride chuckled, and Greed gave the other teen a nod of the head.

Greed raised his right hand and opened it, causing it to glow gold briefly. "You think we follow Saint with no brains in our heads like you? We know what we'll get out of this. After all, I have no intent of following him forever. Why else would I be after Hope right now?"

Pride brushed his hand through his locks of purple hair, smirking as he tossed them aside. "Greed is correct. What you have to wonder about my interaction with Saint, who views me as his most loyal servant, is this. Who is using whom?"

He walked past the two, still smirking. "When Saint's usefulness to me is ended, when my strength has surpassed his, then I'll cast him aside like he intends to do with us. Bide your time Envy, and decide sooner rather than later which side in this little skirmish you want to be on, mine or Saint's?"

Greed followed the purple haired teen out, leaving Envy alone in the hallway. She looked down at her hands, and then grinned like crazy. "That sort of conviction and confidence…it makes me insanely jealous…and the more jealous I get…the stronger I am!"

Her head lifted up and circles of green appeared in her eyes. She chuckled as the lights around her flickered. "Watch your back Pride, or you'll find yourself whimpering in despair at my feet, just like Saint will be."

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The crowds had departed, the tournament was over. And now the entire group was gathered in Mizuki's room, all of them focused on the two girls who had caused such a stir during the tournament. The True Sins, Frost and Inferno.

Shiro grinned down at the red headed girl, who looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "You know, the only thing sinful about you I see is your body. Its sinfully good looking. Few girls I've met have bodies that good."

From the side Mizuki's left eye twitched, her hands on her hips squeezing. "He never stops…"

Chizuma, sitting on the bed behind Mizuki, leaned in and draped herself over the older girl's back. "Its okay Mizuki-sama, you've got just as good if not a better body than that Miharu."

Mizuki sighed and lowered her head. "Somehow that doesn't make me feel better…"

Shiro winked at Miharu, who continued to stare up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. "Considering that you look like that, and I look as great as I do, what do you say we go out some time?"

Miharu opened her eyes fully and then sighed. "You realize I'm fourteen, right?"

The green-haired boy's eyes widened marginally, and then Kohana nodded from where she was sitting, legs crossed over each other. "That's correct. We had to forge birth records that showed her age as fifteen in order for her to take the entrance exam."

Shiro gulped, and all eyes in the room suddenly focused on him. "Yeah but…you turn fifteen soon right? It was just a minor fudge so you could get it?"

Miharu grinned sadistically. "Nope, I turned fourteen last month."

Shiro grabbed his head between his hands and stumbled away, looking pained. "I…I was hitting on a junior high girl…the world is unfair!"

Chizuma sat back and rubbed her chin, nodding in understanding as she did so. "Ah, so that's it, girls with special powers must develop in a more superior manner to normal girls. That's why someone basically thirteen can have such a little body but such big breasts, like Mizuki-sama."

Mizuki turned bright red, and Miharu quirked an eyebrow at the doll faced girl. Slowly Mizuki looked down at herself, and then covered herself with her arms. "They're not that big…"

From the rolling chair he was seated in Sanzo coughed politely into his hand. "I believe there are other, more important matters to discuss outside of breasts."

He blinked and looked up when Shiro's finger was suddenly pointed right in his face. When he saw the younger teen's face he blanched. Shiro's face was a thing of divine fury. "More important matters? I declare this blasphemy! There is no such thing!"

Shiro stepped back and brought his hand to his chest, sparkles filling the air around him. "You see, the world without cute girls with nice legs, firm butts, and big breasts would be a world filled with despair. Thus in order to give us poor mortals hope, the great God up above gave the world such things so that we might love them, and love him for them!"

Again Chizuma nodded; chin in hand like a detective. "Ah, so that's it. That makes more sense then what those church people preach. So does that mean it's rude not to like such things then?"

To her surprise Shiro was suddenly at her side, pulling her up into a standing position with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. He made a sweeping gesture with his free hand, encompassing the room with it. "That's absolutely correct! We have to praise God and enjoy his bountiful creations. If he wasn't a kind and loving god would this room hold such beauties as Mizuki, Miharu, you, Kohana, and Kaoru?"

Chizuma's eyes sparkled with delight. "You're right! It's a blessing from up above."

Kaoru frowned. "Somehow I feel insulted at being listed last…"

Sanzo jumped to his feet at this point and slammed a foot against the ground. "Okay! Everyone talking about breasts, outside! Everybody else, stay here!"

The sparkles died out around Shiro and Chizuma, and the two slinked back to their seats. From a corner of the room where he was leaning against a wall with his eyes closed Harrison grimaced, his left eye twitching. _'Virtues? They're filthy minded idiots…'_

Kane scratched his cheek as he looked at a pouting Chizuma. _'Wait…so is she…'_

Before he even finished the though his brother slapped the back of his head. "Don't finish that train of thought. Keep focused on the matter at hand."

A chill suddenly went through the room, and all eyes moved to Kohana. When she saw that she had their attention the room returned to is original temperature. "Now that we have moved on, I would like to begin. I had originally only intended to speak with Mizuki Mitsuhiro, however if she so wishes the rest of you may stay."

Instinctively everyone else moved back, letting Mizuki stand directly in front of the two girls sitting on her bed. "Okay, let's start with the basics then. I want to know who you two really are."

First the blue haired girl spoke. "My name is Frost; I have no official birth name. The name Kohana Meisuko was given to me through false birth records created before I took the entrance exam last year. You may consider my name to be either Frost or Kohana, the choice is yours."

Miharu grinned and leaned back, planting her hands on her knees. "Like she said, I'm Inferno and my fake name is Miharu Kanzaki. I'm fourteen, not that we hadn't already addressed that, and my hobbies are Duel Monsters and burning stuff."

Mizuki frowned, somehow feeling odd about their introductions. "Miharu, Kohana…why don't you two have birth records?"

The two girls exchanged looks, and Kohana spoke. "Inferno and I have lived on a special settlement for as long as we can remember. We were raised there against those of our own kind, far separate from the world of the mundanes."

"Mundanes? And what do you mean your 'own kind'?" Kohana stayed silent for a moment, and then pointed at Kane, who jerked back in surprise.

"He is a mundane. A normal human being with no supernatural capabilities. Those who are not mundanes have gone by many names in many cultures. Metahumans, super humans, and espers. However, those of us who live on the colony are referred to by the term 'True Sin'." She closed her eyes and the room chilled. Suddenly the left edge bed post began to cover over with ice.

"I have the capability to slow down the molecular motion of water molecules in the atmosphere, allowing me to freeze whatever I so choose. Thusly the father chose my name Frost when I was six years old, the first time at which a True Sin demonstrates their powers. Before that I was known as Innocent 53." Miharu smirked and extended her hand towards the bed post, and flames leapt from her palm, melting the ice.

"And when I was six I showed the power to excite oxygen surrounding me or something like that. Basically I can make fire out of thin air and super heat it by concentrating my energy. Up until that day my name was Innocent 76." Mizuki looked back at the rest of the group, but they were silent, watching and waiting for her to make the next move.

"I see. There are a lot of questions I could ask, but I want to know what makes you True Sins and what makes us Virtues and Saint's groupies Sins. I don't understand the differences." Miharu shrugged and dropped back onto the bed, her arms behind her bed.

"I dunno about Virtues, as far as the mother and the father taught us there isn't any such thing as a Virtue. And I suck at explaining what we are and what Sins are, so Frost can do it." The blue haired girl smiled in response to her younger companion's reaction.

"I too know nothing of a Virtue. However, I can explain the nature of a Sin and a True Sin. Before I can do so, I would like to ask you a question Mizuki Mitsuhiro. What do you know about the Xanadu?" The room grew cold, and this time it wasn't at all caused by Frost's power.

"The Xanadu Equation? We dealt with somebody wanting it not long back, but from what I know its just a rumored equation my father supposedly created that if used right lets you use the power of a Punishment Game to produce whatever you want." Kohana sighed, closing her eyes.

"You misunderstood my question. I was not asking what you knew of the Xanadu Equation, but rather what you knew about the Xanadu itself. Incidentally your answer was sufficient to allow me to garner the level of your knowledge about the Xanadu. It is zero." Mizuki felt a pulse inside herself, something inexplicable that was beyond her reasoning capabilities.

"You're saying that there's a difference between the two? There's actually something called the Xanadu?" Frost nodded, but then paused as if considering how to proceed.

"I am not allowed to share information about the Xanadu with those not of the colony, suffice it to say though that the difference between a Sin and a True Sin is their origin." Frost held up one hand and a ball of blue ice formed floating above it.

"Imagine that this object generates a cold aura that is below zero degrees. A temperature great enough that nearby objects begin to freeze when introduced to its vicinity." She held up a Duel Monsters card a few inches away from the sphere of ice, and frost formed at the edges of the card.

She pulled the card away and the frost faded, letting her tuck the card back into her blazer. "That card you just witnessed is a Sin. The Xanadu, represented by this sphere, leaks out power that when a mundane encounters it, they are affected."

Mizuki rubbed her chin, looking deep in thought. "So a Sin is someone who gained power from this mysterious Xanadu by coming within its area of influence. Most likely that means their level of power is limited, and probably means they can run themselves dry without contact with the source of that power."

Frost smiled slightly. "Excellently surmised Mizuki Mitsuhiro. That is correct; a Sin's power is limited based on its level of contact with the Xanadu's influence. A Sin is a being who is almost cursed with that limited supernatural power, setting them above a mundane. However…this is what a True Sin is."

She raised her free left hand and pointed at the sphere of ice. Suddenly a crack went along it and a small chunk about the size of one of her fingers broke off. Then almost immediately the sphere replenished itself and actually increased in size. "This shard of ice is a True Sin. A fragment of the Xanadu itself. How this occurs even we True Sins are unsure."

"So since a True Sin has power that comes directly from the Xanadu and not as a result of interaction, their power has no limit and is by nature significantly greater than a Sin's then?" Again Frost nodded, and when she dropped her hand Inferno snapped her arm out and vaporized the ball of ice before it hit the ground.

For the first time since the awkward conversation had ended one of the group other than Mizuki spoke. It was Sanzo, who had his brow furrowed in thought. "There are a couple things you said that are nagging at my brain. You said that you were called Innocent 53, right? Why is that?"

Before Frost even finished opening her mouth Inferno had sat up and grinned at the Hero Saint. "I'd have thought that was obvious to somebody like you. But since we're called True Sins once our powers are revealed, before that point we're known as Innocents. Get it?"

This time it was Sanzo who was cut off before he could speak, and this time it was Frost doing the cutting off. "I believe what Sanzo Uzumaki was actually asking was why the numbers."

Sanzo snapped his mouth shut, and then nodded. Frost smiled slightly at Inferno, who pouted and turned away. "Sanzo Uzumaki, each Innocent is given a number based on their time of entry into the colony. In other words, I was the fifty-third Innocent to be introduced to the colony."

"So…how many of you are there?" Frost turned to look at Shiro, who wilted momentarily under her cold gaze before he bolstered himself and regained his confidence.

"The most recent Innocent admitted into the colony was Innocent 374. Currently the earliest numbered Innocent is 156. So there are roughly one hundred and fifty True Sins at the colony, including Inferno and myself. I believe that answers your question, does it not?" Shiro nodded and gulped, trying to figure out just what that meant.

From his corner Harrison had a hard time controlling his eagerness and anger. _'One hundred and fifty beings all of whom have at least near the level of power that these two have, with more than twice that number with that potential level of ability. I have to see it for myself.'_

Frost ignored the myriad of gasps and looks of shock she was given at the discovery that the number was that high. Instead she turned back to focus on Sanzo. "You said that there were two items that warranted your attention. What was the second?"

Sanzo took a deep breath, and then began. "Earlier when you were speaking about your time at the colony you mentioned parents. However, it's the way you referred to them that was bothering me. You specifically said 'the mother' and 'the father', rather than 'father' and 'mother'. Why is that?"

"Because they have no parents that they know of, and the mother and the father act as their only guiding force. Their caretakers, the only parents they have ever had." The gang looked over to Mizuki, who was staring at the wall with a frown on her face.

Frost herself frowned, and then looked away from Mizuki and swept her cold gaze around the room. "Everyone must leave now; Inferno and I must discuss certain things alone with Mizuki Mitsuhiro."

Shiro planted his hands on his knees and leaned in. "Now hold on just a moment, we're as much a part of this as she is, you can't kick us out."

"Please leave. This is something only I can be here for." Shiro turned to look at Mizuki, whose eyes were focused but seemed sad. Slowly he nodded and went for the door. Moments later everyone else began to follow.

As everyone had just about filed out the door Kane stopped in the doorway and turned back. "Frost, how would the effects of a Sin's powers be reversed?"

The blue haired girl tapped her chin for a few seconds before responding. "Theoretically any long-term effect created by a Sin would vanish when their inner source of power was depleted. This could happen in a number of ways, ranging from pure power overuse to death. Why do you ask?"

Kane frowned, and then shook his head. "No reason. Thanks."

When the door closed Mizuki stood and closed her eyes. The air around them shimmered, and even Frost and Inferno were surprised when the room faded away. "We can talk privately here."

Inferno stopped herself just short of falling onto her butt when there was no longer a bed beneath her. When she caught herself she started looking around. "You started a Darkness Game? Why?"

Mizuki shook her head and took a deep breath. "I didn't start a Darkness Game; I just brought us here to the place where they occur. It's the only place I could think of that we'd be able to go unheard. I didn't want any eavesdropping going on."

Frost frowned as she examined the darkness. "Perhaps that was your intent, but it seems highly illogical to summon us to this realm considering the strain on the body and soul that this place creates."

The green-eyed girl sighed and shrugged. "I guess its just easy for me to bring this place out now that I know how, and when I focus to bring it out there aren't any weird effects on me. In fact, I kind of feel at peace here. Ever since I learned I could do it, I've started coming here more often, just to unwind."

The two True Sins shared a worried look, each of them thinking along a similar vein. Inferno grimaced, feeling the dark power beating in around her and forcing her to push back. _'I don't know what this girl is to feel at peace in a place like this, but this is stronger than most Darkness Games I've been in. I hope Frost has some idea how this girl can fix our problem, because she weirds me out.'_

After a moment's pause Frost began to speak. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro, it is time I explain why Inferno and I came to this academy with forged birth records. We were sent by the father in order to investigate you."

Mizuki sighed and sat back, the darkness beneath her automatically reaching up and forming into a seat to catch her. Inferno grimaced at the sight. "I was worried it was something like that. Why?"

"Shiro Akugi perceived earlier that Inferno appeared older than she actually was. I am also younger than I appear, being fifteen. It will take a degree of time to explain this situation in full, however I will do so." Mizuki closed her eyes and when she opened them the darkness around them rippled, though she seemed unaware of it.

"True Sins age differently don't they? Your physical bodies are aging faster than they should, and that's making all of you worried." Once more Frost and Inferno exchanged worried glances. When Inferno opened her mouth to speak she was quickly silenced by a motion of the hand by Frost.

"That is primarily accurate, although you failed to see one point. You see, True Sins aging does not seem to follow any normal course of nature. The speed or deceleration of a True Sin's aging process increases during the teenage years, and seems to be based on the level of strength said True Sin possesses." She gestured to Inferno and back to herself.

"True Sins such as Inferno and I have very battle oriented capabilities, and our level of power is quite high. It has continued growing, and our growth has increased in the past few years. By the time we are eighteen our powers will have reached their maximum level…as will the rate of our accelerated physical growth." Frost took a deep breath, mist forming from it, and then she continued.

"Based on the level of our powers and the potential level we might reach, by the time we are eighteen it is possible that Inferno and I will appear to be roughly thirty years of age. And by the age of twenty-one we will appear to be approximately fifty years of age." Inferno snarled, flames flickering around her as she thought about it.

"It means we could be in the prime of our lives but be old ruins anyways! We could be twenty-eight and rotting corpses that look like grandmas!" Frost placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder, and she calmed slightly.

"As Inferno has implied, the potential risk for an early death by True Sins is quite high. We have also seen that decelerated physical growth causes a negative effect on the mentality of a True Sin, creating a being as close to immortal as possible, but who either develops insanity or is socially or mentally handicapped." Mizuki's face was dead set as she listened, but she could hear her heart pounding in her chest. A slow steady thump.

"That is why we were assigned here. In the past six years we have had twenty-seven incidents of True Sins with decelerated growth becoming violently insane. An additional sixteen have been shown to be severely mentally handicapped, making them dangerous as they still possess the same level of power." Suddenly Frost clapped her hands together and a sheet of ice formed, changing and shaping itself until it appeared that there were several small female figures on a flat plane of ice.

"Three years ago we finally saw signs that those with accelerated growth also begin to have a mental breakdown. However, in this case since mental growth has not been slowed the decay is purely psychological or neurological. In other words, fully adult True Sins with full command of their powers were beginning to go insane. And then disaster struck." As Mizuki watched the ice formed into a series of blades which shot out, skewering the girls standing there, shattering them. Then a male figure appeared, head back as if laughing.

"One of our own, a True Sin named Vortex went insane with little warning. He had shown slight signs of mental degradation, but then struck without provocation. Before he was stopped and killed he killed three other True Sins and sixteen Innocents. The father and the mother deigned to give him a new title." A bolt of fire leapt out from Inferno's hand and shattered the block of ice with the false image of Vortex on it.

She snarled, her hand wreathed in flame. "That bastard killed one of my best friends, and he deserved to die. Deserved to gain that title. He's the one…the first of them, the ones even we are starting to fear. The first Atrocity."

Mizuki gulped, beginning to wonder just how she had ever beaten this powerful and violent girl. "What does any of this have to do with me?"

Frost cast a look at Inferno, who growled and then sat down cross-legged. "The father assigned me to investigate one Mizuki Mitsuhiro at Duelist Academy, stating that when the time came I would know to come to you for aid with our problem. A year later, after the incident with Tobias Emerlo I was sent back-up in the form of Inferno."

"What makes this guy think that I can help out with your problem? I didn't even know anything about any of you people until a little while ago. And I've got almost no power." Inferno snorted, and Mizuki blinked in surprise.

Frost sighed and stepped up so that she was standing directly in front of Mizuki's seated form. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro, if my power at full blast is a glacier the size of the Obelisk Blue girls dorm, then the power that rests beneath the surface of your body and soul is the easily greater than the size of this entire island."

Mizuki jerked back and shook her head. "But that's impossible; I don't have that level of power. Nightmare is the one you're looking for; she's a True Sin after all!"

Inferno snorted again and flicked a fireball into the air with one finger. "Don't be stupid. I felt that woman's power. If we used the dorm comparison, then Nightmare's level of power is probably about twice that size. Probably even fighting together Frost and I couldn't beat her."

"But…how could a power I don't even know about be so great? I mean, if Nightmare is about twice as powerful as you two, then how could I be so strong? I don't even know anything about this sort of thing." Frost suddenly planted one hand on each side of Mizuki's head, leaning in close so that her eyes were completely level with the older girl's.

"Mizuki Mitsuhiro, if your fears and imagination was capable of creating a beast of such terrible power as Nightmare, then why do you disbelieve me? After all, where do you think Nightmare's power came from?" Mizuki's hands shook, her eyes quivered, and her breath came in ragged pants.

"But…but…you're saying that with my power…you think that I can help you all? I don't know what any of this is about, Nightmare's a True Sin with lots of power…even if she's a figment of my imagination she's the one who knows stuff about you guys, she said so herself. Talk to her…not me, she's the True Sin!" Frost pulled back and placed her hands on her hips, now once again looming over Mizuki.

"Perhaps your fear holds you back from understanding, so I shall explain. If Nightmare is a figment of your imagination then everything she knows comes from you, so all that she knows is hidden within you somewhere. Ergo, Nightmare is a True Sin because you are as well." The darkness around them pulsed and then shook violently.

Mizuki stared up at Frost, her eyes wider than should be possible. "What…what did you say?"

Frost sighed and spoke again. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro, you are a True Sin."

The dark haired girl screamed and the darkness shattered, depositing them back in Miizuki's room. She slumped to the ground, passed out. The two girls exchanged looks, and then focused their attention on the unconscious girl below them.

Inferno grimaced at seeing Mizuki passed out that way. "She took that pretty hard. Do you think she'll be able to help us if she can harness that unfathomable power?"

Frost's face was blank as she replied. "She must. At the moment Mizuki Mitsuhiro is our one and only hope of salvation."

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Saint leaned back in his seat, folding his hands together in his lap as he reviewed the images being shown to him. "Who is using whom indeed…quite the question Pride. Although, you made one mistake in your assumptions. You believed yourself to the Sin I view as my most loyal."

He smiled down at the figure curled up in a fetal position at his feet, which seemed to be snoring gently. "Yet all along that was you, my oldest and most faithful companion. As long as you are here Sloth, I need not worry about betrayal."

His smile warmed even further as the image changed to show Frost and Inferno in the room with Mizuki and her friends. "An entire colony of True Sins. If I can garner the location of such a thing, then I could have the beginnings of success. With their might and the power of Hope at my side, my envisioned world can be born."

Slowly his smile became almost too radiant for the room, and Sloth at his feet stirred. "Become engulfed in darkness Miss Mitsuhiro so that I might purify you and have you stand at my side. You are the world's one and only hope of salvation."

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Author's Note: Even though it isn't numerically there, I consider this chapter the end of the first half of this arc, which I have dubbed 'Virtues of Sinning'.

_Next Time: Spurred on by his new knowledge provided by Frost Kane makes a decision to save his sister. He will challenge Envy in order to return his sister to normal. But such a rash decision just might be the last one he ever makes, as Envy intended to duel him all along._

_See it all in, VS Envy; Kane's Desperation!_


	57. VS Envy Kane's Desperation!

Author's Note: Let the second half of the second arc begin!

**Chapter Fifty-Seven: VS Envy; Kane's Desperation!**

Kane Yukio fanned out the deck that he held in his hands, his palms sweaty and his eyes narrowed to pinpoints. "My true deck, the deck that I've been working on for so long. You're the only thing I've got with the power to fight back against my opponent. Please, help me."

With a deep breath he snapped the cards together and shoved them into his pocket. Then he crept out of his bed, being quiet so that he didn't wake his roommate. _'I'm sorry Enzeru, I'm sorry Shiro…I can't let anybody know about this. I have to do it on my own.'_

He slipped out the window, landing quietly in the grass and began to run as fast as he could. The more distance he put between himself and the Osiris Red dorm the more time he would have if it was discovered he was missing. _'Aya, I'm coming to rescue you!'_

Kane's feet pounded against the grass for what seemed like hours until he reached a small lake deep in the heart of the island. When he reached there he stopped, hands on his knees, panting from breath.

"So you really did come. I was starting to think that this challenge was a load of bull." Kane lifted his head and locked eyes with the smiling average looking short girl standing opposite him. It was Kara York, dressed in her grey uniform, the Sin known as Envy.

Envy smiled smugly and raised her left arm, revealing the forest green duel disk attached to it. "Whenever you're ready second Yukio sibling. It should be fun to smash you completely."

Kane straightened himself and also triggered his own duel disk. "I'm not going to lose, and if I win the duel, I want you to release your power's hold on my sister!"

The plain looking girl quirked an eyebrow at him, smirking. "Oh, is that so? I suppose we'll have to see if you're capable of defeating me. But I must admit, your confidence and love of your sibling is starting to make me jealous. And you won't like me, when I'm jealous."

Grimacing Kane reached for his deck and drew. "I'll go first since I've got at least a semblance of honor! And I'm going to teach you a lesson with my full power and my real deck! I'll start things off with Crescent Swordsman LV4 (1600/1500)!"

Envy raised one of her eyebrows, surprised to see a woman dressed in monk's clothing do a series of flips onto the field. Whens he came to a rest he lifted up a giant curved sword and pointed it at Envy. "Well it's got a big sword, but that's not going to surpass the beauty of my monsters."

"I'll show you that the power of my monsters to evolve and grow stronger will surpass beauty and even jealousy! I place a single card face down and end my turn!" Envy shrugged and drew, looking almost bored as she did so.

"Let's begin with the beautiful affair! Come on out and dance for us my beautiful Geisha Dancer- Maya (1700/1000)!" A beautiful woman with a painted white face moved out onto the field, moving sinuously with her wide sleeved kimono making the movements seem even more graceful.

"And the effect of Maya activates when she's summoned. One monster on the opponent's field is returned to the controller's hand! So goodbye ugly swordsman." Kane glowered as his first monster shimmered and faded from view, popping off his duel disk.

Envy batted her eyes at Kane, who rolled his in return. "Against you second Yukio; I don't even need my Aura of Envy yet. I activate Geisha Technique-Dance of Distraction! One Geisha on my field loses one thousand attack points for the turn, but can attack without chain. Go!"

Several female Geisha appeared on the field and moved forwards, dancing just like Maya had. However, they circled around his set card, keeping it from activating. Then Maya practically glided across the grass and gently kissed Kane's forehead. "She's a sweetheart isn't she Yukio?" (KLP: 3300)

Kane batted at the Geishas, all of whom faded to dust as they were no longer needed. "Shut up and get on with your turn."

"So stubborn and angry. Fine, I set one card face down and end. It's not like you'll be a challenge to me anyways. Your sister was the stronger one, and she couldn't even touch me when I started with a quarter my normal life points." The Yukio growled and drew, returning him to six cards in hand.

"I'll show you that when it comes to a Yukio, we're all at our strongest when we're defending our family! Come back out Crescent Swordsman LV4 (1600/1500)!" The monster from before reappeared, but Envy simply rolled her eyes.

"Maya regained her attacks points remember? Your swordsman is too weak to defeat her." Kane nodded knowingly, and then snapped his arm up and pointed at the Geisha.

"Crescent Swordsman, attack Maya and activate your special effect!" The female swordsman charged the Geisha and swung her long curved blade. Envy rolled her eyes, until the sword cleaved right through the Geisha. (ELP: 3500)

"What the heck was that? My monster was one hundred points stronger!" Kane motioned to his Crescent Swordsman, which shouldered its long sharp blade.

"This monster is deadlier than it appears. When it attacks another monster automatically it applies each monster's weakest stat to the battle. Meaning when Crescent Swordsman attacked its attack became fifteen hundred and Maya's become one thousand!" Envy narrowed her eyes at the youngest Yukio triplet, and then slowly she sneered.

"Maybe I underestimated you. In two turns I'll activate the Aura of Envy, and then this duel will begin to spiral out of control for you. Prepare for it, because otherwise I won't enjoy this duel at all." Kane scowled and slid a card into his disk, setting it directly to the right of his first one.

"I end my turn, and at this time Crescent Swordsman LV4's special ability activates! Since it destroyed a monster in battle it now evolves, leveling up into a more powerful form!" The female monk swordsman was covered by a bright white light, and Kane stood calmly behind her as she changed.

What formed from the light was a taller and more mature looking female monk. Her monk's garb was also slightly faded, though her sword was now a silvery sheen. "Meet her second form, Crescent Swordsman LV6 (2500/1200)!"

Envy slashed a card off her deck and smirked. "You know, a challenge to a duel in the dead of night is kind of odd, especially if you consider that I took your sister apart with ease. Guess you're the stupidest triplet."

Kane shook his head vehemently. "It's not a matter of brains or even of strength. It's a matter of desire here! Enzeru has always been the strongest and the smartest; the perfect older brother even though he's just ten minutes my elder."

He closed his eyes, and felt as if he was seeing Enzeru standing behind him looking down at him with a smile, arms folded over his chest. "Aya was the medium between us. Average intelligence, calm attitude but not as calm as Enzeru. She had her silly and wild side, but not as much as I do. You could say that she was the heart of the Yukio triplets."

Envy raised one eyebrow, holding her card casually in her right hand. "The heart of the Yukio triplets? What kind of nonsense is this?"

Her opponent snapped his eyes open, even as in his own mind his blonde sister stood behind him, smiling as well. "You've taken out our heart, so I'm going to get it back! I may not be the smartest or the strongest, but if Aya is the heart and Enzeru is the brain, then I know what I want to be for this family!"

He was interrupted when Envy's set card lifted up. "Save your stupid speeches for someone who cares, it's my turn now! And I activate my set trap card, Farewell Imagination! First, I remove one monster in my cemetery from the game."

She caught Maya as the card was spat out of her cemetery. "Then I register the level of that monster, in this case level four. Once I've done that I can remove one monster in my hand from the game as well."

Using two fingers she held up her drawn card, showing that it was a level four monster. "And by registering that monster's level I create from the imagination of those lost a much stronger foe for you. A monster is now special summoned from my deck whose level is equal to the removed monsters. In this case, that's a level eight creature!"

A wave of flower petals floated over one of her monster zones. Slowly the petals drifted away, revealing a shockingly beautiful woman with a painted white face and an elaborate kimono of gold. "Heaven's Geisha- Katsuragi (1200/1200)!"

When he saw the monster's stats Kane blinked in surprise. "What? I thought you said it was a level eight, but it's weaker than our old monsters."

"Weaker in stats maybe, but Katsuragi's effect makes up for that weakness. I select one monster on the opponent's field, and my monster's attack and defense points increase by that creature's. My choice of monster is obvious!" Kane gulped when the beautiful Geisha's attack points shot up to thirty-seven hundred and her defense to twenty-four hundred.

He took a deep breath to steady himself and then took a careful look at his female monster. _'I'm still safe. If she attacks, the advanced ability of LV6 will make Katsuragi attack with her weaker stat, which is twenty-four hundred. And LV6 still has more attack points than that, so she'll win.'_

Envy smirked as she placed two cards into her duel disk. "I activate the magic card Petal Crash, destroying all magic and trap cards on each player's field! And for each card destroyed each of us gains three hundred life points."

A tornado of flower petals moved across the field, destroying one set card after another until all four were blown away. Kane grimaced; realizing one of his other advantages had been finished off. "Fine, but I still gain life points!" (KLP: 3900) (ELP: 4100)

The female Sin laughed and held up two cards. "I don't care, I did it to clear the threat and activate my two cards. Mandala of Fate and Paper Crane activate when they go to the cemetery."

The color faded from Crescent Swordsman, turning the monster completely grey. "When Mandala of Fate goes to the grave one monster on the opponent's field has its effect negated. Which means your monster is now just a useless lump."

Without a moment's notice the leaves around Envy's feet were blown off to the side by the force of a wingbeat. Kane bit his lip as a giant paper crane the size of a real crane flapped down onto the field. "And when Paper Crane is destroyed it special summons a Paper Crane (1000/1000) token to my field."

She chuckled and pointed at the now weakened Swordsman. "Katsuragi, attack and destroy Crescent Swordsman! Heaven's Petal Blast!"

The heavenly Geisha lifted up her palm and blew into it. A wave of golden flower petals flew from it and surrounded the swordsman. Slowly the level monster was engulfed in light until it faded from view. "And the additional effect of Katsuragi? I gain her base attack as life points when she defeats her chosen monster in battle!"

With a bright laugh Envy was briefly covered by a white glow as her monster's effect activated. "Now I'm even farther ahead of you. Not that I really needed it." (ELP: 5300)

Kane clenched his right hand into a fist as the Paper Crane began to flap its wings. _'Crescent Swordsman…I'm sorry. But I swear I'll bring you back and win this duel with your strongest form. I'll do it in honor of her!'_ (KLP: 2700)

His inner monologue ended in time for him to realize that the Paper Crane had taken flight and was soaring at him. He screamed out as it smashed into him with one wing, nearly knocking him off his feet. "Looks like even a Crane can beat you up!" (KLP: 1700)

Since she had no more cards in her hand Kane knew that it was his turn, and as he drew he took note of the glow that had faded from Katsuragi. "I get it. The bonus to your monster isn't permanent, but I bet you can choose a new monster whenever the old one is destroyed."

Envy raised an eyebrow, smiling. "I guess you're not as stupid as I thought. Not that it matters, since I'll still walk all over you."

"Yeah, you keep thinking that. But let me show you the second of the three Level Swordsmen! The youngest and weakest of them, but still my personal favorite!" He slapped his drawn card onto his duel disk and a small youngish looking warrior with a floppy white hat and purple clothes appeared, wielding a long sword.

"This is Mystic Swordsman LV2 (900/0) and while his attack isn't much to speak of, he's still good enough to get the job done. Especially since now that he's my only monster, I'm guessing your Katsuragi automatically chooses him." Envy frowned as her Geisha's attack power rose to twenty-one hundred while her defense did nothing.

"So what? Your monster is still a little wimp who can't even beat my Paper Crane, let alone even without her bonus." Kane grinned and raised his right arm, pointing at the beautiful Geisha.

"Want to see what a weakling with the right motivation can do? Well here he comes! Mystic Slash!" The young swordsman barreled across the field, while Envy and Katsuragi watched the monster with confusion.

Envy blinked as light suddenly flooded into her eyes. She looked up and found that the clouds had parted and the moon was shining right into her eyes. "What the heck is this?"

"This? It's my quick-play magic card Book of Moon! It lets me flip one monster on the field into face-down defense position!" Katsuragi vanished and was replaced by a horizontal card floating a foot above the ground.

The Sin shook her head as the light faded, still not following. "What the heck is the point of that? My monster's defense is still higher than your monster's attack! It won't do anything!"

Mystic Swordsman's sword slammed into the set monster, which shrieked and appeared as Katsuragi briefly before shattering. Then the swordsman did a back flip, landing in front of Kane. "Actually, whenever Mystic Swordsman LV2 battles a set monster he beats that monster without damage calculation or flip effects being activated. So in defense, no monster can beat this little guy."

With a smirk Kane continued his turn, placing one card face down on his field. Then he held up his last hand card. "From my hand I activate Level Amassing. During this turn if a monster on my field levels up I get to draw two cards. So now I end my turn, and since LV2 beat a monster in battle, he evolves!"

The young swordsman grew taller, becoming about six feet in height with purple armor covered by white robes, including the same type of hat that the earlier level had worn. This one also had a two-sided blade in his right hand. "This is Mystic Swordsman LV4 (1900/1600)."

Envy drew once at the same time as Kane drew twice from the effect of his magic card. She narrowed her eyes at the monster, and then glanced at her Paper Crane. "I get it, you're stronger now. But remember, this is the last turn you're safe from my power. During my next turn I activate the Aura of Envy."

An image of a forlorn Aya appeared in his mind. _'When the Aura of Envy comes out this duel will become that much more difficult. I have to take the advantage fast or else I'll lose.'_

Envy held up her drawn card, smiling the whole time. "From my hand I activate Charm Essence, which allows the opponent to special summon one level four or lower monster from their cemetery to the field."

Crescent Swordsman LV4 formed on the field, and she and Mystic Swordsman smiled and nodded at each other. Kane smiled at both of them. _'Welcome back Crescent Swordsman. If you join me in this fight, it'll make things much easier.'_

His opponent cleared her throat and her Paper Crane began to glow. "After you've special summoned a monster I can create clone tokens of one monster on my field for each monster you've got total. The clone tokens however have zero attack points. So come out, two more Paper Cranes!"

Another set of the paper birds appeared, each one with their wings folded over their bodies protectively. "I shift the original Paper Crane into defense mode and end my turn!"

Kane drew harshly and fanned out his three card hand. "I'll show you what I can manage; I summon the third of the triad of Level Swordsmen! The oldest one, the quiet one…Silent Swordsman LV3 (1000/1000)!"

His newest monster wore a long blue coat, had blue skin, and held a fierce looking serrated blade over his shoulder. Envy blinked at the sight of it, and then she laughed. "I get it now! I get what you've been implying this whole time! The triad of Level Swordsman? The weakest and youngest, the male Mystic Swordsman…is you!"

She raised her arm and pointed to Crescent Swordsman. "The middle one, who lies in between the other two in terms of power and effects, is female, so she's your sister Aya!"

Finally she pointed to Silent Swordsman, who merely stared back at her in response. "And the third, the oldest and as you said deadliest and quietest is without a doubt the stronger of the triplets! He's Enzeru!"

Kane narrowed his eyes at her, and then thrust his hand out, palm out flat. "You may have figured it out, but that doesn't change anything! This deck was created to honor my family, to show our power together! From weakest to strongest it doesn't matter, together we're unbeatable! And now, I'll show you! Triple attack!"

He motioned to Mystic Swordsman, who hefted his double-bladed weapon. "Go and get the original one! Mystic Slash Level Four!"

Mystic Swordsman spun his double-blade and slashed the crane into tiny pieces of paper which floated to the ground. Envy drew when the last pieces hit the ground, smirking. "When a Paper Crane is destroyed in battle I get to draw one card. So thanks."

"It won't matter at all! Attack the second one with Crescent Strike Level Four!" The female swordsman swung her curved blade down in an arc, cleaving the second paper crane in half. Once again Envy drew.

"Now for the final one to defeat. Sword of Silence Level Three!" A wave of blue light shot out of the silent swordsman's weapon, cleaving the paper monster in half. Envy added another card to her hand and laughed.

"If this is the best you've got then I've got nothing to worry about. After all, that was your last turn to finish me before my Aura of Envy began your downfall and you wasted it!" Kane responded by punching a button on his duel disk, and his set card flipped.

Envy gasped when she saw the image depicted on the card. It was the three swordsmen she saw in front of her, all charging forwards with weapons held high. "No way!"

"My trap card is Triad Absolute Evolution! I select one of my level swordsman in play while I have one of each of the three, and then I sacrifice the other two. At that time, regardless of summoning cost, its ultimate form is summoned. So in Aya's honor I sacrifice Mystic Swordsman and Silent Swordsman to summon her ultimate self!" Silent Swordsman converted into a ball of white light, while Mystic Swordsman became a ball of purple light, and both flew into Crescent Swordsman.

The figure that emerged from the joining of the light was as beautiful as Katsuragi had been, and wore monk's robes of the purest light. She had in each hand a curved weapon of gold. "Crescent Swordsman LV10 (3500/1300) is summoned, and since it's still the battle phase, here she comes! Crescent Strike Level Ten!"

Envy screamed as Crescent Swordsman jumped in front of her and made an X-slash with her twin blades, knocking the short girl backwards. "That hurt…you'll pay for that!" (ELP: 1800)

The supreme swordsman turned her back on Envy and walked to Kane. When she turned around, a card appeared behind her. "You may not get it Envy, but let me tell you what I am."

He held up his three swordsmen cards from the graveyard. "If Aya is the heart and Enzeru is the strength and brains, then what does that make me? It makes me the shield. I'll fight with everything I have to protect my siblings, even if I'm weaker than they are!"

Envy snarled and drew and suddenly her dull eyes lit up as they turned green and started to swirl. "So it begins…the beginning of your downfall! You were a fool to challenge me, because I was hoping to squash you anyways. And now…your family relationship has made me jealous enough to strip you of everything you are!"

Kane felt himself shiver, and the images in his mind of his two siblings began to move farther away from him. _'Such a strong feeling of despair…is this what Aya had to go through in her duel?'_

"And you…in your desire to honor your lost sibling you made a mistake in this duel. And that was that you chose the wrong monster. Had you leveled up Silent Swordsman my magic cards would have been locked down, but since you didn't I can now activate this magic card!" His knees nearly buckled as a weight of depression hit him like a bulldozer.

Flashing through his mind were visions of all his failures. Losing so pitifully to Harrison, failing his Duel Review battle, being unable to help Mizuki, and being the only one of his friends left as an Osiris Red. _'I'm being left behind all over again…they're all leaving me behind.'_

"From my hand I play a magic card which intensifies my own power. Soul of Sin-Envy! And when this card is activated it reduces the attack and defense power of all monsters in play and adds that total to my life points!" Kane fell to his knees, finding it hard to even keep his focus on the duel as his motivation slipped away into a sea of depression. (ELP: 6800)

Laughing she slammed her next card into her duel disk. "Dark Gifts to the House costs me half my life points, but its well worth it as I can summon another of my strongest monsters from wherever it exists." (ELP: 3400)

A card popped out of her deck and she threw it down. "Second Yukio, meet my dark, deadly, and beautiful Hell's Geisha-Asuka (3000/2000)!"

Like all other Geishas this one had a pale white painted face, but her garb was an elaborate jet black kimono with silver dragons designed onto it. In her hands was a fan with razor edges, and her beautiful plump red limps showed an eerie smile. "Before I continue, I wonder…will you surrender Kane Yukio? Surrender and let yourself be spared the embarrassment of being crushed beneath my monster's spiked heels."

Kane lifted his heavy head and shook it back and forth, causing Envy to snarl. "No…I can't surrender…I have to…have to hold on for…"

His words drifted off and Envy flipped around one of the other cards she was holding. "If you're going to be so stubborn I'll make you experience a pain you can't imagine when I stomp you down! By offering this card from my hand I can equip Asuka with Fan of Hell!"

The fan in the Geisha's hands burst into flames, and demonic skulls shrieked as they flew all around the dark Geisha. "Now…now my Geisha has her full power at her disposal. When she destroys a monster in battle my opponent takes that creature's attack or defense as damage. And if it has none currently then the base amount is dealt instead."

"If you didn't get it, then let me explain. When my attack completes you'll take three thousand damage from the difference in our monster's attack scores. Then afterwards I'll deal you the thirty-five hundred base attack of your monster as damage. So you'll be taking sixty-five hundred damage this turn!" She snickered and held up the last card in her hand.

"And since your monster most likely has an advanced version of the previous version's effect I'll activate Chains of Enchantment. When I have a Geisha in play I can equip this card to one of your monsters and seal away its effect!" Golden chains strapped to the female swordsman's arms and legs, binding her from attacking or even defending.

Kane's eyes were drifting shut and he struggled to keep them open. But he could hardly remember exactly what his motivation in this duel was. Why bother to continue. _'Something about a shield…something I have to remember…'_

He looked over at his set card and tried to muster the energy to frown, but couldn't come up with anything. _'Got to remember…what's my motivation…what's my set card? But why bother…why should I remember?'_

Envy laughed and pointed at the level monster. "Go Asuka! Attack and destroy that measly monster with Hell's Fan of Damnation! Sweep her aside!"

The Geisha swung her fan and the demonic skulls rocketed towards the weakened swordsman. Accompanying the skulls was a wave of fire, all of it ready to engulf Kane's monster. "Prepare to lose Kane Yukio, and have all of your confidence absorbed into me! I'll make sure to use it well before I burn it up, just like I did with your sister's!"

"Kane!" The Osiris Red's head turned to the side, and he smiled at what he saw. The skulls plowed into his monster and blew it apart, moving on to strike him.

"Finally…I remembered." He fell face first into the dirt, his eyes could and cloudy. (KLP: 0)

Even as the holograms faded and her eyes returned to normal, Envy seemed surprised. "So I see…that's why he challenged me to a duel. That's what he was spouting out stupid lines for. It was you all along that he was fighting for."

Enzeru stood across from her at the edge of the clearing, his eyes focused on his fallen brother. "Kane…why? Why would you challenge her? Why leave me that message…why would you do this if you knew you couldn't win?"

Kane's duel disk glowed and its projectors sent out an image, showing a sadly smiling Kane. "Hey there big brother. If you're seeing this, then you came like I asked and I lost to Envy. I've never been that strong or that smart; I couldn't match your brain and integrity or Aya's heart and beauty. So I settled for helping you out by becoming the sacrificial pawn."

His brother watched the projection with wide eyes, tears brimming at the corners. "Kane…you didn't have to…"

Kane smiled wider, though it still seemed sad. "I knew I couldn't beat Envy, not even with my full deck, especially after seeing her power used against Aya. That's why I knew that the only way to beat her was to give you the strength needed. So I martyred myself to give you that last push. Please become strong enough for our sake's to beat her and bring back Aya. Promise me big brother."

The hologram faded and Enzeru dropped to his knees, holding his blank looking in his arms. "Kane…I promise. I promise that I'll crush Envy with all that I am for your sake and for Aya's!"

He gently placed his brother back onto the ground and whirled to face Envy, hate in his eyes. "Envy! For everything that you've done I'll destroy you and beat down every last ounce of your power! For my family I will win! I challenge you to a duel!"

Envy grinned and turned around, starting to walk into the woods in the opposite direction. "Sorry biggest brother, but I'm not in the mood anymore. Maybe another time. Until then, wallow in a pool of depression over the fall of your siblings. Then, when I feel you've wallowed enough, I'll come back and take all your confidence and strength for myself."

She disappeared into the woods and Enzeru was left alone with his fallen brother. With a sobbing yell he punched his right hand into the dirt. "ENVY!"

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Author's Note: Only one Yukio sibling remains and Envy seems more dangerous than ever. But what lies ahead for the gang as they tackle the six remaining Seven Sins and the True Sins as well?

_Next Time: Almost everyone is in deep contemplation, save for the strange but eager Dance Genius. Chizuma's attempts at talking to Mizuki are more than confusing for the already confused girl, but fail to make it far before a new surprise appears. The fourth True Sin has arrived, and Chizuma is her opponent! But this duelist may be stranger than even Chizuma could guess._

_See it all in, Jewel of the Academy!_


	58. Jewel of the Academy

Author's Note: Time for some Chizuma related fun.

**Chapter Fifty-Eight: Jewel of the Academy**

"Mizuki-sama!" The students in the Obelisk Blue dorm sighed and chose to ignore the year's number one rookie as she barreled up the stares with stars in her eyes. This had become a daily occurrence since a week previous.

Chizuma burst through the door without bothering to knock, throwing it open with all of her strength. She danced happily into the room, completely unaffected by the dreary and foreboding atmosphere of the room. "Mizuki-sama…come outside and play with me, let's have a little fun and enjoy the sun!"

The reaction she got from the Rising Star was a depressed sigh and the scratching sound of a pen against paper. Just like every other day she had come up her since after the Rank-Farming Tournament Chizuma found Mizuki scribbling long formulas on paper. "Come on Mizuki-sama, it'll be fun. Join me, please?"

She got up right beside Mizuki and knelt down, looking into the other girl's eyes and sticking out her lower lip. Mentally she danced in triumph. _'Nobody can ignore the puppy dog pout! Not a guy nor girl!'_

Mizuki sighed again and scribbled some more. "I'm sorry Chizuma but…I'm just not up to it right now. You wouldn't want to be around somebody as depressing as me, would you?"

To Mizuki's surprise Chizuma tilted her head up with her hand and smiled down at her. "Come on, don't say that. And don't look so sad, you're too pretty to be depressed."

Mizuki blushed slightly when Chizuma kissed her on the forehead and then hopped backwards, grinning as she put her hands behind her back. "So come on, with the kiss of justice, you have to come outside and play, right?"

The younger girl winked at her, and Mizuki turned away slightly. "Like I said, I'm sorry Chizuma. I really can't right now, there's a lot of things I need to think about."

Chizuma stuck her tongue out at Mizuki, and then spun her way to the door. "You may be a sourpuss right now, but I'll come back tomorrow and for sure I'll bring you out of this funk! Just you wait and see Mizuki-sama!"

When Chizuma left and closed the door behind her Mizuki could only place her chin in her palm and sigh. "That Chizuma, she's certainly oddly cheerful."

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"Dante the Swordsmaster (4400), direct attack!" Dante zipped across the field in a blur and stabbed Rebellion into the chest of the Obelisk Blue opposite him, who screamed and dropped to their knees. (LP: 0)

Harrison scowled and deactivated his duel disk. "I was hoping for a better duel out of number eight in the Academy; however it seems you're barely worth my time."

As he walked away he sighed and stopped suddenly. "There's no point in just standing there. Come on out for whatever you reason is."

A lighthearted chuckle came from the trees and then Sanzo jumped down, landing gracefully. "It seems your detection skills are as good as ever Harrison. And it seems you're being pretty brutal on some of the other students."

The Dark Kaiser brushed his trench coat away from his legs, still scowling and not even bothering to look at Sanzo. "Don't get me wrong, its not a matter of brutality. It seems that I can no longer get a true challenge out of duelists at this school save for you. I need to duel one of the Sins, or perhaps even one of the True Sins as a test of my power."

Sanzo smiled and brushed a lock of hair away from his eyes. "Well don't get too worked up. Saint is watching us all this time, so I'm certain at some point you'll end up facing one of the Sins just like I did. Its just a matter of time, so why rush it?"

Harrison opened his mouth, but failed to produce any sound when a doll-faced girl with a long black braid skipped by them, singing a song in another language. When she was out of range Harrison looked back to Sanzo and frowned. "That was that Chizuma girl wasn't it? Was she singing in Latin?"

The Hero Saint shrugged, still looking in the direction the number one rookie had gone. "I think she was. That Chizuma, she's oddly cheerful isn't she?"

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Shiro growled and kicked a rock, sending it skipping along the dirt path. "Man, Mizuki's funk is starting to make me depressed. I just wish I knew what was bugging her. And you! You're no help at all!"

Kaoru raised an eyebrow at the now black haired teenager. "There's not much I can do. The only ones who know why she's like this are Kohana and Miharu, and frankly they terrify me, so I won't try to ask."

There were several moments of silence between the two as they walked down the path, and then Kaoru cleared her throat. "So I see you took the dye out of your hair and have revealed to the world that you've got normal hair, just like any other Japanese boy."

The Prankster's first response was to return her previous gesture and raise an eyebrow at her. "Normal hair? No, I dyed it this color."

Rolling her violet eyes Kaoru threw her arms up in the air. "Do you even have a natural hair color anymore?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, probably. I just can't remember exactly what it is."

She was about to respond when Chizuma came skipping down the path in the opposite direct, singing a light tune in Latin. They stopped and followed her with their eyes until she was out of sight.

Shiro sighed and shook his head. "People that oddly cheerful just kind of weird me out. Someone like her who doesn't get the atmosphere and can't stay with the flow of tension is without a doubt an idiot."

Kaoru once again opened her mouth to reply, but thought better of it. _'But wouldn't that make you…never mind.'_

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Chizuma giggled and plucked another bright flower and placed it into the basket hanging off her left wrist. "These pretty flowers will be certain to get Mizuki-sama out of her funk. She'll just love them!"

"Wai! Pretty!" Chizuma jumped when she realized that someone was right next to her, picking a flower. She was also startled to realize that she towered over the other person who was…

"What's a little kid like you doing out in a place like this?" The little girl lifted her head and looked up at Chizuma, bright blue eyes meeting cool grey eyes. To Chizuma's surprise the little girl clapped her hands together and jumped up, delight in her eyes.

"Yahoo! I met somebody interesting already, banzai!" Chizuma was taken aback as the little girl, who couldn't have been more than seven or eight, hopped up and down a handful of feet into the air.

Chizuma took a moment to examine the little girl and get a measure of what sort of crazy little person she was dealing with. What she saw was a tiny little girl who barely came up to her waist, wearing a miniature version of an Obelisk Blue girl's uniform. The oddest feature though was her hair, which was tied into a pair of pigtails on each side of her head and was a bright bubblegum pink. "Even Kohana-san's hair isn't that odd."

She blinked in surprise when she realized that suddenly the girl was sitting on her shoulder, her neck craned out so that she was looking Chizuma in the eye. "Oooo…you're talking to yourself? I like that myuu!"

The older girl scratched her cheek, staring at the little girl with wide eyes. "Myuu? What's that?"

The little girl cocked her head to the side, looking confused. But seconds later the confusion vanished as a huge grin split her face once more. "Hahaha, you're funny doll lady! Myuu is my word, my favorite word! I made it up so nobody else can have it, right myuu?"

Slowly Chizuma reached up to her shoulder and picked the little girl up off of it and then held her out at arms length. "So what are you doing out here little girl?"

Chizuma's eyes widened when she realized that she was no longer holding the little girl, who suddenly appeared to be a dozen feet away, doing a handstand…, using only the pinky of her right hand. _'That's impossible!'_

Tilting her head up the little girl looked at Chizuma and giggled. "I'm out meeting interesting people because everyone else at home is being a boring person. So that's why I came out to play, to find interesting people like doll lady myuu!"

In an astounding display of strength and agility the little girl pushed off with her pinky and did a series of somersaults, finally landing on her tip toes facing Chizuma. "So doll lady, do you want to play with me myuu?"

The Dance Genius tapped a finger against her lips, thinking carefully. A light bulb went off over her head and she giggled. "Okay, I'll play with you if you'll help me out with something. Your cheerfulness is infectious, so what say you come and help me get a friend out of a funk if I play with you?"

Clapping her hands in delight the little girl hopped from foot to foot. "Wai! Doll lady is smart, so I'll play with her myuu! You want to play cards with me, myuu?"

Again Chizuma found herself surprised to discover that a miniature almost plastic-looking duel disk was attached to the little girl's left arm, deck already in place. "Ummm…sure, I'll duel you. But I warn you, I'm quite the player."

The little girl giggled and her duel disk hummed to life. "Me too! Everybody's so fun to play with, but nobody ever makes it fun enough myuu! They get pouty and whine about losing too!"

Chizuma slid her deck into her duel disk, silently resolving herself to give the little girl a nice duel but not to beat her down too bad. "I'm Chizuma by the way, nice to meet you." (CLP: 4000)

Suddenly the little girl snapped to attention, placing two fingers against her forehead in a tight form of salute. "True Sin Private Major Paradise reporting for duty myuu! Banzai!" (PLP: 4000)

The Dance Genius' eyes widened as those words set in. "True…Sin?"

Paradise giggled and dropped out of her mock salute. "That's right! Doll lady gets it, so she must be an interesting person myuu!"

One of the things that Mizuki had said the last time she had visited sunk in. _'I had asked what sort of math Mizuki-sama was working on and she said…'_

_"According to Frost True Sins can either age slowly or too fast, and I'm trying to figure out how that works. The slowing or speeding up of cellular division is possible, but I'm not sure how it might cause such an effect. Though it does make sense that slower physical development would result in a stunted, stupid, or even childish mentality for such a True Sin. Of course…"_

Chizuma had continued to nod politely, pretending she was listening, but had secretly tuned out the rest and spent the whole time staring at Mizuki. _'I wish I had listened to the rest but still…what if this one is a True Sin who ages slow or whatever. For all I know, she could be older than me! I'd better take this serious!'_

Although it was hard to take her opponent seriously when she was a little girl with bubblegum hair and an infectious smile and laugh. "Ummm…I guess I'll take the first move."

She drew, ignoring the happy little wiggling that Paradise was doing. "I set a monster in defense mode and a card face down. End turn."

Paradise jumped five feet into the air and then came down, hand on her duel disk. "Banzai, my turn!" She drew, and Chizuma's eyes widened when she felt something rushing all around her, lifting her up and tossing her about even though she didn't move.

_'It's like being surrounded by water, crushing and supporting me at the same time. Such an enormous amount of pressure…what is this?'_ She didn't have much time to contemplate it as Paradise was continuing her move.

"Doll lady made a boring move so I'll make a boring move as well. I do the same thing and end my turn myuu!" A face down magic or trap card along with a set monster appeared, making their fields directly even.

Chizuma drew and then held up one of her hand cards. "If you won't come to me I'll take this dance to you! I activate Tango Molinete, which lets me destroy one monster in play as if it was battle. I choose…my set monster!"

Paradise tilted her head to the side, looking interested and amused at the same time. "Doll lady is weird, killing off her own monster myuu…"

Vaguely Chizuma had the thought that adding a nonsensical word such as 'myuu' to the end of your sentences was annoying, but it was quickly brushed off when she remembered how adorable it was. "The monster I destroyed was Tango Apprentice (0/800) whose effect now lets me add 'Tango Dancer' and 'Tango Dance Partner' to my hand from my deck!"

Two cards slid out of her deck and she slapped one of them down. "I summon Tango Dancer (1700/1000) who immediately special summons Tango Dance Partner (1400/1300) from my hand to the field!"

A pair of Latinos in Mexican dancing apparel waltzed out onto the field in each other's arms. One was a handsome man, while the other was a beautiful woman. When Tango Dancer dipped his partner Paradise burst into applause. "Wai, so cute!"

With a smile Chizuma slipped another card into her duel disk. "That's not all; my other preparation is the continuous magic card Fierce Tango! This card lets all 'tango' monsters deal damage through defense!"

Paradise clapped her hands to her face and pouted. "But that means my monster will go kaboom! That's not fair myuu…"

Chizuma snapped her fingers, finding it hard to smile and enjoy the duel like she normally would when it felt like she was stepping on a little kid's feelings. "When one of them attacks I can forfeit the other's attack to combine their scores together. Dance Battle (3100)!"

The two dancers waltzed across the field and stomped on the set monster, which briefly revealed itself to be a small oval of light before shattering. "Poo on you, doll lady destroyed Seed of Light (0/0). During my next standby phase I get to special summon one angel sub-type monster from my hand myuu."

She shook her head at Paradise, feeling worried about how this duel would go. "Yeah, but my monsters were able to deal damage through defense so you just lost most of your life points." (PLP: 900)

Paradise rubbed the back of her head, looking embarrassed. "Ah, you're right! Trap card activate now, Come All Ye Faithful, which lets me add an angel sub-type monster to my hand myuu."

With a smile the little girl selected a card from her deck and added it to her hand. Chizuma frowned, but considered the fact that she already had nearly won and didn't worry. _'She may be a True Sin, which certainly explains the supernatural physical stuff, but that doesn't mean she's not just a little girl. I can beat her easily, but I won't beat her too bad. I'd feel terrible if I did.'_

Paradise drew and a space on her field started glowing. Chizuma up and arm to block out the light, but it was hard when the revealed creature was being of pure light with six wings and nearly a dozen eyes extending from a small spherical central body. "Wow…it's amazing!"

The True Sin giggled as her monster glowed brighter at the comment. "This is Jophiel, Angel of Divine Beauty (1800/1100), and his effect activates when he's summoned myuu! I gain life points equal to one incident of damage I took last turn first myuu!"

The light bathed Paradise, and Chizuma sighed as she saw every last bit of her damage undone. _'Guess she's not hopeless after all.' _(PLP: 4000)

Suddenly the light bathing Chizuma grew hot, and she winced, backing away from it. Paradise giggled at the sight. "Also Jophiel deals an equal amount of damage to you, so now we switch life points myuu!" (CLP: 900)

Chizuma gulped, realizing she had just completely lost her previous advantage and had the tables turned on her by one monster summon. _'This is…abnormal. What a powerful monster.'_

Another space of on Paradise's field was filled as a small black oval which had an aura of heart around it appeared. "My new monster is Seed of Power (0/0) and he attacks Tango Dancer!"

Even though she had no idea what the young girl had in mind Chizuma wanted to control the flow of the duel. "Reverse card open, continuous trap Lover's Waltz! As long as this card is in play my two monsters can defend with their combined totals as well as attack. Dance Battle (31000) counterattack!"

The seed flew across the field and bounced off Tango Dancer's chest, shattering instantly. Paradise pouted and slid her monster into the grave, but then laughed with delight when her other monster grew brighter. "Ooo…effect time myuu!" (PLP: 900)

Chizuma's eyes widened when Jophiel grew in size, and its attack points settled at thirty-six hundred. "When Seed of Power goes to the cemetery I get to double the attack points of one monster in my cemetery, deck, hand, or on my field for the rest of the duel. So Jophiel, attack Tango Dancer myuu!"

The light engulfed the two monsters, and even as they embraced Tango Dancer was overcome by the light and burst into flames. Chizuma winced as the light burned her as well, taking another bite out of her life points. _'She's definitely much stronger than I was guessing. I can't hold back at all anymore.'_ (CLP: 400)

A card appeared behind Jophiel, and Paradise laughed with delight as she tapped her nose. "Your turn myuu!"

As soon as Chizuma drew Jophiel started glowing even brighter once again. Paradise pointed at it with a dramatic pose, obviously trying not to laugh as she did so. "Jophiel's normal effect activates now, giving me life points equal to the amount of damage I took from one source during the previous turn myuu." (PLP: 4000)

As soon as her life points were restored Paradise shifted her finger to point at Tango Dance Partner. "And if that damage was from battle then I can destroy one monster on the opponent's field involved in that damage as long as its attack points are less than the total damage. That's a mouthful myuu!"

Chizuma gasped as her remaining monster was blown away, leaving her field empty save for her two continuous cards. _'She managed to beat both my monsters and take me down to four hundred life points in a few turns, all the while putting herself up to four thousand like she hadn't taken damage at all. I've never seen this sort of thing.'_

She fanned out her hand of four cards, and began to consider her options. _'I always like to keep the flow of a duel like a fun dance, with a nice quick beat to it. But in this case, against an opponent like her, I've got to slow the pace down. Let's make this a slow dance!'_

She spent nearly a minute examining her cards, coming up with all possibilities. In the meantime Paradise was quite literally running circles around her, not even burning up any real energy. "Alright, I've got it! I start by normal summoning Tango Announcer (800/1300) who can't be normal summoned if I have other monsters on the field."

A Latino man in flashy clothing appeared, a microphone gripped in his hand. "By sacrificing Tango Announcer I can special summon 'Tango Dancer' and 'Tango Dance Partner' from my cemetery to the field! So here they come, back again!'

Her two key monsters once again reappeared, this time looking irritated at Jophiel. Paradise stuck her tongue out at the monster. "You're too weak now myuu!"

In response Chizuma snapped out one of her hand cards and slammed it into her disk. "Dance Attack activates, letting my monsters double their combined attack points as long as they don't attack directly this turn. Dance Battle (6200)!"

The duo danced over to Jophiel and delivered a double spinning kick to its central body, sending it spiraling away. It flew into the sky and blew apart, raining sparkles down on the field. "Wai! Sparkles!" (PLP: 1600)

Chizuma held up another of her hand cards. "Polymerization is my next choice of card, and I use it to fuse together my Tango Dancer and Tango Dance Partner!"

They spun together, and what emerged was a handsome man in a sequined vest wearing a large sombrero and holding a rose between his teeth. "Legendary Tango Dancer Esteban (2500/2300) is summoned, the first of the Legendary Tango Dancers!"

He kicked one foot into the air and winked at Paradise, who clapped her hands at the display. "He's so cool! Doll lady is lots of fun myuu!"

Finally Chizuma raised the last card in her hand. "For my last card I activate Tango Corte! I select one 'tango' monster and forfeit its attack for the turn, which Esteban wouldn't have anyways. Then I deal you half its attack as damage!"

Esteban threw his rose, and Paradise pouted as one of its thorns cut a tiny little line across her cheek, which faded almost instantly. "He's mean…" (PLP: 350)

Chizuma took a deep breath, and then smiled at the little girl. "Young or not, you're a great duelist! So dance with me all the way to the end, since I'm having lots of fun!"

Paradise smiled brightly, happy at the praise, and drew. "Banzai! I drew a good card myuu!"

A beautiful blonde woman in a white dress with floral patterns drifted from up above their heads onto the field. Flowers began to bloom at her feet. "Lady of the Garden-Eve (1500/1400) when summoned removes all your magic and trap cards on the field from the game. So goodbye cards myuu!"

The woman raised the rose held between her two fingers and made a slashing gesture with it. Chizuma's two face-up cards were suddenly grabbed by tentacles and dragged underneath the ground. "That's a really strong effect, but Esteban is still more powerful."

Her opponent wagged a finger, looking happy with herself. "Nu-uh, Eve is stronger than doll lady's funny monster. I discard Seed of Life (0/0) from my hand to activate her second effect, powering her up by either seven hundred or an enemy monster's attack. I choose the second option myuu!"

Eve's attack strength shot straight up to four thousand, vastly outclassing Chizuma's monster. And there were no magic or trap cards on her field to protect it. "I see…"

Paradise giggled as light surrounded her. "When Seed of Life is in the cemetery once I can increase my life points by the attack of one monster in play, so I pick Eve myuu!" (PLP: 4350)

She held up one dainty hand and pointed at Esteban. "Eve, attack funny looking guy thing!"

Vines erupted from Eve's wrists and pierced into Esteban's chest. The monster smiled and gave Eve a thumbs up before bursting apart. "When Esteban is destroyed as a result of battle all life point damage to me is zero!"

The True Sin pouted, and then held up another of her hand cards. "I discard Seed of Brutality (0/0) to deal you five hundred points of damage. Bye-bye myuu!"

Vines wrapped around Chizuma, squeezing her hard and she screamed out until they released her, letting her fall to her knees. "I can't believe I lost to a little girl…" (CLP: 0)

The holograms faded and Chizuma found herself looking directly at Paradise, whose face was inches from her own. "Doll lady played with me, so I'll go help out her friend lady myuu!"

Chizuma smiled and patted the little girl on the head. "Perfect, now let's go see Mizuki-sama so you can cheer her up."

Paradise suddenly frowned and hopped a few feet backwards, shaking her head. "Nope, can't do it myuu. Momma and poppa said not to talk to that big sister, cuz it'd be bad or something. Anybody else you want me to play with, myuu?"

The Dance Genius bit her bottom lip, running a few options through her head. _'This weird girl, she's not allowed to talk to Mizuki? And why would she call her 'that big sister'? If I'm going to sort through any of this then…'_

A broad smirk crossed her doll-liked face as she imagined two pretty girls in her head. She jumped to her feet and walked over to the little True Sin, leaning down to face her. "How would you like to meet a pretty ice lady and a pretty fire lady with me?"

Paradise giggled and did a front flip, landing softly on her butt on top of Chizuma's shoulder. "Wai! Let's go doll lady, take me away myuu!"

Smiling the two strange girls began to make their way to meet two True Sins. It was time to get a few answers out of those others. _'And I'm never against visiting pretty girls.'_

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Saint smiled and crossed his fingers together, leaning in to watch a replay of the final strike of the duel. "Ah…Paradise you've revealed yourself. I've been waiting for your appearance for quite some time, and at last you've come out."

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the figure leaning in the corner of his room, head down and snoring. "Sloth, prepare yourself to take action. I'll need you to duel soon."

There was no response from the sleeping Sin, but yet Saint still smiled. "Things are coming together much faster than I anticipated. Perhaps I might even have to duel. What an exciting possibility…"

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Author's Note: Even though Chizuma lost, I think she's okay with it anyways.

_Next Time: After Chizuma's defeat Greed has become more prominent than ever and once again he challenges Mizuki to a duel, even though Saint has ordered none of the Sins to target her. Mizuki readily accepts the duel, intent on avenging Chizuma's loss. But with such a deadly strategy at Greed's disposal victory may not prove easy to the genius girl._

_See it all in, Unending Greed!_


	59. Unending Greed

Author's Note: Let the tempest of Greed begin!

**Chapter Fifty-Nine: Unending Greed**

"Imagine if you will a world where all our deepest desires came true with no effort. To be honest, that'd be a world I couldn't live in." The speaker grinned, placing his hands behind his head as he leaned up against the tall tree.

Sitting a few feet away in the grass was the plain looking form of Envy, who frowned up at the speaker. "That seems kind of odd coming from a guy who took up the name 'Greed'. Wouldn't that be your ideal world?"

Greed chuckled and stared out at the morning sky. "Of course not. Because in that world everyone would get their deepest desires, and when everybody gets what they want nobody does. For some to prosper, others must suffer. For my desires to be realized I have to squash the desires of those whose desires would get in my way."

"In other words, you're talking about Saint and the Rising Star, or am I wrong?" Greed didn't even turn to acknowledge the purple-haired form of Pride, even as he approached from the woods.

"Well it's more than just that, but you've got the general idea. Which is why I've been collecting favors this whole time at Duelist Academy, and why I'm always collecting them. And guess what, its time for each of you to turn in one of the favors you owe me." Envy scowled while Pride merely smirked knowingly.

The plain-looking form of Envy flopped onto her back, pouting. "So that's why you called me here? Just so you could give me some stupid order to pay back the bet we made back when we first met? Well, what do you want?"

She sat up just in time to catch the object that was thrown to her. She looked down at it, realizing that it was an envelope. "A letter? What, you want me to deliver it?"

Greed smirked in response. "If Saint uses _that_ on me, open that letter. That's all I ask of you."

Pride frowned, his eyes traveling towards the Obelisk Blue dorm where Saint had temporary residence. "Is that the case? If so, then what is it that you want from me my avaricious friend?"

The dark haired teen reached into the depths of his grey blazer and pulled out a small ring that glinted in the sunlight. He tossed it casually to Pride, who caught it out of the air. "Take that. If you don't get it, you're hardly Pride. Remember, the one who covers all bases in order to get what he wants, is absolutely Greed."

He pushed away from the tree and started to walk away, grinning the whole time. Pride looked down at the gold ring in his hand, and then up at his fellow Sin. "And where are you going now?"

"Oh…I've got a little doll I want to play with before I can take real action. Just wait…in the end, I'll get what I want just like always."

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Chizuma gulped as she looked up at Greed's face as he leaned in close to her, an unpleasantly smug look on his face. "I've come to collect weird little girl. You said you'd do anything I wanted you to, and now that time has come."

She shook her head and tried to draw away, but she was trapped between him and the dorm wall. "What…what do you want?"

"I just want you to place a little chip in the special rules port of the Rising Star's duel disk, that's all. Nothing big." Chizuma definitely didn't like the look on his face, but she was scared for a reason even she couldn't fathom.

"What if I don't?" Greed shrugged, and then Chizuma's eyes widened as out of the corner of her eye she saw the wall starting to turn gold.

"If you don't, then I won't bother hurting you. Instead I'll just turn your precious 'Mizuki-sama' into gold and then smash her into a million pieces. We clear?" The young girl nodded slowly, the fear evident in her eyes.

"Good. Oh, and be sure that after you do so to tell the Rising Star that its time she meets me on the field of battle. One duel between us to settle everything. Tell her to meet me at the abandoned dormitory. Alone. That's all." He pulled back and then started to walk away, leaving a shivering Chizuma in his wake.

The doll-faced girl slowly drifted to her knees, her hands clutching at her blazer. "Mizuki-sama…I'm so sorry…be careful please."

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Mizuki stepped out of the woods and in front of the ruined dormitory, where once she had encountered a vampire. _'The place where I met Sanzo. This mysterious dorm supposedly was a witness to Darkness Games and the students all vanished. It was a place where Darkness Games were researched for the greed of the students. The perfect duel place..'_

"So you came, Rising Star! Welcome to the place of your defeat, where my unending greed will bring about your end!" She lifted her head, and found Greed standing at the edge of a broken window on the second floor of the dormitory.

"Greed…you challenged me, so I'll accept. But I won't lose here; I'll defeat you and make one less threat to this island and my friends!" Greed laughed, earning him a glare. He motioned to himself, a grin as wide as his face plastered on.

"Then come into my parlor, down to the hidden duel ring at the bottom of this fallen dormitory! Come and lose!" He disappeared into the window, the only trace of him being his laughter. Mizuki scowled and ran into the building, her heart pounding.

_'The hidden duel ring…the place where we pulled that prank. That'll be the place where I face Greed. I'm as ready as I can be, but against Greed…it might be impossible.'_ She tried to shake of that depressing thought and merely continued running, and when she reached the stairs she bounded down them one at a time.

_'Somehow I've been waiting for this eagerly all along. Even as I slipped into a depression the whole time as I tried to figure the math behind the aging of the True Sins I wanted a duel where I would be faced with an intellect and talent that would push me to my limits. Greed…give me that duel so I can break free from this fear of my own nature!'_ She slid to a stop and lights burst on, revealing the changed shape of the dueling arena.

Her eyes widened at the sight. The room was glittering brightly, all the lights reflecting off the golden walls, floors, and even ceiling. Yet the most shocking part was the three golden statues that formed a triangle around the dueling ring. "No way…you wouldn't have…"

Greed laughed, waiting for her on the opposite side of the ring. "Oh but I would! I'd do anything to get what I want, because that's why I'm Greed! And if you don't face me with everything you have and win, I'll smash them to pieces!"

The faces of Chizuma, Shiro, and Kaoru all looked strange in gold, but Mizuki would have recognized them anywhere. "You're a monster…plain and simple. And for that, I'm going to take you down."

Her opponent raised one eyebrow, his cocky grin slowly fading. "What the heck…weren't you in a deep depression?"

Mizuki dipped her head down and a sigh escaped her lips. "I don't know whether what I learned is the truth, and even if it is I'll just try and accept it as best as I can. I'll take that new data and incorporate into who I am, who I have always been. I thought once that I would be afraid of being something I didn't understand, but a good friend taught me that I can be lots of things."

He rolled his eyes at her. "If that's the case then how come you've been holed up in your room and not talking to people when you had to go to class? If that's not depression I don't know what is."

"It was depression at first, but even though I'm still not happy about it, I've pushed it aside. Mostly, I've been doing some important math and trying to figure out an important factor in a big problem I've learned. But this duel, it's the perfect thing to clear my mind. Even if you've put the duel into a despicable place, I'll still use this duel to clear my thoughts." She smiled calmly at him and flipped open her duel disk. He scowled and activated his own.

"And Greed let me tell you now, that when my thoughts are clear and my mind is focused, I can't lose to you." The two duelists slammed their decks home, and Mizuki's eyes narrowed as she saw Greed's deck. (MLP: 4000) (GLP: 4000)

Greed sneered and drew six cards, not even bothering to declare that he would take the first turn. "Rising Star you sure are cocky when facing one of the top pro league duelists. My strategy and deck will crush you, and then I'll get what I want from you."

Mizuki drew her own opening hand, still staring at his deck as she did so. "I'm curious…what is it that you want from me?"

He licked his lips as he plucked a card free from his hand and placed it onto his duel disk. The card appeared horizontally in front of him, becoming a defense mode monster. "I want to use your analytical ability combined with mine to predict the flow of stocks. And I want to use you to gain access to the method to obtain everything I want. Because only you can give me the ultimate key to greed. The Xanadu!"

"So it comes back to that again…that's just fine. Even if I don't understand everything that's happening there's little I can do about it. Since I've got no choice I'll fight you with all of my ability, and I'll destroy you with your own greed!" Greed snorted and slid a card into his duel disk right behind his set monster.

"Whatever, not like I care. End turn." Mizuki nodded and snapped a card off her deck. She finally looked away from it and to her hand and the card she had drawn.

_'Six.'_ She placed the drawn card onto her duel disk and a man in white armor wielding a glowing bow appeared, leveling it at the set monster.

"My monster of choice is Rune Centurion (1800/1800) and he'll attack your set monster!" The centurion fired his arrow, but Greed was ready. A wall of golden light shot up in front of it, causing the arrow to ricochet away.

"Your attack triggered Midas Shield, which negates one attack and ends the battle phase. Then it lets the player with the fewest cards in their hand draw cards until they hold as many as their opponent. I draw one card from that effect." He slid another card off his deck and added it to his hand. Mizuki's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not stupid Greed, and I've got an excellent memory. The second effect of Midas Shield is that if the player that draws only gets one card out of it he or she can also add one card from their deck to their hand which has 'greed' in its name. And one card here is the perfect choice for you." Greed grinned and shuffled through his deck until he found the card he wanted. Then he flashed it to Mizuki, confirming her suspicions.

"The card I've chosen is the continuous trap card Greed. Anything else Rising Star?" Mizuki shook her head as she placed a card behind her Rune Centurion. Greed's slimy grin widened as he snatched a card off his deck.

_'Nine.'_ Greed looked at the seven cards in his hand, and then thrust one of them into the air above his head.

"Its time I begin your end! From my hand I play the magic card Soul of Sin-Greed! Witness the strength of my first Sin card, which immediately goes to my cemetery after activation. And as long as it's in the cemetery, any card I draw is considered to be in my draw phase." He chuckled as he inserted the card into his cemetery slot and released it.

Mizuki nodded, remembering this aspect of his strategy from his duel with Chizuma. "And thanks to that the burn effect of Greed won't deal you damage at all, since it requires a card to be drawn outside of the draw phase for its effect to activate."

Greed shook his head to get a few locks of his hair out of the way, and then reached for another card in his hand. "An aspect you missed, since at the time it didn't matter, is that like Gluttony's 'Soul of Sin' card, mine can't be removed from the cemetery, meaning I'm well protected from my continuous trap."

Finally he placed his card on the field, and Mizuki frowned as she recognized it. It looked like a train's box car with a face. "That's Bokoichi the Freightening Car (500/500) a level two normal monster. And the only reason to play it is for a specific monster's effect. Meaning that specific monster is your set card!"

He nodded and held up another card. "Good analysis of the field, but I'm not ready to prove you right just yet. First I activated Clone Amassing, which lets me target one level three or lower monster on the field and create tokens of it in all available monster zones. These tokens have no effect, not that they would anyways."

Three more of the box cars with faces appeared, and then they linked together, making a long nearly complete train. "And now, the main piece of the combo! I flip summon my face down Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive (1400/1000)!"

Mizuki watched calmly as the front section of a train roared onto the field, its face much more demonic than the box cards. Then piece by piece the box cards attached themselves to Dekoichi, creating a long train. "And when Dekoichi is flipped you draw one card. Plus for every Bokoichi in play you can draw an additional card."

"Correct again! That means I now draw five cards thanks to my combo!" He counted out the cards and then drew, giving him nine cards in his hand. Mizuki's lips quirked into a smile and then dropped. _'Fourteen.'_

Greed grinned sadistically and slid one card after another into his duel disk. "I'll place these three cards face down and end my turn. Go ahead Rising Star, let's see what you can do to break my strategy."

She drew and glanced at her hand of cards. "For starters since it's the only monster on your field in attack mode I'll have Rune Centurion attack your Dekoichi!"

Her monster fired off an arrow which shot straight down the middle of Dekoichi. The train head shuddered and then split in half before exploding violently. "I guess you managed to beat Dekoichi, leaving just his box cards left." (GLP: 3600)

A greed glow pulsed on his field and his card in the middle lifted up. "But thanks to you I can trigger my continuous trap card, Corpse Looting! Now whenever a monster is destroyed in battle the controller of that monster gets to draw one card!"

He snapped a card off his deck, and then snapped that hand to the right and the set card he was pointing to triggered. "Second card, the continuous trap Multiplication of Greed! Now whenever an effect activates that makes a player draw a card, each player draws one card!"

Both duelists reached for their decks and drew, but suddenly a golden aura wrapped around Mizuki. She screamed as it constricted her. "Ha, and of course if you hadn't guessed my other set card is the continuous trap card Greed! Whenever a player draws outside of their draw phase they take five hundred damage per card!"

With a smirk he wiggled the two cards he had just drawn at her. "And of course, thanks to Soul of Sin-Greed the cards I drew from Corpse Looting and Multiplication of Greed weren't drawn outside of my draw phase, so Greed deals me zero damage. Meanwhile, you took five hundred for your card." (MLP: 3500)

The Rising Star shook off the pain and swept her eyes across the field. _'Ignoring other cards he might play, if I continue attacking then it would cost me two thousand life points just to get past his current field of defenders. And in this duel I can't afford that.'_

She looked down at the card she had drawn and frowned. "Considering my options I'll just set this one card face down and end my turn." _'Sixteen.'_

Greed picked up the top card of his deck and a gold light started to shine from his cemetery slot. "Its time I show you a power of Soul of Sin-Greed that I never used against the doll girl since I never needed to. Once per turn Soul of Sin-Greed allows me to sacrifice one card on my field with an effect involving card drawing. My choice is Greed!"

Mizuki's eyes widened in confusion as his key trap card shattered into a million tiny pieces. "But why would you destroy your own trap card? That doesn't make any sense, its half of your strategy."

"I'm not getting rid of it; I'm taking another step in my strategy. You see, I never mentioned that when Soul of Sin-Greed is activated it goes the _bottom_ of my cemetery. And whenever I sacrifice a card to its effect that card is placed beneath it." Mizuki took a deep breath, steadily starting to understand what he was getting at.

The Sin cracked a smile and tapped the entrance to his graveyard. "And any card beneath Soul of Sin-Greed that was placed there by sacrifice has its effect considered to always be in play. In other words, as long as Soul of Sin-Greed and Greed are in the grave, you'll always take five hundred points of damage when you draw outside of the draw phase! And you can't destroy my trap to protect yourself!"

"And since Soul of Sin-Greed can't be removed from the cemetery, I'm guessing that cards placed beneath it from its effect can't be removed either. At least not until its removed first." Greed nodded, and did a little bow.

"Still proving to be smart Rising Star. Of course, while I'm not necessarily a genius like you, I'm certainly a brilliant strategist. You see, every part of my strategy has been looked at and examined from every angle possible. I've factored in all aspects of opposing strategies that I can, and made my deck nearly unstoppable!" He threw back his head and laughed, his nine card hand shaking with his laughter.

His laughter slowly faded and he held out one of the cards he had drawn. "From my hand I play the continuous magic card Greed's Ultimate Shield! As long as I have more cards in my hand than you do I don't take life point damage from my monsters being in battle."

The four box cards were surrounded by the same golden glow that damaged Mizuki from Greed. She gulped as they detached themselves and began to pour out smoke. "Meaning you intend to ram them into me to force us to draw, and activate the effect of your continuous traps."

Her opponent punched out his right hand, grinning broadly. "That's right Rising Star, and here comes the original! Bokoichi the Freightening Car, attack her Rune Centurion!"

Nothing happened, so he glared at the box car. "What the heck are you doing? I said to attack her!"

"You say you consider every strategy, but so do I Greed. I considered the option that you would suicide your monsters in order to deal me damage, so I activated Rune Centurion's effect. That prevents one chosen monster from attacking, so I chose the original Bokoichi." Greed growled and then pointed at the box car to its left side.

"Fine, if the original can't attack I've still got three more. Bokoichi token, attack her Rune Centurion just like the original was supposed to!" The box car trundled forwards, heading straight for the rune monster. In response it leveled its bow at the approaching monster.

"You think I didn't anticipate that as well? I activate the continuous trap card Prophecy Battle. As long as this card is in play I can guess the type of the top card of my deck, magic, trap, or monster, and if I'm right the attacking monster is destroyed. If I'm wrong my top card is discarded." Greed raised an eyebrow as her rune monster lowered its bow, standing down.

"That sounds good theoretically, but that card is all guess work. Even your ability to predict percentages of chance for cards to be your draw can't help too much here. Most likely you'll guess wrong." To his surprise Mizuki just smiled, and the card to the right of her continuous trap flashed.

"That's where my quick-play magic card Rune Symbol-Ansuz comes in! I can now view the top five cards of my deck and arrange them in any order I want. And since it resolves before Prophecy Battle's effect, I'll know perfectly!" Her opponent growled as she fanned out the five cards and then rearranged them.

Once she had placed the five cards back on top of her deck she pointed back at Prophecy Battle. "Now for the effect of Prophecy Battle I guess magic card! And that's with one hundred percent accuracy, so Prophecy Battle will activate!"

The box car shuddered and then exploded, sending a miniature fireball arching nearly to the golden ceiling. Greed slammed his right hand into his open left palm, looking frustrated. "Damn…and since your card just goes back on top of your deck, I could have an infinite number of monsters and you could destroy them all. Meaning I can't attack at all."

He reached for his hand of cards, still frustrated. "Since having them destroyed by an effect doesn't trigger my card combo it would be stupid of me to continue attacking. So instead I just set two cards face down and end."

Mizuki drew. _'Okay, right now I can't draw outside of the draw phase without taking damage, and I can't destroy his monsters without taking damage. But for the moment I've got four more cards I absolutely know with Prophecy Battle so he can't attack yet. Right now, wait and see is the best strategy.'_

She placed one card into her disk and then another in front of it. "I set one monster face down and one magic or trap card. Now my turn ends."

The moment after Greed drew he pointed at his one of his two set cards. "I activate the trap card Jar of Greed! This trap lets me draw one card. And you know what happens when an effect activates that makes a player draw a card, right?"

Even as he drew Mizuki was nodding. "Since you did, Multiplication of Greed activates and each of us draws one card."

Each player reached for their deck again, and as soon as Mizuki drew a blast of golden light shot out of Greed's cemetery and hit her in the chest. She winced, placing a hand against her stomach. "That still hurts…" (MLP: 3000)

Greed laughed and shifted from pointing at his Jar of Greed to the card that was still face down next to it. "And in chain to that I activate another continuous trap card, this one known as Midas Touch! Whenever a player draws outside of their draw phase they must select one monster on their field and remove it from play."

She frowned and glanced at her archer. "I'm sorry. I choose to remove Rune Centurion from the game!"

The centurion's body glowed and then turned to gold, leaving a golden statue in its place. Greed snickered and licked his lips. "Also, as long as Midas Touch is in play after a monster is removed a 'Midas Token' is placed onto your field. This token cannot attack or defend and has no attack or defense points. Instead it just takes up a monster zone."

Mizuki was beginning to realize just how complete and deadly his strategy was. _'He really does cover all the bases he can think of. I'll just have to break through the ones he can't think of.'_

Her gaze was drawn to her deck and then back to his field. _'Because I had to draw from Multiplication of Greed there are only three cards left on my deck that I know without a doubt. I could be in trouble sooner than I thought.'_

Greed coughed, bringing her attention back to him. "If you don't mind, it's still my turn. And I'm now sacrificing Multiplication of Greed to Soul of Sin-Greed. Which means now its effect is permanent as well!"

His continuous trap card faded away, now giving him its effect permanently along with Greed's. "I still can't attack, so I'll set one card face down and summon this brutal creature. I'm sure you remember him, the mighty Muka Muka (600/300)!"

A hideous crab-like creature waddled sideways onto the field. Noxious green gas poured out of the holes on its back as it clacked its pincers, red eyes burning at Mizuki. "If you don't remember, I'll educate you. For every card in my hand this monster gains three hundred attack and defense points."

He held up the seven cards in his hand and the creature snapped its claws together repeatedly as its attack shot up to twenty-seven hundred. "That's the strength of a level seven or eight monster. Pretty impressive for a level two isn't it?"

When Mizuki didn't respond he sighed. "I guess I'll reduce it to a level six's strength, since I can't attack I end my turn and discard one card to go down to the hand limit of six."

Mizuki narrowed her eyes as she reached for her deck and drew. _'Twenty.'_

She looked down at her five cards, and then at her deck. _'Two cards left I know with absolute certainty.'_

"I sacrifice my set monster in order to summon the mighty Rune Blader (2300/2300) to the field!" A white armored blonde man dropped down onto the field, holding up a pair of swords that shimmered in the light of the golden room.

Greed chuckled at the sight of the monster. "Like I said, Muka Muka is a level two with a current strength of monster level six monsters. And at twenty-four hundred that's actually better than your actual level six monster!"

Mizuki smiled and pointed at the monster. "Rune Blader, attack Muka Muka!"

Her opponent raised an eyebrow at her act. "Are you stupid or something? Heck, you're supposed to be the genius!"

"Yeah, and that's why I have my set card, Rune Symbol-Uruz! Its special effect cuts Muka Muka's attack strength in half!" The crab-monster shrank down to half its size and then was cleaved in half by Rune Blader's twin swords.

The Sin just shrugged. "So what? You beat my monster, big whoop. Greed's Ultimate Shield reduced the damage to zero so I'm unharmed. And now…now I draw from Corpse Looting's effect!"

He snapped a card off his deck and then smirked. "And of course, in my graveyard the effect of Multiplication of Greed triggers and we each draw a card! So take the pain!"

Mizuki bit her lip to stop from crying out as again she was hit by a heavy blast from the continuous trap in his cemetery. "Its not enough to beat me, so don't get your hopes up." (MLP: 2500)

"Is it not? Then maybe the set card I activated after your attack helps out, the continuous trap Solemn Wishes! Whenever I draw a card it increases my life points by five hundred, so looks like I've got the advantage here." He cracked his knuckles as the newest continuous trap card pumped up his life points. (GLP: 4600)

_'Every angle he says…but there's on here that he's missing!'_ Greed laughed and looked at her Rune Blader and snapped his fingers.

"Get ready to lose another monster zone, because now Midas Touch activates its continuous effect! Since you drew outside of your draw phase it now removes Rune Blader from the game and replaces it with a useless Midas token!" A golden blast of light shot out of the trap card and straight at Rune Blader.

Greed's eyes widened when Rune Blader casually snapped up his twin swords into an x-shape and blocked the blast of energy. "What the heck? How did your monster do that?"

Mizuki held up her duel disk, showing him her monster card. "Rune Blader is immune to targeted trap cards, so your Midas Touch is useless against him. That makes him the perfect monster for the current situation."

He growled, but was cut off when she slammed a card into her duel disk. "And here's the real reason I attacked! The quick-play magic card Rune Charm-Sympathetic Demise activates when I destroy one of your monsters in battle. All monsters on your field with fewer attack points than the slain monster are also destroyed!"

All three remaining Bokoichi shattered like so much glass, their pieces tinkling to the ground before fading to dust. "All that just to clear my field of defenses seems kind of useless, but I guess your petty struggling is all you can manage against my supreme strategy."

"Maybe or maybe I just understand that it takes an ability to think actively and strategize on your feet to really win. A duel with superficial cleverness is something nobody wants to see!" An image of the massive Strongman flashed in her mind and she smiled at the thought.

_'Thank you for teaching me that lesson Vlad. I'll be sure to apply it well in this duel against an opponent who thinks that having a previously formed supposedly unbeatable strategy makes him invincible.'_

"Actively think all you want, but nobody's watching this duel to care whether we're actively clever or just clever in a superficial manner. And hell, superficial cleverness fits me fine, because superficiality is one of the key factors to greed!" He laughed at his own joke, ignoring Mizuki's scowl.

She placed a card into her duel disk, and then motioned to Greed. Her opponent drew, and then after doing so snapped another card off his deck. "From my cemetery the effect of Greed Incarnate (0/0) activates! I now draw an additional card during my standby phase."

Her eyes widened when she realized what that meant. "Now we draw from Multiplication of Greed and I take damage."

Greed laughed as she was engulfed by the golden light, her life points taking another hit. "I'd activate Midas Touch again, but at this point I suppose it's sort of pointless, right?" (MLP: 2000) (GLP: 6600)

When the golden light faded he reached for a card in his hand. "Let me ask you a question Rising Star. Do you remember what the second Sin card that Gluttony played was?"

_"I activate Body of Sin-Gluttony!"_

"Yes, it was a Body of Sin." Greed smirked and thrust the card into the air which began to radiate a golden aura that flooded his field. Thanks to the golden walls it also reflected everywhere.

"You hit the nail on the head girl! And now I activate my own Body of Sin, Greed!" His four continuous cards shuddered and then melted into golden slime which solidified against the golden floor.

"When Body of Sin-Greed is activated it goes on top of Soul of Sin-Greed, and like its previous form it can't be removed from the cemetery. And Body of Sin-Greed ups the effect of Soul of Sin-Greed, allowing me to once per turn sacrifice all cards on my field that relate to card drawing or have 'greed' in their title. That was all of my cards." He cracked his knuckles, looking happy despite the fact that his field was now completely devoid of any cards.

Mizuki bit her bottom lip, realizing that his strategy spread even farther than she had thought. "And I'm guessing that means that all four of those cards now have their effects permanently on the field."

Greed nodded and opened his arms as if to embrace her, but laughed as he did so. "Don't you see? It's the perfect strategy! Now whenever one of my monsters is destroyed I draw a card, and whenever a card is drawn from an effect we each draw a card. And when you draw outside of the draw phase you take damage. And when I draw a card at all I gain life points. And when you draw outside of your draw phase you also lose a monster and a monster zone!"

He lowered his arms and then pointed at her, smirking greedily. His greasy hair fell across his eyes as he sneered at her. "Not to mention as long as I have more cards in my hand I can't take life point damage through monster battles. You see Rising Star; every angle is covered and cannot be undone. No matter what you do, you're going to lose against this unstoppable strategy!"

Slowly he ran a hand through his greasy hair. "And just think. I've still got Heart of Sin-Greed in my deck just waiting to increase my power even further. It's inevitable that you lose, and when you lose you'll have to give me the power I desire. You see Rising Star; I always get what I want no matter how long it takes."

The Sin jabbed a thumb against his chest, smirking confidently. "That's why I'm Greed, and that's why you're going to lose."

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Author's Note: Greed's strategy is really scary, that's all I've got to say.

_Next Time: Mizuki is pushed farther and farther into a corner by Greed's strategy and left with few options. Uncertain if she can win the genius girl tries to understand the power she is dueling against. But Greed and his past may not be something Mizuki should have delved into. Can Mizuki overcome Greed and his Midas Touch, or will she become a golden statue for all time?_

_See it all in, Midas Touch!_


	60. Midas Touch

Author's Note: Let the duel against Greed continue!

**Chapter Sixty: Midas Touch**

_Greed nodded and opened his arms as if to embrace her, but laughed as he did so. "Don't you see? It's the perfect strategy! Now whenever one of my monsters is destroyed I draw a card, and whenever a card is drawn from an effect we each draw a card. And when you draw outside of the draw phase you take damage. And when I draw a card at all I gain life points. And when you draw outside of your draw phase you also lose a monster and a monster zone!"_

_He lowered his arms and then pointed at her, smirking greedily. His greasy hair fell across his eyes as he sneered at her. "Not to mention as long as I have more cards in my hand I can't take life point damage through monster battles. You see Rising Star; every angle is covered and cannot be undone. No matter what you do, you're going to lose against this unstoppable strategy!"_

_Slowly he ran a hand through his greasy hair. "And just think. I've still got Heart of Sin-Greed in my deck just waiting to increase my power even further. Its inevitable that you lose, and when you lose you'll have to give me the power I desire. You see Rising Star; I always get what I want no matter how long it takes."_

_The Sin jabbed a thumb against his chest, smirking confidently. "That's why I'm Greed, and that's why you're going to lose."_

Greed fanned out his hand of ten cards and then folded up four of them and shoved them into his graveyard. "When Body of Sin-Greed is first activated I have to discard one card for each card sacrificed by its effect. Since I sacrifice four cards, I had to discard four."

He grinned and slapped down one of his cards, which formed into a chattering brown rat. "My next card is Giant Rat (1400/1450), a very useful monster."

Mizuki began to idly thread the cards she was holding through her fingers, contemplating his potential move. _'When Giant Rat is destroyed in battle and goes to the grave he can special summon an earth-type monster from his deck that has fifteen hundred or fewer attack points, no matter the level. And if he's willing to play it, there are two cards he has in mind.'_

First she looked at his deck, which contained a fair number of cards still. _'The card he plans to special summon with Giant Rat's effect is Enraged Muka Muka, which has a boosted version of the original's effect. And in order to allow him to have Giant Rat be beaten in battle he has to be holding Greed's Fallout Shield, which can be discarded when you have more cards in hand than the opponent to prevent monsters from being destroyed.'_

Greed smirked and thumbed a single card in his hand, which showed a burglar blocking a sword with a bag of gold. _'With Greed's Fallout Shield I can stop my Giant Rat from being destroyed by Prophecy Battle, as well as protect my Enraged Muka Muka when he comes out to play. She can't stop me now!'_

Giant Rat shrieked and bounded towards Rune Blader. "That's right Giant Rat, go and skewer yourself on the blader's blades!"

Mizuki closed her eyes calmly as her Rune Blader jumped forwards and cleaved right through Giant Rat. "And now that he's been destroyed, the effect of Giant Rat activates, letting you special summon an earth attribute monster of fifteen hundred or less attack to the field."

The Sin laughed as his deck began to churn. "But wait, before that happens don't forget the continuous effects spread across the field! From Corpse Looting I draw one card, and then I gain five hundred life points!" (GLP: 7100)

He snapped his fingers and both of their decks slid a card off. "And of course, from Multiplication of Greed we each draw one card. You take five hundred damage and I gain an additional five hundred life points." (GLP: 7600)

Mizuki winced, still with her eyes closed, as she was surrounded by a golden aura and drained of even more life points. _'Even if his attack fails he intends to burn my life points effectively.' _(MLP: 1500)

Greed thrust his hand out, pointing to the space on his field where Giant Rat used to be. Rising up from the remains was a massive crab-like creature with holes popping up from its back and giant orb in its jaws. "From my monster's special effect I summon Enraged Muka Muka (1200/600) who unlike the original gains four hundred points per card in my hand."

He fanned out the seven cards in his hand, grinning as his monster's attack strength soared to four thousand. "And since it was summoned during my battle phase, it can attack! But even as it does, since it's my battle phase I can activate the quick-play magic card Immediate Satisfaction, allowing me to draw two cards!"

Two more cards left his deck, and then each of them drew again. Mizuki grimaced as she took another hit to her life points, even while Greed was gaining life points. "Don't you see? I'm unstoppable!" (MLP: 1000) (GLP: 8600)

Since he now held nine cards in his hand Greed's mighty monster gained eight hundred more attack points. "And of course, since my monster gained attack points I can now activate another quick-play. This one is Reward of Valor, which lets me draw three cards!" (GLP: 9100)

Mizuki drew, biting back a cry of pain as she was forced to draw another card. And since it was once again outside of her draw phase she had to take damage. _'I just have to survive until my plan works out.'_ (MLP: 500) (GLP: 9600)

Greed laughed, adjusting his grip on his large hand of cards so he could keep holding it. "At twelve cards my Enraged Muka Muka has six thousand attack points, more than you can handle! So now he'll squash Rune Blader!"

Smoke poured out the holes on his monsters back as it charged in, swinging its pincer at the rune monster. Greed's eyes widened when Mizuki smiled slightly and snapped her eyes open. "Greed…your focus on set strategies that are supposedly invincible has blinded you to my own actions!"

He frowned, and then realized what she was talking about. _'She never even tried to activate Prophecy Battle's effect to destroy Giant Rat! Which means…she wanted me to bring out Enraged Muka Muka and attack!'_

Mizuki tapped a button on her duel disk and one of her set cards flipped up, and the pincer stopped inches from her face. "Rune Symbol-Tiwaz negates your attack and grants me life points equal to your monster's attack points! So thanks for pumping him up like a brute!" (MLP: 6500)

Her Sin opponent growled and looked through his hand of cards. "So you escaped for the moment, but I've got my strategy and my powerful attacker so it won't take long to squash you. For now I set three cards face down and then discard two cards from my hand to go back to my hand limit!"

Snickering he held up his two discarded cards, one a monster and the other a magic card. "My two choices are Greed Embodied (0/0) and Repayment of Losses. As long as Greed Embodied is in the grave no player has a hand limit, and when Repayment of Losses goes to the grave I draw a card."

He placed another card into his hand, and since he no longer had a hand limit he didn't have to immediately discard it. "Of course, now my hand size is down to seven cards, but that still leaves Enraged Muka Muka with an impressive four thousand attack points. Try and get past that!"

Mizuki drew, adding an eighth card to an already impressive hand size. For the first time in quite a while her hand was actually larger than her opponent's. "Alright Greed, at this point I suppose I could continue to block attacks with Prophecy Battle, but I've got another plan for it!"

Her continuous trap card began to shake and Greed's eyes widened. "It has another special effect? I didn't anticipate that!"

"That's right, Prophecy Battle has two effects. The first is the effect that's activated when the opponent attacks. But to activate its second effect I have to sacrifice it. After that I can guess any number of cards on top of my deck, and for each type I guess correctly I gain a thousand life points!" Greed calmed down after hearing those words and snickered.

"Oh, if that's all then I'm far from worried. See, if that's how you deal with things then I've got no issues at all. A guessing game won't get you many life points, and I can just smash them all with my strategy anyways!" He threw back his head and began to laugh, his eyes shimmering with excitement.

"Greed, you're so short-sighted that you can't even look to the past to learn from your mistakes! Or did you already forget how I got around the limitation of Prophecy Battle once before?" Greed's laughter died down, and he shot a look at her duel disk.

"But…you already used that card! And I know for a fact that you only have one copy of each Rune Symbol in your deck, so it can't be another copy!" Mizuki pointed to her set card which immediately activated.

"You're right Greed, but I can activate my set Blank Rune to copy the power of Rune Symbol-Ansuz to check and rearrange the top five cards of my deck! So prepare for the power of prophecy to overcome you!" Five cards flew off her deck and with practiced ease she changed the order and then slid them back into her deck.

She slid her eyes shut and began to intone. "I choose magic, magic, monster, magic, trap, magic, trap, monster…."

Her body was engulfed in a blue light as she spoke, but as she said monster for the second time the glow faded away. "It seems I was able to guess only seven cards correctly. So now my Prophecy Battle goes to the cemetery and I gain seven thousand life points!" (MLP: 13500)

Greed grinned and motioned to one of his three set cards even as she slid her trap into the grave. "Since you're done I'll start my burn strategy! I activate Reckless Greed, which lets me draw two cards right now at a cost of my next two draw phases!"

He picked up two cards from his deck and then the field hummed with energy. "And next, Multiplication of Greed kicks in its effect to let us each draw one card!"

Both players drew, and then Mizuki was constricted by the golden aura of the continuous effect of Greed. "Bit by bit your life points will be drained Rising Star, its inevitable against my strategy!" (MLP: 13000)

He snapped his fingers and his duel disk began to glow, his life point counter ticking upwards. "Since I experienced two different instances of card drawing the continuous floating effect of Solemn Wishes allows me to gain a total of one thousand life points." (GLP: 10600)

Once each player had managed to sort through their hand of cards, he shifted his hand to point at the middle set card on his field. "Since I've already burned two draw phases I feel fine activating this trap, Treasure Hunting! This lets me remove one card in my cemetery from the game that involves card drawing and lets me activate its effect. So I remove Reckless Greed and draw two more cards!"

Another two cards left his deck, and he quietly placed his Reckless Greed trap card into his blazer. "But there's a secret about using the effect of Reckless Greed twice that you probably don't know. Allow me to explain, you see"

He was cut off when Mizuki smirked. "Skipped draw phases don't stack up, so since you activated a second Reckless Greed the two draw phases being skipped are the draw phases you had already skipped. So effectively you got to draw four cards at the cost of two draw phases."

Greed scowled at having his fun taken away from him. "Fine, but even though you already knew that it doesn't change anything. And I know by now you know the deal. We each draw one card!"

Just as before Multiplication of Greed forced each player to draw an additional card, and Mizuki was hit by the effect of Greed. "Bit by bit your life points slip away while Solemn Wishes boosts mine!" (MLP: 12500) (GLP: 11600)

Mizuki looked at her monster and smiled at it. _'I'm glad I drew you Rune Blader, because I'd be in trouble without you. Your immunity to trap targeting has let me keep a monster despite the deadly effect of Midas Touch.'_

Her eyes met Greed's and she planted her hands on her hips. "Don't stop there Greed. If you're going to burn me to prove the power of your untouchable strategy, why not keep at it?"

The Sin sneered and pointed at his final set card. "As you wish Rising Star! I activate Maximized Greed, which lets me draw one card for each card I've drawn this turn! Which means I now draw six cards!"

Six more cards left his deck, giving him a massive hand. "As an added bonus Maximized Greed removes any negative floating effects caused by draw cards used this turn. In other words, my draw phases aren't skipped anymore. And of course, we draw again!"

Mizuki drew another card, now giving her eleven in hand. Then she looked at Greed and saw that his draw gave him an even twenty card hand. "And now I take damage." (MLP: 12000)

Greed smirked as his life points shot up, finally passing hers again. "That's right, and I gain them!" (GLP: 12600)

His smirk widened as smoke began to pour out of Enraged Muka Muka's back like crazy. "But wait, there's more! Since I have more cards in my hand than before, my monster's attack points skyrocket to an amazing ninety-two hundred!"

Mizuki flipped around one of her drawn cards, looking almost amused. "Actually Greed, let's make that nineteen. I activate Rune Charm-Resource Removal, which lets me name one card. If that card exists in your hand you discard it and take one thousand damage. If I guess wrong then I take one thousand damage."

Greed fanned out his hand of twenty cards, scowling. _'In this situation it actually becomes more likely she'll guess right. With so many cards in hand there's a high chance that just by guessing an average card that most duelists use she'd be guessing correctly.'_

She raised her hand and pointed at his fanned out cards. "The card name I declare is Greed's Fallout Shield! Now discard it and take your damage like a man!"

He scowled and slipped the named card into his cemetery slot. _'That's far from a common card. Somehow she had figured out I was holding it. That must be why she knew not to use Prophecy Battle last turn!' _(GLP: 11600)

With one less card in his hand his monster's attack points fell by four hundred points. "Greed, from my hand I activate Rune Mark-Bond of Death!"

The Sin's eyes widened as he remembered her duel during the Rank-Farming Tournament. _'That's the card she used against that Taylor kid! It lets her select a monster and mark it. When that monster is destroyed I'll take its attack as damage while she takes half that amount as damage!'_

His inner monologue was interrupted when she placed two cards into her duel disk, which appeared face down in front of her. "I set those two cards face down, and then I activate the continuous card Merkstave. After that, I finally end my turn."

Greed drew and his life points went up. But that didn't change what was on his mind. _'No…her strategy has…but that's not fair!' _(GLP: 12100)

He grimaced even as he drew another card from Greed Incarnate's effect, putting him at twenty-two cards in hand. Then Multiplication of Greed activated and let both of them draw another card. _'Twenty-three cards in hand, but now that's become a liability!'_ (GLP: 13100) (MLP: 11500)

With so many cards in hand he was having a difficult time trying to find a way around her strategy. _'There has to be a way to break her strategy! I swore that I would never again let anyone benefit from my power! Greed that benefits someone else is useless!'_

_"Just turn one more, then that'll be the end of it."_ Greed shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the memory of that obsessed face.

_'Just one more, always one more! But it was never enough for them. Even though I hated them, they taught me an important lesson. The only way to gain what you want is to crush the wants and needs of those in your way! And that's exactly what I'll do here!' _With a twisted look on his face Greed grabbed one of the cards in his hand and activated it.

"I won't allow you to activate your strategy so I play Cyclone! This quick-play magic card destroys one magic or trap card on the field, and my target is your continuous magic card Merkstave! So say goodbye to it!" A wind picked up on his field and began to whirl towards Mizuki's field.

The Rising Star frowned and looked at her face down cards. _'Without Merkstave in play I can't alternate my usage of my Rune Symbol effects. So if my strategy is going to work, it has to work right now!'_

"Reverse card open, Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! And since Merkstave is still in play at the time of activation I can use its standard effect to destroy one monster on the field. And my choice is Enraged Muka Muka!" The giant bloated monster shrieked and smoke poured out of it just before it exploded, flooding the field with flames and smog.

Greed groaned as the force of the blast rocked him and the room. _'Damn…and with twenty-two cards in my hand at the time of activation my monster's attack was ten thousand!'_

The smoke cleared and Greed's life points began to fall rapidly. Mizuki grinned and held up a card from her graveyard. "Since your monster was destroyed the effect of Rune Mark-Bond of Death activates. You receive your monster's ten thousand attack points as damage and I take half that amount!" (GLP: 3100)

She placed the card back into her graveyard and smiled as her life points began to decrease. "Of course my strategy wasn't that simple. Take a look at my duel disk." She held it up, revealing her life points. (MLP: 9000)

"What? How is that possible? You should have taken five thousand points of damage and been at sixty-five hundred life points!" Mizuki smirked and held up another card, flipping it around to reveal a four star monster.

"Its simple, I removed Rune Guardian from my graveyard to reduce all life point damage I receive this turn by half. Which means instead of taking five thousand damage I took twenty-five hundred." Greed ground his teeth together as Mizuki slipped the named card into a pocket inside her blue blazer.

"But that shouldn't be possible either! You never played that monster and you never had to discard any cards from your hand or deck, so how could it have been in your cemetery?" Mizuki's first response was to point at her Rune Blader.

"I already said it that you're too involved in your own strategy to think about other people's strategies actively during a duel. Sure you prepare for counter strategies, but not ones thought up in mid-duel. The monster I had set that was sacrificed for Rune Blader was my Rune Guardian!" Her opponent grimaced, remembering when she had tributed an unrevealed set monster to bring out her immune monster.

With one eye twitching Greed slammed another card into his duel disk. "It's useless! Although I've been keeping them and doing nothing much, you should know by now that with over twenty cards in hand I'm bound to have something useful! Such as my Instant Replay magic card, which lets me reactivate the effect of the last card I played. Go, Cyclone!"

Mizuki bit her bottom lip as the cyclone tore apart her final set card, leaving her with just her Rune Blader on the field. "I'm not worried really, since any damage to my life points this turn is halved that makes it much harder to hurt me."

"Harder maybe, but not impossible! You see, it's time for me to show you another layer to my unbeatable combo! First I set five cards face down. And then I sacrifice all five of them to the combined effects of Body of Sin-Greed and Soul of Sin-Greed!" His five cards appeared face down briefly before flipping up and shattering.

With a smirk Greed fanned out and showed the five sacrificed cards to Mizuki. "The five cards I sacrificed were two copies each of Solemn Wishes and Greed, plus the Appropriate trap card. Care to figure out what that means Rising Star?"

Mizuki gulped, realizing the combo. "That means that now whenever I draw a card outside of the draw phase I take fifteen hundred damage. And when you draw a card you gain fifteen hundred life points."

She gulped, imagining a giant version each of Appropriate and Multiplication of Greed hovering over the field. "The effect of Appropriate allows you to draw two cards whenever I draw outside of the draw phase. And when you draw from an effect Multiplication of Greed lets us each draw one card. In other words…"

The cards in her hand shook at the horrible power of that combo. "That means that you've created an infinite loop! Each one activates the other's effect, so either one of us decks out first or I lose all my life points!"

Greed began to laugh, his eyes and lips twisted into a malevolent appearance. "Yes, that's right! Now you see that it's hopeless. Or at least it is starting on my next turn, because the effects of cards I sacrifice while face down don't kick in until the end phase of the opponent's turn. So if you survive this turn you have only one turn left before your defeat!"

With a smirk he flipped around another card and five cards were shot out of his graveyard. "I activate Jar of Avarice, letting me shuffle five monsters in my cemetery back into my deck in order to draw two cards."

He pulled another two cards off his deck, and then grabbed at his deck again. "And now, more drawing and more burning of you and more life points for me!" (MLP: 8750) (GLP: 4100)

With a quick look over the remaining sixteen cards in his hand he saw an available strategy. "Well look what we have here. The magic card Monster Reborn, which I use to revive Enraged Muka Muka (1200/600) from the cemetery!"

His field shimmered and a fat demonic man in a cook's outfit formed next to his crab-like key monster. "Meet The Bistro Butcher (1800/1000), a perfect addition to my deck. See, whenever he deals you life point damage you have to draw two cards. And now, Enraged Muka Muka (7200) attacks Rune Blader!"

Mizuki grimaced as a pincer slammed into her blader's chest, blowing him apart. "The damage is cut in half!" (MLP: 6300)

Still smirking sadistically Greed pointed at her, enjoying seeing her field barren. "The Bistro Butcher now attacks directly, and even though the damage is halved you'll still feel it!"

Mizuki screamed in pain when she was slashed across the chest with a kitchen knife. She stumbled and barely caught herself before falling. "And that means your monster's effect activates." (MLP: 5400)

She reached for her deck and drew two cards, then whimpered as Greed's continuous effect burned her again. "Even though I drew two cards, its like drawing just one thanks to Rune Guardian." (MLP: 4900)

Greed smirked and snapped a card off his deck. "Shut up and draw from Multiplication of Greed and feel the pain!" (GLP: 4600)

As soon as she did she had to grit her teeth together in order to avoid screaming at the pain she felt. _'It's really getting intense the more I feel it. At this rate it will be hard to hold out.'_ (MLP: 4650)

With a laugh Greed placed two cards into his disk, letting each one appear directly behind his two monsters. "I'll throw those two cards face down and call my turn to its conclusion. And now, take your last turn Rising Star!"

_'Forty-eight.'_

Mizuki reached for her deck but it crackled in response. She winced and drew her hand away. "Why can't I draw?"

"That's because of my continuous trap Draw Paradox. As long as this trap is in play neither of us draws during our draw phase, instead we draw during the opponent's. And that's considered to be outside of your draw phase, so now even your normal once per turn draw will burn you!"

Shaking off the feeling of despair Mizuki spread out her ten cards, and began to analyze her options. _'All along I've seen it, the strategy that could defeat him, but I wasn't expecting to be forced into using it completely in the space of one turn. But now, with the way his strategy has become, I have no choice!'_

She took a deep breath and looked around at the golden statues. _'I have to win for their sakes. He's wrong, fighting for your desires isn't what makes you strongest, it's fighting for the sake of others!'_

Her eyes drifted shut and a smile crossed her features. Greed felt a pulse of…something. _'What in the world was that?'_

His eyes widened as the golden room shimmered and was replaced by an empty darkness with purple lightning flashing in the distance. And the only things there were the cards they had in play, themselves, and the statues. "You…summoned a Darkness Game? But why?"

Mizuki's eyes snapped open revealing bright blue orbs. "Because here, I feel like everything is the way it should be. And here, I know exactly what I want!"

Greed's entire body shook, but he knew it wasn't physical. _'It's like my spirit is vibrating…what is this?'_

He stumbled backwards when the area in-between them rippled and turned into an alleyway where dozens of people sat crouched. "No…this place is…it can't be!"

The sound of someone rooting through the trash caught his attention, and both he and Mizuki watched as a frighteningly skinny boy of about ten pulled his head out of a trash bin. He held up a crumbled up burger wrapper as if in victory. "Get this crap out of my face!"

Mizuki's now blue eyes clouded up slightly and she shook her head. "I can't do that…I have to know. I can't beat you without understanding you. I have to know, what made you a Sin? What made you bid farewell to the name Yamato Kosuke and take the name Greed."

Greed snarled and attacked the boy, only to have his hands pass straight through. "Tread lightly Rising Star, this is my forbidden past. You see, back in those days I was so poor you couldn't begin to comprehend it. My family and I had to scrounge desperately in the trash day in and day out just to survive!"

The image shifted, becoming a slightly older version of the young boy staring in awe at a shining golden half-eaten apple in his hand. "Then when I was eleven my powers appeared, and I discovered that I could turn anything I touched into gold. Of course, I had no choice about it. Anything my hands touched turned to gold, so I couldn't touch anything anymore."

When the image changed, this time it showed an older man and a older woman, each in tatters holding out a small gold nugget to a well-dressed man in a jewelry store. "Of course my parents had been poor and suffering for years, so they took the chance they had and used my powers. They sold gold as if we had found it in a secret mine, and since it was genuine for the first week everyone believed it. They extorted me to make themselves money!"

A depressed looking young Yamato was curled up in a ball in a corner of small apartment building, his mother and father eating at the dinner table. "But they got all the benefit. I couldn't touch anything, so they didn't get me anything. I barely even ate anymore, and I slipped into depression. I felt used…that all that mattered was the money to my parents. All I was to them was a gold processor!"

He grinned darkly, and Mizuki looked even sadder than before. "You look depressed Rising Star? You were the one who wanted to know. Now maybe you understand how I came to the conclusion I did. I realized that the only way to get anything in life was to give in to your basest desires and take it, even if it was by force! All that mattered was greed, which was the driving force in everyone's life!"

Tapping a finger to his temple, Greed continued, even as the image showed an older Yamato, perhaps fourteen or fifteen, standing in the stands of a race track. "So I did just that, I seized my opportunity by taking everything my parents had earned extorting me and bet it a dark horse in a race. By turning the horse shoes of all the other horses gold I made their feet too heavy to race easily, and my horse won!"

Then Mizuki saw what she had been expecting for a while. A happy looking Greed with a briefcase bumped into a tall young man in a sport coat. "That's when you met Saint Beatrix."

"That's right, I met Saint and he taught me how to control my powers. He never asked me to use them for him, and I knew he was a fool for it. He gave to me without asking for anything in return except that I offer my loyalty and begin to duel for him. But of course, I had learned that loyalty was a commodity with almost no value. It can't be confirmed and can't buy you anything!" He laughed, passing a hand through the fake Saint's neck as if cutting it off.

"After he gave me what I needed I knew that his time was coming to an end. When Saint ceases to be useful to me I'll cut my ties to him. I've accepted the way of the world, where only possession matters. I'll do absolutely anything for my greed. To gain fortune, fame, and power I would do anything at all. That's why we're dueling here, so that I can crush you and take what I want from you!" Mizuki nodded and closed her eyes, letting the images fade.

She reached for her hand of cards and then opened her eyes, meeting his directly. "I understand Greed, and while I can't sympathize with what you experienced as a child, I can safely say that nothing is worth giving in to your desires as deeply as you have. To be human means to have restraint, to understand that we can't always get what we want."

An image of a smirking Tobias appeared in her mind and she shook it away. "I've dealt with someone before who was obsessed with getting what he wanted. Unlike you he hadn't experienced poverty; he was just a spoiled rotten brat. But the result is the same. If you'll go to any lengths to get your fame, fortune, and power…then I'll go to whatever lengths I have to in order to prevent you from hurting people in the process!"

Greed gulped, those bright blue eyes chilling him to the bone. _'What is with this? Where is all of this power coming from, and why isn't this Darkness Game affecting her? It's making me feel weak…but she seems relaxed here! What is this girl?'_

Mizuki held up one of her ten cards and cast one glance at each of the three statues. "In order to protect my friends I'll beat even one of the strongest of the Seven Sins. Greed, prepare yourself! This is the last turn!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Wow, another three part duel. Surprising isn't it?

_Next Time: With Greed's past revealed and the Darkness Game begun, Mizuki declares that the last turn is here. Yet in the space of one turn can she defeat Greed and his strategy, or is it hopeless? And if she does win, what will become of Greed after disobeying Saint's orders?_

_See it all in, The Purification of Greed!_


	61. The Purification of Greed

Author's Note: Let the duel against Greed come to its conclusion.

**Chapter Sixty-One: The Purification of Greed**

_Mizuki reached for her hand of cards and then opened her eyes, meeting his directly. "I understand Greed, and while I can't sympathize with what you experienced as a child, I can safely say that nothing is worth giving in to your desires as deeply as you have. To be human means to have restraint, to understand that we can't always get what we want."_

_An image of a smirking Tobias appeared in her mind and she shook it away. "I've dealt with someone before who was obsessed with getting what he wanted. Unlike you he hadn't experienced poverty; he was just a spoiled rotten brat. But the result is the same. If you'll go to any lengths to get your fame, fortune, and power…then I'll go to whatever lengths I have to in order to prevent you from hurting people in the process!"_

_Greed gulped, those bright blue eyes chilling him to the bone. 'What is with this? Where is all of this power coming from, and why isn't this Darkness Game affecting her? It's making me feel weak…but she seems relaxed here! What is this girl?'_

_Mizuki held up one of her ten cards and cast one glance at each of the three statues. "In order to protect my friends I'll beat even one of the strongest of the Seven Sins. Greed, prepare yourself! This is the last turn!"_

"For my first card I activate Rune Symbol-Sowilo! I draw one card and gain five hundred life points, but then Multiplication of Greed makes us each draw one card! Which means while the first draw's damage is negated, the second one's isn't." She snapped two cards off her deck in quick succession while Greed drew slowly, one eyebrow raised. (GLP: 5100) (MLP: 4150)

She grabbed another of her cards and held it up. "Next I activate Rune Symbol-Wunjo, using its effect to special summon a level four or lower monster from my deck. My choice is Rune Alchemist (1300/200) in attack mode!"

Greed's eyes widened in surprise. "I recognize that monster. When you summon it, its effect makes you draw three cards. Why would you choose that monster when you knew what was going to happen?"

Mizuki's response was to count out three cards and then grab them swiftly off her deck. She seemed unfazed as the power of Greed damaged her. "Because I have a plan, and because for each Rune Symbol I drew with his effect I gain five hundred life points. I've drawn one." (MLP: 3150)

The Sin still wasn't sure what she was trying to accomplish, especially when she folded up two of the drawn cards and dumped them into her graveyard. "Before any other effects activated I'll choose these two of the three cards to discard for his effect. Then I add the other card to my hand."

"Whatever you're searching your deck for is useless! I activate the effect of Multiplication of Greed, forcing us each to draw an additional card! Now say farewell to more life points!" Each one drew a card at the same time as the other, only the change in their life points were polar opposites. (GLP: 5600) (MLP: 2650)

He smirked and pointed at the alchemist. "Next the effect of Midas Touch finally gets to go off successfully! Since you drew outside of your draw phase Midas Touch removes Rune Alchemist from the game and replaces him with a useless Midas Token!"

Her Rune Alchemist turned to gold, remaining only as a useless statue taking up one of her monster zones. "You're right, he's been removed from play and that's a pity. Of course, I'm not done yet."

Flipping around another of her cards she pointed it at Greed's remaining face down card. "Go, Rune Symbol-Hagalaz! Destroy his set card!"

Greed snorted and tapped a button on his golden duel disk. "I'll just activate that card in chain. Reveal yourself my Jar of Greed and let me draw one card!" (GLP: 6100)

He pulled another card off his deck and added it to his hand. Then he smirked and reached for his deck again. "I don't get why you don't seem to be hurting anymore, but Greed's effect still burns you when we draw." (GLP: 6600) (MLP: 2150)

The Rising Star flipped up another card and caught one from her cemetery. "Rune Symbol-Jera lets me pick one card from my grave and add it to my hand. Next I activate that card, Rune Symbol-Hagalaz to destroy Draw Paradox!"

His card shattered, but he didn't seem worried. After all, it was only one tiny fraction of his ultimate combo that would activate during her end phase. _'She doesn't stand a chance.'_

Mizuki looked over the twelve cards she had in her hand, and then over at Greed's nineteen card hand. "Greed, it's time to activate the special ability of Rune Alchemist! It can be activated in several ways, but at this time when he's in the removed from play pile I can once per duel shuffle all cards in my cemetery into my deck!"

Fifteen cards slid out of her graveyard slot and she folded them into a neat stack. "For each card shuffled into my deck in this manner I gain one hundred life points, so my deck is renewed save for the cards I have removed from the game!" (MLP: 3650)

Greed counted silently, trying to figure out how many cards that meant were no longer in her deck. _'She's got thirteen cards in her hand, plus she has three monsters in her removed from play pile. So that's only sixteen gone. If I were trying to deck her out that'd be a problem.'_

The Rising Star flipped around another of her thirteen cards. "I play Rune Symbol-Mannaz, which totals up our life points and then divides them equally between the two of us." (GLP: 5125) (MLP: 5125)

The Sin's head titled to the side, frowning as if something was nagging at him. _'Why do I get this vague feeling that her graveyard being empty is a bad thing? I vaguely remember some card that brutally took advantage of that.'_

When Mizuki held up her next card Greed remembered. _'No way…that card that creates an infinite loop!'_

"Its not quite done yet Greed! I activate Rune Symbol-Othala, which goes to the grave and then lets me shuffle my grave and draw the top two cards. I draw it and Mannaz, taking a thousand damage in the process!" She pulled the only two cards in her grave out, ignoring the life point damage. (MLP: 4125)

Immediately the effects of Multiplication of Greed, Solemn Wishes, and Greed activated. Each duelist drew a single card while Greed himself gained five hundred life points and Mizuki took five hundred damage. "How is this helping you Rising Star? It's ludicrous!" (MLP: 3625) (GLP: 5625)

Mizuki smirked and held up her two magic cards. "Go, Infinite Life Slashing Loop!" Their life points blurred, adding together as she slid Mannaz into the grave. (MLP: 4625) (GLP: 4625)

Then she drew two cards from Othala's effect, then another from Multiplication of Greed's. "This is lunacy! It accomplishes nothing!" (MLP: 3125) (GLP: 5125)

Once again the next part of the loop activated, totaling up their life points and dividing them in half. "Lunacy? Let's just find out exactly what it does accomplish, shall we?" (MLP: 4125) (GLP: 4125)

Still the loop continued until the Mizuki still held Othala but hadn't played it anymore because she longer had the life points for it. "I don't get this, are you stupid or something? You had all those life points and you wasted them just to get me to this level?" (MLP: 1125) (GLP: 1125)

She fanned out the twenty-one cards she was now holding and then looked up at Greed's massive twenty-seven card hand. "You know, the infinite loop you saw before relies on Rune Symbol-Kenaz and Merkstave, but wouldn't work in this situation because I'd have lost life points faster than you. So this method was better to get me to this point."

"Now, here's the part where it gets complicated, so pay close attention! I activate Rune Symbol-Laguz, which I'll use to remove one card in my deck from the game, which I can return to my hand at a cost of one thousand points of damage." She searched through her deck until she found the chosen card, and then placed it in her blazer.

Greed ground his teeth together, growing increasingly frustrated. "Get to the point already!"

"The point? Here, let me show you! I activate Rune Symbol-Dagaz, which shuffles up my cemetery, hand, and deck together and lets me draw a brand new hand of five cards!" Greed stared at her for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.

"You fool! Now you take twenty-five hundred damage and lose the duel! Its over!" To his surprise Mizuki just smirked as she drew five cards from her deck, putting her at a smaller sized hand. Then she lifted her duel disk. (MLP: 2625)

"Actually, back when our life points reached fifty-one twenty-five I placed a counter on a special card in my hand called Rune Charm-Illusion. It effectively seals that life point amount in the Illusion card, and at any time that counter can be sacrificed to reset my life points there. Meaning when I began drawing, that was the amount I had." Greed snarled and reached for his deck.

"It doesn't matter! You'll still burn, since now the combined effects of my cards activates!" Mizuki nodded and calmly drew a sixth card from her deck while Greed added yet another card to his already massive hand. (MLP: 2125) (GLP: 1625)

Mizuki grinned and suddenly her life points took a steady hit, surprising Greed. "What the heck? Why are your life points dropping?" (MLP: 1125)

"Didn't I tell you to pay attention? I activated the effect of Rune Symbol-Laguz, so I took a thousand damage to add that out of play card to my hand." She tucked that card into her hand, giving her seven cards now.

One by one she placed four cards into her disk which all appeared in front of her in her magic and trap zones. "I throw those four face down and then I set a monster in defense mode. Which leaves me with just my recovered card and one card. Which means its time to activate the next step in my combo!"

Light built up around the card she was holding up, and suddenly a card popped out of Greed's deck. "What's going on? What are you trying to accomplish?"

"Trying to accomplish? Just wait and see, I've activated Rune Charm-Called Power which lets me declare one card name and force you to activate that card from your deck! Go ahead; find out what my choice was!" Greed frowned and looked down at the new card he was holding, only to discover to his horror the exact nature of that card.

"No…that's impossible!" Mizuki smirked as Greed's hand was dragged slowly towards his duel disk.

"Impossible? Not at all, statistically speaking there wasn't a better choice left in your deck! So now, Greed…it's time for you activate that magic card! Go, Card Destruction!" Greed roared with frustration as he slammed his massive hand into his graveyard slot.

"No need to count Greed, you were holding twenty-eight cards so go ahead and draw twenty-eight cards." Greed sneered and began to pull the cards off his deck at a furious pace even as his life points were restored. (GLP: 2125)

Mizuki didn't even wince as Midas Touch froze her monster into gold and her life points took another hit as she drew one card from Card Destruction. "It's almost over Greed, or can't you see that your greed is leading you towards your ultimate demise?" (MLP: 625)

Greed sneered and didn't even bother to look at his new replacement hand. "You're thinking to deck me out? Well think again little girl! I've got quite the large sized deck to prevent that! And I've still got plenty of cards left in my deck!"

Mizuki shrugged and picked up another card off her deck, ignoring the burn from Greed. "Actually, once you draw your card from Multiplication of Greed you'll realize that you only have six cards left in your deck." (MLP: 125) (GLP: 2625)

He frowned and looked down at his deck, discovering to his horror that she was exactly right. "But…how could you know that? That's not possible!"

"Maybe it doesn't seem possible to you, but for me it was easy. I counted up your deck in my head by looking at the cards at the start of the duel, when you had eight-five cards in your deck. Then I've been keeping a mental count of every card you've used, which is a total of seventy-nine at this point. Which leaves six."

Even though he was frustrated by her ability, he also realized her mistake. "You've failed though, I've still got six cards left in my deck and you've got no way of making me draw them all. Not without forcing yourself to draw at least.

Mizuki looked down at her hand, and then smirked. "Actually, I've got that combo right here Greed! From my hand I activate Rune Charm-Summon, which lets me special summon one monster from my hand to the field. Since I've only got one card, that choice is obvious!"

A glowing white armored form descended onto her field, its body filling the darkness with its holy power. "Appear in the darkness, Rune Paladin (2600/2400)! And now, one of my face down cards activates!"

The card flashed and then vanished, leaving a holy glow around another of her face down cards. "Rune Charm-Immunity allows one card to activate its effect for the rest of the duel without being negated. Which means I can activate this face down card even if normally I couldn't."

Despite not understanding Greed felt like he was being led towards his defeat. "Next, Rune Charm-Death Touch! This lets me destroy one monster on the field and my choice is Rune Paladin!"

She bowed to it, and it burst into millions of motes of light. "Farewell Rune Paladin, I'm glad you could serve me in this important duel. But your sacrifice was not in vain, as it allows me to activate my trap card, Rune Curse-Degradation!"

Greed's eyes widened and he took a step back. "No…how could you have gotten all of these cards? It shouldn't be possible!"

"It happened that way because that's what I imagined happening, and because before I came to duel you I engineered my deck around the concept of decking even you out! Every mathematical possibility was included, but it's the imagination and desire during the duel that makes it all possible!" Her trap card flashed and a ghostly hand reached for the cards left in Greed's deck.

"For every level of the destroyed Rune monster, Rune Curse-Degradation discards one card from the top of your deck! And since my monster was a level seven, your entire deck is gone now!" Every last card was pulled into Greed's graveyard, giving him nothing left.

Greed's knees quaked and dropped out from under him. He planted his hands on the dark ground, feeling helpless. "Not…possible. My greed…defeated…"

Mizuki held up one hand as a thumbs up, her face set. "Greed…my turn…is done!"

She turned her thumb down and Greed's duel disk churned, the empty tray whining. Slowly the holograms faded, leaving them alone in the darkness. (Greed: Loss by Deck Out)

Greed looked up, fear in his eyes as he saw her approaching. "Do what you want with me for the punishment game, it won't compare to what's going to happen to me when Saint finds out I disobeyed his orders."

Mizuki frowned. "What orders did you disobey?"

"He doesn't want any of us Sins facing you yet, not until he's determined something for himself. I don't know what it is, but I disobeyed him by coming directly and he won't be happy. So let's end this." Mizuki stared down at the Sin, and then turned away.

"Never both me or any of my friends again, and give up your belief in the nature of the world. That's what my punishment to you is, to say a final farewell to the name Greed, and return to being Yamato Kosuke once again." The darkness parted, and Mizuki walked over to one of the golden statues.

Greed looked up at her back, and then pressed a button at the bottom of his duel disk. "I can't afford to have anything go wrong, so Rising Star, I prepared ahead of time."

Mizuki shrieked as lightning shot out of her duel disk, crackling along her body. When the current stopped she fell face first to the ground, unconscious. Greed slowly stood and walked over to her body, sneering. "Even if I'll have to give up on those things, it won't matter once Saint is through with me. But when you wake up…I hope you remember me as I am. With that last image of me frozen in your mind thanks to that little shock my trick gave you."

He bent down and pulled the little chip out of the special-rules slot of her duel disk. Then he tossed it into the air and caught it once again. "Got to thank the doll for that, if I ever see her again that is."

The Sin started to jog out of the arena, but before he reached the exit he frowned and called out one last thing. "Oh yeah, even though you can't hear me, before I go I wanted you to know. Those are just statues you dumbass, I'd never have gotten away with turning them to gold and carting them here all by myself. Don't you know how heavy real gold is?"

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Twenty minutes later Greed found himself at the dock where a speed boat was waiting for him, ready to take him away if he failed in that duel. "Looks like everything worked out and those loser students were able to arrange this boat for me."

When he came around the final bend the lights came on, illuminating the boat and the four figures on it. The first was the tall and smiling figure of Saint Beatrix. Snoring gently just behind him was Sloth. Then there was a shadowed female form and another male form to each side of him. "Ah, Greed. How pleasant of you to have made. Or perhaps I should be calling you Yamato now."

Greed cursed his luck and turned around, only to find himself face to face with the purple haired Pride and the lackluster Envy. "You guys too eh? I should have suspected as much..."

The warmth in Saint's voice couldn't have been more deceptive to Greed, even though he knew better. "Che, even now you're so calm and happy go-lucky that I want to rip your throat out Saint! Did you honestly believe that you could have my loyalty without buying it with something of value?"

Saint smiled as he stepped up directly in front of Greed, making it so the Sin had nowhere to go. He held up a hand and gently placed it on his insubordinate Sin's shoulder. "Dear Greed, you failed to see that I never expected loyalty out of you. Now you've made your last sin, betraying me. And it is time that you understand what happens to those who are full of sin in this beautiful world."

He raised his hand, brushing the back of it against Greed's cheek. The Sin jerked his head away, but found himself restrained by Pride behind him. The other Sin's superior strength prevented him from moving. "Bastard…you'll pay for this in the end!"

Saint's bright blue eyes shimmered in the artificial light, and his smile seemed brighter and warmer than ever. "Poor boy, you've got so much pain and terror deep in your heart. Hatred as well. But above all greed fills your heart. And with that knowledge of your nature of sin all that you are is open to me."

The German man's palm was planted against the struggling Greed's forehead, and it began to glow. Greed screamed in frustration as light began to be emitted from within his body. In moments light was even shining out of his eyes. "I don't care what you do, I will always be GREED!"

When the light faded Saint nodded to Pride, who released the Sin. Greed's body went limp and he dropped to the ground, looking up blearily at Saint. "Who…am I?"

Saint smiled kindly down at the confused looking teenager, and the other Sins backed away. Slowly Saint knelt and patted the teenager's head. "It's alright my boy, you've suffered greatly in the past, but now you are purified. Let me teach you all about this beautiful world and what lies ahead for it. Let me teach you what it is like to pure…just like me."

He pulled the former Sin to his feet, smiling and gesturing broadly to the island of Duelist Academy. "Even in darkness the light shines beautifully to purify the land and the people. Will you help me purify the world, make everyone perfect…just like you and I?"

With a hopeful look on his face the former Sin nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely! I'll do whatever you want me to!"

Saint smiled beatifically and whispered into the boy's ear. "Then welcome to the world as a pure man, True Virtue Midas."

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Alone in the room that Envy had once shared with Aya Yukio and Mizuki Mitsuhiro, she and Pride stood calmly, considering what they had seen. Envy shuddered. "I knew Saint was freaky, but that was terrifying. I can't even begin to comprehend what he did."

Pride sneered and reached into his pocket, fishing out a golden ring. "That's why you're going to side with me. Now, I believe its time for you to open that envelope, or am I wrong?"

Envy blinked, having barely remembered what Greed had told her. Slowly she pulled open her drawer and grabbed the envelope. "I can't see that it'll help much, but whatever."

She ripped it open and dumped the contents into her palms. They were a small letter and a Duel Monsters card. "Envy, if I've lost to the Rising Star then by now I'm not myself anymore. Give this card to Pride; he'll know what to do. And then you'll need to use your power to crush my spirit in whatever form it takes thanks to that asshole. Then when my spirit is crushed, let Pride deal with the remnant of who I used to be."

Envy dropped the letter and picked up the card, which showed itself to be a Greed trap card. "What the heck is he even talking about? For a guy that says he covers all the bases Greed sure is a strange guy."

Pride smirked and pressed in on the inside of the ring, and to Envy's surprise it folded outwards into a golden band. Then a small section in the middle popped open, revealing a little tiny microchip. "Greed is a smart man, though at times a fool. Give me the card."

Without hesitation Envy handed it to him, and then to her surprise he grabbed the card carefully and peeled it straight in half. It wasn't that he tore it, but rather he took the back and front and separated them. "Just like I thought, the card was thicker and heavier than normal. Take a look at what was inside."

She blinked, finding herself staring at a small disc, like the type used for computers, resting carefully between two of Pride's fingers. "A disc? In a card? What the heck's this about?"

Pride smirked and popped the disc into Envy's computer, letting it run its course. "Take a look at this. Its statistics for all sorts of global companies. Stock information, the sort of thing nobody in the world could memorize on their own. The sort of stuff Greed would have loved to have a perfect memory for to make his greed perfect."

Envy pointed at the little chip, still confused. "Then what's that chip for? And what's the point of all of this?"

"It's obvious…if Greed did what I think he did at least. You see, Mizuki Mitsuhiro's father came up with a formula for transmission through a Darkness Game, letting the events inside become visible. And he theorized that the will of the one who started it is carried out in brain waves." He smirked and placed the little microchip on the desk.

"Likely Greed placed a device designed to transmit brain waves somewhere on the Rising Star. With her perfect memory, if she started a Darkness Game it would be perfect. That information would have been transmitted to this chip. And if my guess is right, then he would have triggered it in desperation. Mizuki's perfect memory…everything she learned of Greed…all of it transmitted through the darkness to this chip." Envy stared at the little chip in awe, finding it hard to believe what she was saying.

"So that's like a saved version of Greed himself? And he wants us to load it onto the computer so that his consciousness survives then? But why get rid of his body then?" Pride frowned now, rubbing his chin.

"It's likely he wanted to get placed into a computer simulation so that he could perfectly absorb all this information he left behind. But I suppose he would be eliminating his body to get rid of it for good, perhaps to start over. I'm not entirely sure." Envy nodded, finally starting to understand.

"So we upload his consciousness onto the computer and let him become some perfect stock manipulator or something so he can have all the money he wants? Is that what this is about? I guess he really does plan everything through ahead of time." Pride smiled and held up the microchip in his open palm.

"Yes…Greed's plan was excellent. But he failed to plan around every tiny little aspect. He missed the most obvious thing." Envy plopped down on her bed, meeting Pride's eyes calmly.

"Okay, so what did he forget? Seems to me that he covered everything." The older Sin smirked and stepped away from the computer, staring down at the little chip in his hand.

"You see, Greed believed that loyalty was pointless, as it couldn't be truly bought. Yet he was expecting us to be loyal to his requests, to fulfill them simply because we made agreements in the past. What he failed to realize is that Pride and Greed are interrelated sins. And in the end, nobody will get in my way, and Greed was intending to become superior to me. That's just something I won't allow." He smirked coldly and dropped the chip to the ground.

Envy's eyes widened. "Pride…."

The Sin slammed his foot down and began grinding it against the carpet. He lifted his eyes to meet Envy's, and the other Sin jerked back. "Just keep this in mind, if you get in my way I'll squash you just like I did Greed."

He pulled open the door and stepped out, slamming it shut behind him. "Goodbye Greed, you made your last mistake. You failed in the end to understand that nobody can be my superior. I simply won't allow it. I hope you enjoy hell, because without a doubt, where else would a Sin end up?"

All that remained of Yamato Kosuke, the Sin known as Greed, was now a shell that used to be him and fragments of a microchip that just might have been the key to his survival.

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Author's Note: Looks like Greed screwed up.

_Next Time: With Greed's fall, Saint makes his move. At last the most loyal of the Sins, Sloth himself strikes. Although his target is uncertain, it seems nothing can stand against his power. In an unlikely turn of events, Shiro now takes his turn up at bat against the laziest of the Seven Sins, Sloth. Yet despite Shiro's determination it hardly seems as if Sloth is taking the challenge seriously, and barely seems awake as he duels. But for some strange reason no matter how hard Shiro tries to take down the lazy duelist, he can't land the finishing blow. What is Sloth's secret?_

_See it all in, Drifting to Sleep!_


	62. Drifting to Sleep

Author's Note: And now, Sloth shall be revealed.

**Chapter Sixty-Two: Drifting to Sleep**

"You know you weren't supposed to come, or had you forgotten?" The coldly spoken words only garnered the response of a raspberry from the little pink haired girl bouncing up and down on the bed. Frost sighed and shook her head in frustration.

Paradise giggled and did another flip, then bounced straight into the air again. "But everybody back home was so boring I just had to come bother big sisters Frost and Inferno myuu!"

Sitting in the corner of the room with her head in her hands was a very irritated looking Inferno. "Damn it…and I couldn't stand this brat back home, but now I have to put up with her here as well?"

She was suddenly wrapped up in a hug from behind, and a grinning Chizuma laid her head on Inferno's shoulder. "Awww just let it all out. I'll comfort you and keep you safe from her."

Inferno's left eye twitched, and she tilted her head enough so that she was looking directly at Chizuma. "You know…I don't swing that way."

Chizuma's smile was innocent enough, but Inferno knew better. "You sure? You come across a little off-center. My gaydar definitely goes off around you."

The red-head jumped out of her seat and thrust one finger into Chizuma's face, a furious look plastered on. "Shut the hell up! I'm totally straight and there's no such thing as gaydar!"

Both girls jerked back in surprise when a small pink head stuck itself between the two, grinning like a little cute devil. "What's gaydar myuu?"

The little True Sin was yanked back by a hand on her miniature blazer, and Frost held the girl up at eye level. "Paradise, with your power now here on this island you've endangered everyone. Now Inferno and I will be forced to devote our time to protecting you until someone from the colony arrives to take you home. You can't be allowed to fall into Saint's hands."

Chizuma rubbed her chin, looking thoughtful. "You know, she mentioned something about not being allowed to meet Mizuki. And she called her 'that big sister', just like she called you two. What's that about?"

Frost and Inferno exchanged worried glances while Paradise struggled uselessly to get out of Frost's grip. "Unfortunately that's not something we can tell you. All you need to know is that were are grateful that you brought Paradise to us. If she falls into Saint's hands it will be disastrous."

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"Disastrous? Why I do believe that it would be miraculous. Hmmm….however, those two do pose a significant threat that cannot easily be countered. I believe its time for you to spring into action my dear Sloth." His response was a loud snore, coming from the figure sprawled out on the bed behind him.

Saint smiled slightly, appearing amused. "Take your time. After all, regardless of the time it takes you always get the job done."

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Shiro popped his back, yawning loudly as he wandered the grassy area. He blinked and rubbed at his eyes, but saw that he wasn't wrong. "That's Chizuma…and she actually looks depressed. Weird."

They passed each other, and Shiro reached out a hand to stop her. "Hey Chizuma, you okay? You look terrified."

The doll-faced girl shook her head, but didn't lose that worried look. "I just…have to tell Mizuki-sama something that's all. Then I have to go back and check on someone."

Without another word she rushed off, headed in the direction of Obelisk Blue girls dormitory. Shiro scratched the back of his head, and then looked in the direction she had come from. "Huh…that's from the Osiris Red girls' dorm. Oh, I get it! She went to go see that Miharu chick. I guess she got shot down then."

He was too busy rubbing his chin in deep thought to notice the smirking figure of Greed go sauntering by on the path. Finally Shiro made up his mind. "Heh…I think its time to go visit the red dorm once again. The Prankster of Duelist Academy makes his move…nowish…"

His eyes narrowed at the sight of his knees knocking together and his legs wobbling. "Okay…so that Miharu chick is scary and can burn you alive. You can handle it! And okay, so that Kohana chick is scary and can freeze you into an icy corpse. But you can handle that too!"

The chirping of birds was the only reaction. "Oh come on!"

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"You must calm down Paradise, there's little in this room that can be easily replaced. If you damage something, we'll have to pay for that damage." Paradise simply giggled and bounced over Frost's head and onto the top of a cabinet.

"Bleh! I don't feel like it! Sitting around is boring myuu!" Inferno made a grab for the girl but she simply did a front flip and landed on a rolling chair. From the force of the landing the chair went spinning across the room, Paradise laughing happily at the effect.

"Little brat, get the hell back here so I can shut you up!" Frost rubbed the bridge of her nose, unable to believe how childish both of her compatriots were acting. It was one thing for Paradise to act that way, but another for Inferno to be so foolish.

A slight yawn escaped Frost's lips, and instantly her eyes snapped wide open. "Inferno, stand guard!"

Frost whirled towards the door, a swirling vortex of ice forming around her hand. "Show yourself!"

The door swung open, and Frost was suddenly hit by a powerful presence. It dominated the room, but despite that it was absolutely calm. Frost felt herself relaxing, and the ice around her hand dissipated. "No…I didn't have time to set up mental defenses…"

Her last sight was a hunched figure standing in the doorway, and the images of Inferno and Paradise also drifting away. Then she was gone, fast asleep on the floor. The man who stood in the doorway stepped over her body and to the little pink-haired girl. Then he scooped her up and placed her over his shoulder.

When he exited the door and turned the corner he nearly bumped into someone. That someone was a teen with an open Ra Yellow blazer with jet black hair. "Apologies…"

The word faded off, but the teen didn't move. Instead he stared back at the man, and then at the little girl on his shoulder. Then he looked past the man and the girl to the still open door to Miharu Kanzaki's room. "Hey…I recognize you. You're…holy crap! You're one of Saint's Seven Sins!"

Shiro jumped back slightly, putting a little distance between himself and the Sin. He gave the Sin a once over, figuring out what he had to contend with. The guy was probably about twenty-two, with a little fat around the edges but shallow cheeks. He also had dark marks under his eyes as if he had just woken up. _'This is a Sin?'_

The older man's hair was a dark brown color, and might have had a style, but right now it was messy, with a little patch in the back sticking up as if it had been pressed against a pillow not long before that. The grey Sin uniform that he wore was also rumpled as if he had been sleeping in it. "You look like you just woke up so…Sloth maybe?"

Sloth shrugged, and then started to walk by Shiro. When he got closer Shiro noticed that the Sin's eyes were half-lidded, as if he were barely awake. "Wow there fellah! You bunch are bad news, so where do you think you're going with the weird little girl?"

Again the Sin shrugged and tried to push past Shiro, but Shiro spread his arms and blocked the Sin's path. Sloth responded by yawning and sitting down at Shiro's feet, Paradise still over one shoulder. "If you won't move, I'll nap till you're gone…"

Shiro's right eye twitched and he held up a fist. "What? Ignoring me like that! Get up and on your feet and explain yourself!"

Sloth raised his head slightly, his half-lidded eyes barely meeting Shiro's. "How troublesome…"

The Prankster duelist glared down at the sleepy Sin and then his eyes narrowed as he noticed the duel disk on the man's left arm. "Came ready for a duel eh? Well…I've got an option for you. One duel, me versus you! Come on and face me! If I win, you tell me what you're up to. If you win, I'll get out of your way."

There was a pause of silence, and then Sloth set Paradise down next to him and activated his duel disk. With a casual action he placed his deck in his disk and then dipped his head down, yawning. "Whatever…"

Again Shiro's eye started twitching. _'He…he's going to duel me sitting down and half asleep? Damn it…no wait! This is perfect luck, of all the Sins I could get to face this one is best! He's half-asleep and there's no way he can duel well like that! I'll crush him easy!'_

Shiro snickered to himself and back up about fifteen feet, giving them room to duel. Luckily with it being on the ground floor there was plenty of space. "Alright Sloth, I'm Shiro Akugi, the Prankster of Duelist Academy! And I'm the duelist who's going to knock you down a peg or two! Get your game on!" (SHLP: 4000)

A shiver ran up Shiro's body and he shook it away. _'It felt like the universe sighed in embarrassment when I said that…nah, must be imagining things.'_

Sloth yawned and pulled five cards off his deck. "Duel….I suppose…" (SLP: 4000)

Shiro grabbed a sixth card off his deck and then looked the group of cards over. Then he snickered again, getting a devilish look in his eyes. _'Ooo, I love this combo. He won't see it coming.'_

"I set two cards face down and place a monster in defense mode. Then I send the turn packing straight to you ya lazy ass Sin!"

Sloth drew, stifling a yawn at the same time. "Activate Deck Pound…shuffle deck and…whatever. I get card in hand, can't play this turn."

He held up a card, and then shuffled his deck. Once he was done shuffling he placed the card into his hand. Then he flipped a card around from his hand, revealing Pot of Greed. "Draw two."

After a moment of placing the two new cards into his hand he held up another card which showed a man pressing a play button on a remote. The remote itself was aimed at a TV which showed a football game. "Instant Replay…gets Pot of Greed effect."

With how close to drooping shut that Sloth's eyes were Shiro could barely tell if he was even registering the cards he was adding to his hand. _'This guy…isn't there a limit to how lazy you can be?'_

Two cards appeared in front of Sloth and the Sin yawned loudly. "End turn…"

Shiro drew, and frowned at what he saw on the field. _'Well, that actually ruined my kickass combo. But still, I can do plenty this turn anyways without the first section of my combo to kick his butt.'_

"Alright Sloth, I flip summon Action Warrior-Knife Flinger (1300/1600). Normally when he's summoned I can destroy a monster on your field, but since you've got nothing I can't. However, that's where my face down card kicks in!" Knife Flinger smirked and held up a handful of knives as a balloon floated in front of Sloth. Hanging from the balloon was a grenade.

"Action Stunt-Dramatic Entrance triggers when I summon an Action Warrior and it lets me destroy one card on your field. So now, say goodbye to the left facedown card!" Knife Flinger hurled his knives which slammed into the balloon and popped it. The grenade fell onto Sloth's set card and exploded, taking out that card.

Shiro snickered up until the point where the smoke faded revealing a face-up card. "Crap…he chained it…"

Sloth yawned and plucked a card out of his hand. "I guess I use Hallowed Life Barrier to protect my life points. But I have to discard this card as a cost."

The card entered his graveyard, and suddenly light shot out of it. Shiro's eyes widened as cards ejected from Sloth's deck and into the lazy sin's hand. "What the heck is going on? What did you discard?"

The dark circles under Sloth's eyes seemed to have gone darker as he looked up at Shiro and fanned out his three new cards. "The card I discarded was…Ojamagic. When it goes to the grave I get to add Ojama Green (0/1000), Ojama Yellow (0/1000), and Ojama Black (0/1000) to my hand."

With a slight twitch Shiro watched the Sin add the three cards back into his hand. "You're joking right? What kind of serious duelist actually uses those annoying intruders? They're complete joke monsters! No real duelist runs them!"

An image of a dark haired serious looking man wearing a black trench coat flashed in his mind. The man was silhouetted by the three Ojama Brothers. Shiro sweat dropped as the image faded. "Oh…right….that guy."

He grimaced and looked down at his hand, which wasn't looking that great. "Alright, time for another combo! I activate the continuous magic card Super Pound Hammer! Once per turn this card lets me shuffle any number of cards in my hand back into my deck to draw an equal amount. In exchange I can't make any summons after I use that effect."

Slipping the three cards he was holding into his deck he began his patented rapid-fire shuffling. Once it was done enough he plucked three new cards off his deck. "This new hand is a bit better, but remember how I said I was using a combo?"

Sloth didn't respond, so Shiro just sighed and continued. "Well one of the cards I shuffle into my deck was called Repayment of Recycling. This guy is the nice cousin of Repayment of Losses, because when it's shuffled into my deck its effect activates. At that time I get to draw two cards."

Another two cards entered his hand, giving him five. "Okay, since I can't summon I'll just set a card face down and end my turn."

The Sin drew slowly, and then rubbed blearily at one eye. "Activate magic card Ojama Delta Emergency…special summon one 'Ojama Yellow', one 'Ojama Green', and one 'Ojama Black' from my hand. Only if no monsters on my field though…"

First a scrawny tiny yellow creature wearing underwear with little stalk eyes dropped onto the field and shook its hips. _"Yellow!"_

The second one was muscular with a long tongue that extended out of its green head. It flexed its muscles, despite its tiny size. _"Green!"_

A chubby but slightly large little freak creature dropped next to the other three, and patted its stomach. _"Black!"_

Shiro rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "This guy…his dueling style makes him more annoying than me."

Sloth held up an additional card, and Shiro's hand started to shine. "Magic card activated, Ojama Delta Revelation. For every 'Ojama' on the field, you play one card from your hand now…"

The Prankster shrugged and slapped down two cards immediately. "Thanks to you I now summon Action Warrior-Katana Master (1400/1000) and Action Warrior-Super Spy (1100/1700)!"

A handsome man in samurai garb gave Shiro a deep bow, and then narrowed its eyes at Sloth as it drew its katana. The second was a smirking man in an expensive suit, who eyed Sloth up and down. _"He doesn't look ready for a duel. Perhaps he should sit this one out?"_

Shiro smirked. "Nah, he's pretty into this despite how sleepy he is. So I'll just place a card face down and that concludes our regularly scheduled broadcast."

On the inside Shiro's smirk was even bigger than it was on the outside. _'That guy, he's not too bright. He's so sleepy he actually used a card that gave me more monsters really easily.'_

Suddenly another image of that certain man in the trench coat appeared in his mind. _'Wait a second…wasn't there some major scary card that could only be activated when the three Ojama Brothers were in play? Something about a storm or…oh crap!'_

He gulped when he saw the card that Sloth was now holding out. "Activate magic card, Ojama Delta Hurricane. Now the brothers destroy everything on your field…"

One after another the brothers jumped into the air over Shiro's field. With their respective cries of "Yellow", "Green", and "Black" they stuck their butts together. Shiro twitched. "This is just silly…"

To his surprise they began to spin until they were a whirling vortex of annoying doom. _"Ojama Delta Hurricane!"_

Shiro jerked back as the irritating death circle descended onto his field and blew every last card away, leaving him with nothing. Then the brothers jumped back to Sloth's field. "Dang it…everything I had gone so fast. And that leaves me with an empty field and only one card in hand. At least those freaks have no attack points."

It seemed like Sloth wasn't done yet as he raised up another card. "Polymerization…fuses three brothers into Ojama King (0/3000)…."

Each of the three brothers was pulled into the warp of the fusion, and then what exited was an even bigger abomination. It was about twenty feet tall and about the same size in width. It was a big fat white freak with tiny arms and legs. _"Aren't I cool? Pay your respects to the king!"_

Shiro snickered. _'Heh, even Ojama King likes to make fun of Harrison…'_

A card popped out of Sloth's deck, and he flipped it around. "When summoned I add this card and play it. Change! Mecha Ojama King sacrifices Ojama King to special summon…Mecha Ojama King (0/3000)…."

Now the monster Sloth controlled was a robotic version of the exact same ugly monster, crown included. "Its stupider looking than the previous one. And it still has no attack points."

Sloth pointed at his monster which opened its mouth up wide. "Once per turn I can special summon an Ojamachine to the field. Special summon Ojamachine Yellow (0/1000)."

A mechanical Ojama Yellow jumped out of the king's mouth. Then it opened its own mouth and spat out another one of itself. Then the newest one spat out another until at last there were four of them. "When Ojamachine Yellow is summoned it creates a token of itself, effect and stats included…"

Shiro groaned. "Great, now I've got five mechanical freaks to deal with."

Moving on, Sloth slid his second to last card into his duel disk. "Equip card Shield Attack switches equipped monster's attack with defense. Now Mecha Ojama King (3000/0) direct attack…"

It jumped straight into the air and then came crashing down almost directly on top of Shiro. The impact sent him flying backwards, and he bounced and rolled until he was now about twenty feet away from Sloth. "Damn…" (SHLP: 1000)

With a groan Shiro got back onto his feet, feeling a little weak in the knees from the crash and burn. "Jerk…but that was impressive. At least he burned his hand out doing it."

He blanched when Sloth revealed the last card in his hand. "Ojama Super Rejuvenation…during end phase I draw one card for every Ojama gone to the grave this turn. End…"

As his opponent drew four cards Shiro was reaching for his deck, ready to give him a second card to work with. _'Okay, I don't have that many options here, but I can work with this. And I can't let myself lose to some half asleep weirdo!'_

He slapped down one of the cards and a monster in a karate uniform appeared. "Alright, Action Warrior-Martial Artist (1500/1200) takes to the field! And he'll activate his ability to attack you directly at a cost of half damage!"

The Martial Artist ran up and snap kicked Sloth, causing the Sin to bend backwards. But then Sloth picked himself back up and yawned. "What? He doesn't even react after that? What a pain…" (SLP: 3250)

Placing the last card in his hand face down, Shiro ended his turn. Sloth drew, giving him a fifth card. He pointed at his tokens and they all began to hop towards Shiro. "Ojamachine Yellows attack Martial Artist…"

Shiro twitched, and then reached for his set. "No way am I gonna let you attack when I've got not clue what you're after! Reveal set card, Stunt Double! First I return an Action Warrior to my hand, and then I special summon another one! The new one becomes the new attack target!"

Martial Artist flickered, and then moved into a defensive position indicating that he had been summoned in defense mode. The first Ojamachine Yellow reached him, and the fighter kicked it backwards. "Since my monster is in defense mode the damage goes to your life points!" (SLP: 2050)

The other three Ojamachines backed off, giving the Martial Artist room to relax. Sloth glanced at Mecha Ojama King and the behemoth fired itself forwards, giving a massive head butt to the Action Warrior. Shiro grimaced as his last defense shattered. _'Damn, he's got me on the ropes…'_

Slowly Sloth placed a single set card. "End…"

Shiro glared at his deck, feeling frustrated that so far he was getting his butt handed to him. _'Man if anybody sees this I'll be a laughing stock, losing to some half asleep guy with such a stupid deck.'_

"Losing to such a pathetic person? I must say though, it's ironic that you'll be losing to creatures more annoying than you are." Shiro twitched at the sound of that voice, the very last one he would have wanted to hear at that time.

Looking to the side Shiro confirmed exactly what he had feared. Standing with his arms folded over his chest just a dozen feet away was a smirking Harrison. "Dang it…you jerk, I'm gonna win this, just you wait!"

Standing next to Harrison a smiling Sanzo patted the Dark Kaiser on the shoulder. "Now Harrison, cut him some slack. After all, this is Sloth he's facing. And plus, a world class duelist uses the Ojamas."

Harrison sneered and brushed the Hero Saint's hand off his shoulder. "I've met that man, and he's an unusual brooding person. However, his deck at least has some fear to be seen from it as it doesn't solely rely on those idiotic creatures."

Shiro glared and grabbed for his deck. "Shut up for a second okay! I'm trying to duel here!"

He drew fiercely, and then placed his card into his deck. "Let's start this turn off with Graceful Charity!"

Another three cards left his deck, and when he examined the cards he had drawn he grinned. "Alright, I'll toss these two cards first. And then I activate the card I kept, Scrounging for Supplies!"

Sloth blinked and rubbed some sleep dust from his eyes, and then stretched his arms over his head. Shiro growled and a handful of cards shot out of his grave. "This card lets me shuffle cards in my grave into my deck. For every four cards I shuffle I can draw one card, and I've got exactly twelve in the grave that I'm shuffling!"

Once the cards were successfully in his deck he drew three times, and then reached for his deck and drew two more. "But guess what? One of the cards I discarded with Graceful Charity was Repayment of Recycling and since I shuffled it into my deck I draw two more cards."

Smirking at his two card hand he placed two of them onto his duel disk, and then slapped down the third. A beautiful dark haired woman emerged on his field, dressed in black leather and wielding an assault rifle. "Check her out, the awesomely badass Action Warrior-Femme Fatale (1900/900)!"

Hoisting the rifle over her shoulder she fired backwards without looking, blasting each of Shiro's set cards into nothingness. "When she's summoned she nukes my field, but it comes with some benefits. First, one of the cards she trashed was Repayment of Losses, so I draw a card."

Once the card was in his hand he reached for his deck and searched through it. "For every card destroyed I can send one Action Warrior from my hand or deck to the grave, though I can't send more than one copy of any of them. So I'll toss out Action Warrior-Brawler (2000/800) and Action Warrior-Gunner (1800/1000) to the grave!"

After slipping the two cards into his graveyard, faded versions of those monsters appeared on his field and approached Femme Fatale. The female action warrior rolled her eyes and smashed their heads together. When they hit the ground they shattered. "Until the end phase of the turn she gains the power of the destroyed monsters, so Femme Fatale (5700) can now attack Mecha Ojama King!"

She narrowed her eyes and then readied her weapon and fired off a heavy barrage of gunfire. Smoke rose up as Mecha Ojama King's body exploded under the hail of bullets. "Ha! And that'll deal you more damage than you can take!"

When the smoke cleared Sloth seemed to have drifted to sleep, his eyes completely closed and his body hunched over. But his Ojamachines were still standing. Harrison smirked and Sanzo sighed at the sight of this and the bewildered Shiro. "But…but you should have lost!" (SLP: 2350)

Harrison chuckled and pointed at Sloth's field. "Idiot, pay attention to the opponent's field. Before he had two set cards, now he has just one. The card he activated was Option Hunter, which let him gain the king's three thousand attack points as life points before he took twenty-seven hundred damage."

Shiro grimaced, realizing he wouldn't be able to take out the lazy duelist in this turn. "Fine, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn. I'll get him next time, no worries."

There was no reaction from his opponent, so with a growl Shiro picked up a pebble and pegged the Sin in the head. "Hey idiot, wake up! We're dueling here!"

Sanzo sighed and shook his head. "If Sloth had been asleep for too long, he would have been considered to automatically forfeit based on the rules of the game. Don't you know the rules at all?"

The Prankster blushed and looked away. "Shut up! And besides, who would want to win in such a lame way anyways?"

This time it was Harrison who shook his head. "Don't be stupid, you need any method you can take in order to defeat this opponent."

Before Shiro could form a rebuttal against the arrogant duelist, Sloth yawned and drew, finally starting his turn. "Activate trap, Ojama Tribute. Sacrifice three Ojamachine Yellow tokens to add Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow, and Ojama Black from cemetery to hand."

Sanzo's eyes widened and an image of the same duelist Shiro had been thinking about before flashed through his mind. A faded image of a massive beast was in front of that duelist. "Shiro! Be careful, he's prepared to make his real assault!"

Shiro shrugged. "Oh come on, unless he gets another equip like before and fuses them he can't really attack. The whole idea behind an Ojama Deck is to annoy the opponent or lock them down isn't it?"

Harrison felt like throwing a rock at Shiro's head all of a sudden. "Fool! Don't you pay attention to any pro duels? If Sanzo and I are correct, he's going to summon the same key creature used by _that_ man!"

Sloth was already placing a card into his duel disk. "Magic card activates. Ojama Get Ride sends Ojama Yellow, Black, and Green from hand to grave. Special summon three level four or lower machine sub-types onto field in defense mode…"

This only caused the Prankster to shrug. "Okay, so he'll be defending with more of his stupid Ojamachines. Won't do much to me."

Despite his confidence he was unprepared for the sight of the three monsters that appeared. One was a yellow tank; another was a red mechanical dragon, and the third a blue torso with cannons mounted on the shoulders. "No way!"

Sloth sighed and looked over his three monsters. "These are Z Metal Tank (1500/1300), Y Dragon Head (1500/1600) and X Head Cannon (1800/1000). I remove them from the game to fusion summon XYZ Dragon Cannon (2800/2600)…"

The three monsters connected, with the tank becoming the bottom section, the dragon becoming a connector, and the cannon becoming the top, which leveled its weapons at Shiro. "Oh crap!"

The Sin grabbed three of his cards and tucked them together. "Activate special ability; discard cards from hand to destroy cards on opponent's field. Hyper Destruction activates…"

A barrage of missiles shot out of a hatch on the fusion creature, blasting his monster and his two set cards into nothingness. Shiro yelped and snapped a card off his deck. "You destroyed Bait and Switch, so I shuffle it into my deck and draw one card!"

He gulped and looked at his empty field. _'Damn…this is bad…worse than bad…'_

Sloth started to slump forwards, but then caught himself and yawned loudly. "How troublesome…I nearly forgot to attack. XYZ Dragon Cannon att…"

He was stopped when a blast of something blue hit the ground in front of him, freezing the grass solid. Shiro, Harrison, Sanzo, and Sloth all looked up to see Frost standing a handful of feet away, with Inferno at her side. "Sloth, retreated or you will be frozen solid. Leave Paradise, or we will kill you. Is this understood?"

Sloth yawned and then deactivated his duel disk. Shiro's eyes widened as the holograms shut down, effectively ending the duel. "Hey! The duel wasn't over yet!"

His opponent slowly pulled himself to his feet and started to wander away, looking barely awake. "I'll come back later; this situation is too troublesome…"

Shiro began to run towards the Sin, but was stopped when Frost and Harrison stepped in his way. "Stand down Shiro Akugi, you lost the duel we all saw it. Had it continued you would have failed."

He shook his head, looking furious. "No! No duel is over until the life points hit zero! I wasn't done…"

Harrison smirked and turned away. "Pathetic idiot, I told you before that you weren't strong enough to defeat a Sin. Just step out of this and let those of us with the power deal with it. You're too weak little boy."

Shiro grabbed the back of Harrison's trench coat and spun him around. "I can fight! I'll show you, I can beat a Sin! I would have won…I can win!"

The Dark Kaiser narrowed his eyes and pulled Shiro's hands off of himself. "Stand down weakling; I've already proven that you can't stand up to real power. Until you're useful for something, get out of my way. Or had you forgotten that you were so weak that you hindered Mizuki? You're just in her way as well Akugi, now leave well enough alone."

Sanzo offered Shiro a small smile as Harrison walked away, Frost and Inferno busy picking up Paradise. "Don't worry, he may be cruel but he has good intentions. At least most likely. Don't take it personally."

Then with that he too was gone, and Shiro was left standing alone. He looked down at the two cards he was holding and his hands shook. "It wasn't over…and I'm not a hindrance. Next time…next time I'll prove it!"

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Author's Note: Could Shiro have won, or was his defeat inevitable? I leave that to you to decide. Also this begins what I call the 'Protect Paradise' mini-arc.

_Next Time: With new understanding of the situation Harrison and Sanzo head down to the vaults beneath the school. But even there they are confronted by opponents who want the mysterious child 'Paradise'. In a two way battle these two must face virtual opposites of their decks. But as different as they are working together may prove impossible, but without joint effort victory against these opponents might be impossible as well._

_See it all in, Demonic Tag; Heroes and Villains!_


	63. Demonic Tag! Heroes and Villains!

Author's Note: Believe it or not, the next few chapters actually contain more backstory for two of the academy's strongest duelists. Whoo!

**Chapter Sixty-Three: Demonic Tag; Heroes and Villains!**

"So that's the situation then? Very well, if having this little girl fall into Saint's hands is truly that dangerous I'll make sure she doesn't. But believe me, this is about Saint. I have no interest in aiding you." Frost nodded, while Inferno growled at Harrison, who stood with his arms folded, leaning against their wall.

From a cross-legged position sitting on their bed Sanzo nodded his head, eyes closed in thought. "I concur. Although, in my case I'll protect this Paradise girl because it's the right thing to do. However, might I suggest a change of venue?"

Before he could continue he was cut off by a disturbingly calm looking Enzeru, whose face looked like carved marble. "Hiding, waiting, and defending. That's what we seem to be doing. Every single time we allow Saint and his Sins to make the first move, but shouldn't we begin our own preemptive strike to stop him?"

Kaoru placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling down at him. "Enzeru, I understand that you're in pain because of your brother's recent coma, but we shouldn't blindly charge into the situation. Facing the Sins recklessly won't accomplish anything, especially since we don't know what Saint really wants."

Enzeru narrowed his eyes at the violet-eyed girl. "Do you understand, or do your eyes just see that? Don't patronize me Kaoru, I don't appreciate it."

Chizuma popped in between them, hands planted heavily on her hips. "Hey now, there's no need to get snippy. We should all work together to make sure this works out."

From his seat Shiro snorted. "No need to get snippy? This coming from the girl who threw a tantrum because we couldn't tell Mizuki about any of this."

Inferno smirked and threw her hair over one shoulder, also dramatically planting her fists on her hips like Chizuma was. "Heh, I may think most of you are idiots, but I'm starting to like the way this pure land punk thinks. I agree we should just go straight to the source and crush the Sins and Saint!"

Frost laid a cool hand on Inferno's arm and looked her in the eye. "You understand that we can't take that risk. At this point a frontal attack of any sort would leave Paradise at risk. In addition, a direct attack is foolhardy when we are unaware of the enemy's full capabilities."

All eyes went to the sleeping girl curled up on the pillows, and then they looked back at each other. Frost focused her gaze on Sanzo once again. "I believe you mentioned a change of venue. I agree that the dormitories are places where we can easily be attacked by any of the Sins, and neither Inferno nor I were able to detect Sloth until it was too late. Do you have a suggestion?"

The Hero Saint nodded once again. "I do. I suggest taking her down to the vault for the time being and having people guard her in shifts."

Harrison narrowed his eyes at the mention of the vault, but he said nothing. Instead it was Chizuma who perked up. "The Vault? What's that?"

Shiro threw himself back so he was lying down, hands behind his head. "It's an underground vault that contains lots of rare cards and secret stuff kept by the Academy. But according to rumor the only person with the keys is Principal Tantei. I don't see how we'd get them."

Sanzo chuckled and reached into his blazer. From within he pulled out a small key dangling from a cord. "Sometimes the only way to do the right thing is to do the wrong thing. I've intended to head down to the vault for a while now, for separate reasons, so I took this key. It'll get us into Tantei's office and I happen to know where he keeps the keys."

Enzeru frowned at this news. "And why would you know that?"

The older teen shrugged, still smiling. "Because Tantei told me because he trusted me to keep them safe in case anybody came looking for them. Keeping them in his office isn't the safest place, so in times of crisis he said he distributes them to seven strong students he can trust. Of course, apparently that's only happened once from what he mentioned, and that was under the very first principal."

Frost closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them she was focused clearly on Sanzo. "Very well Sanzo Uzumaki. I will trust you to gain access to these keys and take Paradise safely down to the Vault in order to protect her."

Harrison stood and looked over at his rival, his eyes shimmering dangerously. "I'll be going with you. There's something I need to see for myself in the Vault, and there's bound to me safety mechanisms in place just in case someone manages to steal the keys."

Sanzo grinned and flicked the key up into the air, catching it as it came back down. "Alright then, let's get going!"

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Harrison scowled and shifted the loudly snoring little girl to his opposite shoulder. "So because you stole the seven keys, I have to carry the brat?"

His rival grinned and pulled out the seven golden keys. When they had found them, the seven keys had fit together like a puzzle. And now the dome shaped object in front of them had seven separate designs, each one for a different key. "Makes sense to me. Now quiet so I can find out how to get down here."

The Dark Kaiser sighed and waited patiently as Sanzo fitted one key after another into their appropriate slots. Then the floor shook, and the 'door' sank into the ground. Now there was a shaft leading straight down. Harrison grimaced. "And they expect us to jump, is that right?"

The Hero Saint squatted and unzipped the brown bag he had taken with him. From within he pulled out a coil of black rope. "Always be prepared, that's a hero's motto."

The younger teen shrugged and once again adjusted the girl. "That's the scout motto idiot, and you're Japanese anyways. Even I wouldn't pretend to be one of those ignorant American pigs."

Sanzo laughed as he tied off one end of the rope to a nearby pillar. Once it was secure he tossed the rest of it down the shaft. "You're too hard on Americans, but I suppose that's just like the Germans, now isn't it?"

Harrison scowled and tucked the little girl under his arm. Then he wrapped one arm around the rope and hooked his legs on it. "Shut up and hold the rope steady, I'm doing this with one hand."

With a chuckle Sanzo saluted, and then grabbed the rope to keep it steady. "Just get down there. You complain too much."

"Either that or you're too positive about things. Now like I said, shut up so I can focus." Slowly Harrison lowered himself down the rope, entering a pitch black section as he grew too far away from any light source.

Keeping himself steady he made his way to the bottom of the shaft, finally feeling his feet touch solid ground. With a sigh of relief he released the rope and looked around. There was still no light, so he reached into his coat and pulled out his PDA. Once it was on, its faint glow illuminated enough area to show him a switch. "Finally, some light."

When the lights came up what he saw seemed at first glance to be an ancient cavern, with stalactites and stalagmites everywhere like giant fangs. But at the end of a small walkway there was a giant steel circular vault door. "Just like a bank. Only its in a cave."

"Hup!" Harrison turned and found Sanzo alighting on the ground with his hands bracing himself. Apparently the Hero Saint had dropped part of the way down in order to speed up his travel.

"See, just like I said, the perfect place to hide Paradise for the time being. Plus the echoes are pretty interesting and fun." Harrison scowled as Sanzo called out, listening to the echo of his own voice.

_'Echoes…I hate echoes. Already I hate this place.'_ An image of a dark place filled with nothing but silence flashed through his head and his mood darkened even further.

**"You do not belong here. Leave or pay the price."** Harrison sighed as a deep voice echoed through the tunnel. He gently placed Paradise on the ground behind him and then shoved his hands into his pockets. Sanzo stood at the ready, fists up.

"Oh good, some sort of idiotic guardian. I told you it wouldn't be unguarded." Sanzo shrugged, still on his toes and ready to move at a moment's notice. Harrison the other hand seemed completely relaxed, although he still seemed irritated. Then again, that was a normal thing for him.

**"Two intruders? Perhaps at long lost I can have an interesting challenge. Come and face me intruders, and perhaps you might make it out alive."** Harrison and Sanzo exchanged glances, and then Sanzo dropped out of his fighting stance.

Shadows swirled directly in front of the Vault door. They formed into a cloaked figure whose face was covered by what looked like a high-tech gas mask. **"Welcome to the Vault children. I've been waiting for decent challengers for a very long time. Win and you may proceed, but should you lose I'll be having company for years to come."**

Harrison rolled his eyes and stepped up, his fingers in his right pocket clenching around something. "Fine, I'll be your opponent. Any idiot who fights me wearing a cloak is going to be too hindered to win. I'll defeat you easily."

The dark voice chuckled, seeming to float out of the mask and from all around them at the same time. **"Harrison Wilhelm the Third, what a pleasant surprise. I'm glad to see you down in this dark hole with me. But even though you make for an interesting opponent, I meant I would face both of you. In a duel."**

Sanzo raised an eyebrow, and reached for the deck in his blazer. "Two on one? That sounds like a stupid thing to do. You said his name, so you know who he is. You can't possibly expect to defeat this school's two top duelists in a one on one duel."

The masked individual let out a booming laugh, looking directly at Sanzo this time. **"Sanzo Uzumaki, another interesting opponent. This will be two on two, even while it is two on two. Let me demonstrate…"**

His body flickered, and to their surprise it split in half until there were two identical robed men standing there. **"Perhaps now you believe me? Two bodies, one mind, both dueling against the two of you. We should be more than adequate to defeat the two of you."**

Each masked man raised their arm, revealing a black duel disk, which was already activated with deck in place. The original one began to speak. **"Teams share a total of eight thousand life points. There is no sharing of strategies, and no using your partner's cards that aren't already on the field. No duelist can attack on their first turn. Other than that, rules remain the same."**

Sanzo sighed as he shuffled his deck, understanding the situation they were getting into. _'Although he says we can't share strategies, that doesn't apply to him. Technically he won't be sharing strategies since he's one duelist in two bodies, but it does give him an unfair advantage.'_

Harrison was also shuffling his deck, though it was at a more relaxed pace than Sanzo. "Perhaps before we begin you'll explain how you know our names. I'm eager to know exactly who I'm dealing with here."

The masked man laughed, the second one speaking as his disk clicked into position. **"Because that is what I do. I can see your darkest secrets, which makes me the best guardian anyone could find. You can call me Murk, because my mind slides eagerly through the murk of my opponents' darkened hearts."** (MLP: 8000)

At the same time Sanzo and Harrison slammed their decks into place. Then all four duelists drew five cards, ready to begin. The original Murk chuckled, and reached for his deck. **"I'll take the first turn if you don't mind." **(HSLP: 8000)

He looked through his hand, and then placed a card onto his duel disk. Immediately a little monster-like puppet formed on his field, its body clicking. **"This is my Possessed Marionette (500/1000) which I summon in defense mode. When this creature is summoned I may special summon any other copies in my deck to the field."**

Another two of the puppets formed next to the first, all of them holding their arms up in a defensive position. Harrison narrowed his eyes at the sight of the monsters. _'Those look like…'_

He wanted to make mention of it to Sanzo, but since he couldn't share strategies with his partner there was no way. _'It doesn't matter. Its just one monster and a weak one at that.'_

A card shimmered down on the field behind the middle marionette. **"That card ends my turn. I believe now its Wilhelm's turn. I'm sure you're already eager to slay my demons. Of course, perhaps that's only in compensation of being unable to slay your own."**

Harrison snarled and snapped a card off his deck forcefully. "Don't talk to me as if you know a thing about me! Talk like that and I'll destroy everything that you are!"

A boy with white blonde hair appeared on his field. The boy couldn't have been more than seven or eight, and had an oversized red coat draped over his shoulders. "This is Son of Sparda-Dante (500/500). When he's summoned I can add one equip card from my deck or cemetery to my hand."

It didn't take him long to find the equip card he was searching for. Once it was in his hand he grabbed another card. "I continue by placing two cards face down. That ends my turn!"

The second Murk drew, enjoying the look of his hand. **"Me using this card is rather ironic, but still I'll do so. I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two."**

He narrowed his eyes and tossed two of them into his cemetery. Then he slapped a card onto his duel disk. **"I suppose I'll reveal my strategy at the very start! Come forth, Elemental Villain-Hydro Lady (900/1300)!" **

Both Sanzo and Harrison jerked back in surprise when a slender woman wearing dark blue spandex floated down onto the field. She sneered and planted a wicked looking trident into the ground. Sanzo gulped. "In the comics released, Hydro Lady is Burst Lady's nemesis! But…there's no such thing as an Elemental Villain set!"

Murk wheezed out a laugh through his gas mask. **"Perhaps not before, but there is now. After all, what better foes for your Elemental Heroes than my Elemental Villains? No other opponents are more their rivals!"**

Hydro Lady eyed Sanzo coldly and drummed her fingers against her trident. **"In game terms Hydro Lady's effect actually reflects Bubbleman's. Since she was normal summoned when I had no other cards on my field I draw three cards, though afterwards I must discard the top card of my deck."**

The dark duelist drew three cards and then shoved another card into his graveyard. That now gave him eight cards in his hand. **"I think for the time being I'll just set two cards face down and end my turn."**

Sanzo hesitated for just a moment before drawing. Before he could decide what to do, Murk began to speak again. Once more it was the one who had summoned the Elemental Villain. **"Aren't you glad you came Sanzo? This gives you the perfect opportunity to do what you decided to do so long ago. You get to fight evil. Isn't that why you made that promise all those years past?"**

Harrison glanced at his rival, who grimaced at what he had heard. _'Promise? He's never mentioned anything about a promise to me. What's Murk talking about?'_

The Hero Saint shook it off and yanked a card out of his hand. "You may think that you're ready to face my heroes, but you don't know what you're dealing with. And beyond any opponent I've ever faced you've truly made yourself the villain of this duel. You should know, the hero always wins!"

A ball of fire appeared on his field, and when it vanished a muscular but attractive woman in red and grey spandex stood on Sanzo's field. "You wanted a villain, well here's the monster that calls your creature nemesis! Elemental Hero Burst Lady (1200/800)!"

The two female super beings glared at each other, Burst Lady's hands gathering flames into them and Hydro Lady's trident quivering in her harsh grip. Murk managed to look malevolent even while wearing a gas mask. **"She may have a physical advantage over Hydro Lady, but my monster has more devious talent than Burst Lady's straight forward strength!"**

Sanzo raised one of his cards into the air above his head, and the brought it straight down into his opened field slot. "Activate field magic card, Skyscraper II-Hero's City!"

The dark cave vanished and was replaced by a futuristic city with a giant tower extending up straight behind Sanzo. "I play a card face down and end!"

The first Murk drew immediately and as he slammed his card down a demonic woman seemingly made of sand formed onto the field and did a little spin. **"This monster is called Hell Dancer (1700/700) and I do believe she's the strongest monster on the field. Hell Dancer, attack Son of Sparda!"**

Harrison narrowed his eyes, recognizing the card. "I see…so your deck is what I thought. Son of Sparda is destroyed."

The young Dante was cut in half by a spinning kick, letting the coat flutter to the ground. "However, when Son of Sparda is destroyed I may special summon a Demon Slayer Dante (800/600) to the field!"

The coat was picked up by an older looking Dante, although he seemed to be just barely a teenager. Murk chuckled and a space on his field glowed, and another Hell Dancer formed. **"When Hell Dancer destroys a monster in battle I can special summon a copy of her to the field. Now the new one attacks Dante!"**

Harrison smirked and snapped his fingers. Murk's eyes widened when the young Dante jumped ten feet into the air and dropped down with a powerful kick to the Hell Dancer's face. She went flying backwards and blew up when she hit a building. "Fool, he's a demon slayer for a reason. When Demon Slayer Dante battles a demon or undead sub-type he gains a thousand attack points." (MLP: 7900)

Murk picked the card off his deck and moved it to his cemetery, but was stopped when Harrison wagged a finger at him. "If you put that card in the grave you're cheating. After all, since Dante's effect applies only to those sub-types, his standard effect means any monster he defeats in battle is removed from the game."

The dark duelist casually placed the card into his cloak, and then moved on. **"It seems my initial assault failed, so I'll simply activate the continuous magic card Killing the Counterbalance! Prepare for the end to begin!"**

Sanzo frowned, not recognizing the card. "And what does that do?"

Murk pointed at his face-up card which showed a sword piercing through a series of Duel Monsters cards. **"During each player's end phase we must discard one card from our deck for each monster on the field. I'll end my turn, thus activating the effect of Killing the Counterbalance!"**

He reached for his deck and pulled seven cards off of it and slipped them into his graveyard. **"Ah, and I even discarded a useful monster. I discard Hell Wrath (2500/0), and when this card goes to the grave each player receives five hundred damage! Total that means each side takes a thousand damage!"**

Sanzo and Harrison winced as they felt like needles were piercing into their skin. Whether or not each Murk felt that same pain they couldn't tell because they couldn't see his face. Sanzo frowned as he looked at his deck. _'There's a lot of risk here, with four players Killing the Counterbalance can quickly destroy our decks. But I bet they have a counter for themselves.'_ (HSLP: 7000) (MLP: 6900)

Harrison didn't bother to wait for anybody else to say anything, instead he drew fiercely. "You think you can destroy our decks and make it easy that way? Don't make me laugh! I'll blow you away before you get far enough!"

He looked down at his drawn card, and then tucked it away as he reached for another. "And believe me; I recognize those monsters without a doubt. The deck you're playing…is a Devil May Cry Deck! A deck revolving around the monsters and bosses of the same video game series my cards come from."

Murk shrugged. **"Even if you recognize that, it hardly means you can win. Now come at me. You're no longer paralyzed by the endless darkness after all, thanks to this city."**

Harrison roared in rage and tossed a card into his graveyard. "Nobody here is scared of any such thing! I discard one equip card from my hand in order to summon this monster without a tribute! Reveal yourself, Hell Slayer (2400/2000)!"

A warrior in crimson armor marched onto the field, a giant sword the size of a normal human gripped easily in one hand. "Hell Slayer will now attack Hell Dancer!"

The dark duelist shrugged as a card on his field flipped up, revealing a zombie defending itself against a Marauding Captain's attack by holding up a shield of bones. **"Continuous trap card activates, Bone Shield! By sending one demon or undead sub-type monster from my hand or deck to the grave I can negate one attack. I discard Hell Envy (1200/1000)."**

Harrison snarled and thrust his hand out. "I'll destroy every monster in your deck for talking down to me! Dante, attack Hell Dancer and power yourself up!"

Again his opponent shrugged and slid a monster into the grave. **"This time I simply discard Hell Sloth (1800/1500) to negate the attack. Your fury shows your fear Wilhelm. You can see the futility of your attacks, just as you see the futility of your quest for vengeance every day."**

Sanzo reached out towards Harrison. "Harrison, calm down! If you stay angry like this you'll lose focus and we'll lose the duel. You can't let him get you riled up, its just talk."

Harrison glared at his partner, who stepped back in surprise at the intensity of that glare. "You don't know what you're talking about either hero boy. Now stay out of this. I've already chosen my target as this bastard, so go ahead and face your opponent while I face mine. Stay out of my duel!"

Narrowing his eyes he turned back to Murk and snapped his arm out towards his Hell Slayer. "Prepare to feel my wrath for talking about matters you can't possibly understand! Once per turn Hell Slayer can deal you damage equal to the attack bonus of the equip card discarded for his summon effect. That card was Merciless, which grants the equipped monster fifteen hundred attack points! Hell's Fury Slash!"

Hell Slayer casually swung his massive sword down and a wave of red energy shot out of the tip at high velocity. Harrison's opponent grunted as the energy blast caught him in the chest, making him slide backwards. **"Impressive blow, but ultimately useless. Just like all your struggles in life. Are you done yet Wilhelm?" **(MLP: 5400)

Harrison clenched his right hand, and then slowly released his tight grip. "I end my turn, discarding eight cards from my deck because of the monsters on the field."

His frown deepened as he saw what cards he had been forced to discard. Murk laughed at his irritation. **"Bit by bit your deck and your monsters will slip away at my hands and the hands of my demons. Quite fitting considering what caused your life to fall apart."**

The Dark Kaiser relatively vibrated with fury. "Keep talking and you'll learn exactly what it's like to fall apart! The difference is I'll take you apart physically piece by piece with my bare hands!"

The second Murk drew, looking quite amused at what he saw. **"It's time to add more to my numbers. I summon Elemental Villain Boulder Brute (2000/800) in attack mode!" **

Murk's new monster was a creature that vaguely resembled Clayman. The difference was that while Clayman had a smooth body of clay, this monster's body was rocky and full of unclean edges. "I see, Clayman's rival."

**"That's right, and while Clayman favors protecting his teammates, Boulder Brute is always straight out onto the front lines. For instance, he now attacks Burst Lady!"** Boulder Brute roared and ripped a rock out of its own body and then hurled it at the fiery heroine.

The rock tore through Burst Lady's stomach and she screamed one last time before being ripped to pieces. Sanzo winced as his life points took a nose dive. "That seems cowardly of Hydro Lady, not attacking directly against her rival. Then again, that's a villain's style, striking from the shadows when the enemy is weakest." (HSLP: 6200)

Sanzo motioned to his face down card, and it shimmered and a special symbol appeared on the ceiling. "Hero Signal activates when a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle. Now I can special summon my Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000) to the field in defense mode. And his defense is too great for Hydro Lady to get past."

There was a slight pause, and then Murk snickered. **"Fool, always thinking that the hero can accomplish anything. Perhaps you shouldn't have made any promises at all about heroes. You can't prove anything, especially when the villain is always one step ahead!"**

He slammed a card into his duel disk, and both of his monsters shattered. **"Fool's Fusion lets me sacrifice fusion component monsters on my field to special summon their fusion component. If the summoned monster is on the field during the end phase he'll be destroyed and I'll get to special summon both of the sacrificed monsters back to the field."**

The new monster looked like a golem; it had a crude misshapen body that seemed to be made of muddy water. **"Meet the fusion villain, Elemental Villain Tainted Water (2200/2000)! And since he was summoned during the battle phase he now attacks Clayman!"**

A wave of muddy water shot out of Tainted Water's chest, slamming into Clayman. The hero resisted for a few moments, but then it was too much and he was blown away. Sanzo frowned, realizing he was out of defenses. _'And I have no idea what to expect in terms of effects and fusions from this deck.'_

Murk grabbed a card from his duel disk and flipped it around. **"I activate the normal magic card Hero's Defeat. If this card is played during a turn where an Elemental Villain has destroyed a monster in battle you take three hundred damage per destroyed monster. If the monster destroyed was an Elemental Hero you instead take five hundred, so burn!" **

Sanzo screamed as his body was engulfed in black fire. Harrison watched disappointedly as did Murk, waiting until the fire faded and Sanzo wavered on his feet. "Are you already this far gone Sanzo? Humph, and to think I consider you my rival." (HSLP: 5200)

The Hero Saint shook his head and stood up to his full height. "Don't count me out yet, it'll take more than that to keep me down."

**"I end my turn, and my Tainted Water is destroyed, bringing back Hydro Lady and Boulder Brute. Then Killing the Counterbalance destroys the top eight cards of my deck." **He slid eight cards into his graveyard, taking special note of each one. Then he nodded to Sanzo.

Sanzo drew and a space on his field shimmered, and Burst Lady was suddenly in play. "The effect of my field card lets me special summon one Elemental Hero from my grave to the field that was destroyed in battle, so my choice was Burst Lady. And if fusion is the way you want to play, then I'll play that way as well!"

He spun around one of his hand cards, along with another in his hand. "Polymerization fuses together Burst Lady with Elemental Hero Featherman (1000/1000) in order to form the amazing Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100/1800)!"

The dragon armed superhero spread his angel wing out as far as it would go and struck a dramatic pose. Sanzo glanced over at the first Murk, and then flipped over another of his cards. "Since I don't feel like interference I activate Honorable Combat! The strongest monster on my field and one other player's field battle each other this turn and no other monsters can attack. In exchange, no magic, trap, or monster effects can be used to negate that battle!"

Boulder Brute roared and began to charge towards Flame Wingman. The fusion hero's body was surrounded by flame as he charged head long into Boulder Brute. His burning body smashed the villain to pieces. "And not only is your monster destroyed, but it gives Flame Wingman the chance to activate his super power!" (MLP: 5300)

Flame Wingman flew directly in front of Murk, who stood ready even as the dragon arm opened up wide. "You now receive the attack points of your beaten monster as damage! So now it's your turn to burn!"

Murk screamed nearly as loudly as Sanzo had when he was engulfed in fire. The flames from the wingman's attack whipped around Murk's body for several seconds before the hero withdraw, leaving Murk to smoke. **"An impressive strike…but foolish, just like all heroes!" **(MLP: 3300)

A card popped out of each of their decks and they held them out. At the same time they declare the card. **"Dark Balancing Act can be activated from our deck when our life points are less than half the original amount. This card then goes to our grave, allowing us to return all cards that go there back into our decks at will. And it allows us to sacrifice one card on our field to make its effect permanent. Our choice is Killing the Counterbalance!"**

The continuous magic card shattered and then each of them shuffled several cards from their graves back into their decks. **"You see Sanzo? Despite your brave attempts to play the hero you can never truly make it all the way there. Despite all your skill, you're not good enough to protect everyone. Just like before."**

Again Harrison looked over at his rival, surprised to see a mix of fear, anger, and remorse in his eyes. _'Perhaps there's more to Sanzo Uzumaki than stupid hero speeches and shiny teeth.'_

Sanzo shook himself, trying to focus. "I won't let you break my focus Murk! Harrison and I are going to win this duel, no matter what! Now I place a card face down and end my turn."

He didn't flinch even when he had to discard eight cards from his deck. _'I won't lose, I can't lose. It would be a dishonor to the name of the hero to lose to this villain!'_

Murk drew and laughed at the sight of whatever card he had drawn. **"The end is beginning you fools! I know all of your darkest fears and secrets, and with those I can defeat any opponent. And now…the dark power of this deck shall be revealed!"**

Two of the marionettes shook and then shattered. A pitch black circle formed in the space they had occupied, and a black boot stepped out, blue glowing lines running up it. Harrison's eyes widened. _'That monster! It can't be him!'_

More of a black armored body was revealed, with similar blue lines marking the armor. Then the monster's head was shown, also covered by black armor. It had two red horns curving down in front as well as a set of glowing red eyes. Fluttering out from his back was a long purple cape, and held in one hand was a huge sword that shone blue. **"Demon Knight-Nero Angelo (2800/2000) is summoned!"**

Harrison's hands shook as he stared up at the powerful looking demon, especially when its glowing eyes seemed to stare right through it. Sanzo couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Harrison take a step back. "Harrison, what's wrong?"

Murk laughed darkly as the monster shouldered its massive weapon. **"It's simple; this monster is the very embodiment of Harrison's worst fear! Although he desires vengeance for the death of his parents he's afraid that in his quest for the dark power needed he'll become the darkness itself!"**

The Dark Kaiser didn't respond, instead he continued to lock eyes with Nero Angelo. **"You see, in the Devil May Cry game from which this monster comes it is revealed at the end that this beast is in fact the second son of Sparda, Vergil! This is what happened to Vergil when he fell into darkness in his greedy quest for power!"**

Sanzo's eyes widened as he watched his rival stare at the demon. _'And the outfit Harrison wears is modeled after Vergil. Is it because he's reminding himself not to become too greedy for power? Is it because he wants to remember not to become like this monster?'_

**"And now Nero Angelo, the true devil within Vergil, will strike down Harrison and release the true devil within him! This time Wilhelm you will be the one to cry tears of blood! Nero Angelo, attack!" **

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Uh-oh, looks like our hero and our avenger might have their work cut out for them.

_Next Time: The tag battle continues, and the counter decks that Harrison and Sanzo's opponents use become even greater trouble. Murk's psychological games also push the two duelists farther into a corner. In order to rise up they must come to terms with one fact. Avengers and Heroes can co-exist in this world._

_See it all in, Demonic Tag; Avengers and Devils!_


	64. Demonic Tag! Avengers and Devils!

Author's Note: Roar! More tag team goodness!

**Chapter Sixty-Four: Demonic Tag; Avengers and Devils**

_The Dark Kaiser didn't respond, instead he continued to lock eyes with Nero Angelo. **"You see, in the Devil May Cry game from which this monster comes it is revealed at the end that this beast is in fact the second son of Sparda, Vergil! This is what happened to Vergil when he fell into darkness in his greedy quest for power!"**_

_Sanzo's eyes widened as he watched his rival stare at the demon. 'And the outfit Harrison wears is modeled after Vergil. Is it because he's reminding himself not to become too greedy for power? Is it because he wants to remember not to become like this monster?'_

_**"And now Nero Angelo, the true devil within Vergil, will strike down Harrison and release the true devil within him! This time Wilhelm you will be the one to cry tears of blood! Nero Angelo, attack!"**_

****The demon knight charged forwards and swung his massive sword straight down with both hands. Suddenly Harrison's fearful eyes changed, turning into an almost manic look. "Fool! I won't fall that easily to that corrupt beast! Negate Attack!"

Nero Angelo's sword slammed heavily into an invisible barrier, halting the attack. But to Harrison's surprise the dark duelist merely laughed. **"Now who's the fool? All this time your fear has lead you astray. Keeping those cards face down…and not even thinking about why I didn't use Nero Angelo's special ability."**

Harrison's eyes widened as he realized he had been so wrapped up in stopping the assault of Nero Angelo that he had forgotten the monster's special effect. "No...I screwed up…"

**"That's right! Now by removing a number of monsters in my graveyard equal to half its total level I can have Nero Angelo attack directly. Of course, since I have no battle phase I'll just use this magic card, Renewed Efforts!" **Sanzo and Harrison grimaced, realizing what was about to happen as Nero Angelo's attack rose to thirty-eight hundred.

Sanzo glanced at his set card, but shook his head. _'That card is no use right now, so we'd better hope Harrison's other set is useful. Renewed Efforts lets the selected monster attack again once its attack is negated, plus it gives it a thousand bonus attack points. And all of that…is coming directly at us!'_

Nero Angelo swung his giant sword in a horizontal arc, this time aiming for Harrison's middle. The Dark Kaiser screamed right back at Nero Angelo and slapped a button on his disk. "Go trap card, Shade Capture! This negates one attack, and if the attacking monster is a demon that monster is removed from the game!"

Suddenly Harrison's newest trap card blew apart, and he saw that purple smoke was rising from that spot. "No…"

His eyes moved to the second Murk, who was standing silently with a face-up Trap Jammer on his field. "Damn it…that means my trap is finished…"

He screamed as the blade swept right across his stomach, tossing him a handful of feet backwards. He bounced and came up on his hands and knees, coughing painfully from the blow. "Our life points…" (HSLP: 1400)

**"I'm sure by now you remember that in addition to his direct attack effect, whenever Nero Angelo deals you life point damage you take an additional one thousand points of effect damage. So say farewell to almost all of your few remaining life points." **Harrison screamed again as a blast of purple energy from Nero Angelo's palm engulfed him completely. (HSLP: 400)

Murk looked down at his remaining cards, barely paying attention to the smoking body of Harrison stumbling to its feet. **"I place a single card face down, and then I activate Treasure of Hell. Each player draws until they're holding six cards in their hand, but they draw from the bottom of their deck."**

Each of them did so, but while it was a bonus for Murk, for Sanzo and Harrison it was also a detriment as it ran through even more of their cards. **"Oh yes, I might add that the monsters I removed were Hell Sloth, two Possessed Marionettes, and Hell Dancer."**

After examining his hand for several more seconds he slid two cards into his duel disk. **"I'll simply place those two cards face down and conclude my turn."**

He discarded seven cards from Killing the Counterbalance, and then shuffled five cards back into his deck. Harrison growled and reached for his deck, drawing slowly because of the pain. _'We have a distinct disadvantage here; I have to crush that bastard fast to punish him.'_

Murk cleared his throat, bringing Harrison and Sanzo's attention to him. **"I activate one of my three face down cards, From Hand. This trap card allows me to play one card from my hand at this time. I activate the normal magic card Dark Hole to destroy all monsters on the field."**

Every last monster on the field was pulled into a black hole that appeared above their heads, leaving the field clear except for the set cards left on the field. **"Next, the counter trap card known as Dark Reconstruction. All monsters I control, as well as those of my partner that were destroyed by an effect this turn are revived!"**

Hydro Lady reformed on the one Murk's field, while the original regained his Nero Angelo, Possessed Marionette, and his Hell Dancer. Harrison glared at his opponent, realizing the reasoning. _'Even though there are fewer monsters in play to drain our decks from Killing the Counterbalance he also got rid of Hell Slayer, whose special effect could have finished them off in a few turns time.'_

Now he was back to square one, with a completely empty field. Luckily enough now he had a full hand. _'But the other Murk will get a turn before Sanzo does, so he's not safe. I'll have to protect him…damned worthless hero!'_

"Bastard, let me show you more of my power! I summon The Legendary Black Lightning Leroy Schwartz (1600/1000)!" With a mighty leap a young man with spiky black hair came from a tower and landed in front of Harrison. He wore an elaborate long black coat with heavy shoulder pads, and long black gloves.

"When this monster is summoned from my hand or deck I can equip him with this card, Sentient Blade Ragnarok! This card increases Leroy's attack power by one thousand!" A heavy futuristic black broadsword was now slung over Leroy's shoulder. Sitting in the center of the hilt guard was a red orb that appeared to be vaguely like an eye.

Sanzo eyed the monster and its blade, surprised when he saw the red orb move as if looking over the field. "That's a new monster. I've never seen you use that card."

Harrison shot him a glare. "Shut up and stay out of my half of this duel hero boy, I already told you that. I'll deal with this Murk; you deal with the villain loser."

Both Murks let out a smug chuckle. **"Regardless of your confidence you happen to be losing, and even with that equip card your new monster isn't strong enough to defeat Nero Angelo."**

With one eye fixed on Murk Harrison reached for his hand of six cards and grabbed another one. "That's very intelligent of you, but maybe you had forgotten that Nero Angelo isn't your only monster. First I activate Cyclone, to take out your face down card!"

The gust of wind flipped up the trap and it began to glow a bright red. **"And that's the end for you! The card you just destroyed was Kozaky's Self-Destruct Device! Whatever player destroys it takes a thousand points of damage! Feel the pain!"**

Harrison's eyes widened, giving off an almost psychotic glow. "That's my line freak! Curse of Pain now redirects that damage straight back at you!"

Murk's trap card detonated, forcing the mysterious duelist to take a step back. Luckily his gas mask filtered away some of the smoke, keeping him protected. **"Impressive…you saw through my ruse." **(MLP: 2300)

Not bothering to give his opponent a chance to recover Harrison pointed at Hell Dancer. "Leroy, strike down that vile creature with your Ragnarok!"

Moving at an impressive rate Leroy zoomed from one point on the field to standing right in front of the dancer. He slashed down, cleaving the dancer in half. The pieces floated in mid-air for a moment before blowing apart. Leroy did a back-flip; avoiding the detonation and landing gracefully back on Harrison's field. "Against me, you can't win freak! For I am"

**"An avenger, I know. You say that all the time, don't you? Of course, it doesn't matter since at this rate you'll never be strong enough to defeat him. After all, how can a human like you hope to defeat the power of a full demon? A demon like Nero Angelo…" **The Dark Kaiser shook, his eyes quivering and his hands balling up. (MLP: 1400)

Sanzo grimaced, realizing what was being said. _'Just like I thought the one who killed Harrison's family and left him an orphan…was a demon. It was the only reasonable explanation for his unreasonable hatred of them. And for the reasoning behind his deck.'_

"You…just keep talking like you know anything about me and I'll destroy your very existence. It's clear you can't understand my power, so let me give you a taste. The dark power I've imbued into Ragnarok!" Murk was pushed back suddenly as a wave of power struck him. It was heavy and dark, and was pulsing out of the Ragnarok blade.

Harrison smirked, his eyes looking darker than ever. "Did you know that Ragnarok is known as the 'Bane of the Dark Ones'? And with the added negative energy I've placed into it I've gained an excellent weapon. Watch now…I activate Ragnarok's special effect!"

The red eye glowed and a black aura briefly surrounded Leroy, sending his attack points skyrocketing. "The monster equipped with Ragnarok gains the attack points of any dark type monster they defeat in battle to themselves. In addition, I can deal a thousand points of damage to you." (Leroy: 4300)

Murk didn't have a chance to move before Leroy was once again standing in front of him. With a quick slash of his blade he cut a long gash all the way across Murk's chest. **"You'll pay for that Wilhelm!" **(MLP: 400)

The Dark Kaiser folded his arms, looking cockier than ever. "Will I? Our life points are even now…or so it seems. When Leroy destroys a monster in battle I gain that monster's attack as life points. Or, if I choose not to do that, I can draw two cards. I choose to gain life points." (HSLP: 2100)

A single card formed behind Leroy, and Harrison kept his gaze steadily on Murk. A dark aura was rippling off of his body as if it was waves of heat. "Go ahead worm, make your move."

Murk drew, even while Harrison discarded four cards from his deck. It didn't seem like he was worried anymore, nor did he seem furious. Instead it was like the fury had been bottled up, replaced by a cold rage that was even more dangerous.

**"This looks perfect! I activate Insidious Plot, which lets me draw two cards. All non Elemental Villains are discarded, but those that are drawn can be immediately involved in a fusion." **A magic card with a dark red I visible on it formed, even as Murk drew.

**"One of the cards I've drawn is discarded, but the other is Elemental Villain Duskman (1500/1800)! And he's fused together with Hydro Lady!" **Hydro Lady merged with a shadowed figure with a masked face. What came out was a monster with extra long ropy arms with talons at the end, with a face that looked like it was rotting flesh.

**"This is Elemental Villain Crushing Despair (1900/1400). As long as this monster is in play all of the enemy's monsters lose one hundred attack points per level. So Leroy loses four hundred attack points." **Harrison didn't say a word, though that may have been because his monster still had nearly four thousand attack points.

Murk flipped around two more of his cards. **"Polymerization now fuses Crushing Despair with Elemental Villain Blazing Fist (800/1200), rival to Bubbleman!"**

A skinny man with a red jumpsuit and devil's horns jumped directly into Crushing Despair's back and the monster roared in pain as it began to mutate. Another pair of arms shot out of its shoulders, and its neck elongated until it was bobbing about like it was a separate limb. Then a barbed tail shot out of its back and spines erupted along the ridges of its body. **"Fear him, for this is Elemental Villain Inferno Hell Terror (3200/2000)!"**

Sanzo looked over at Harrison, knowing that his own face down card couldn't protect him. Harrison didn't return the look, so all he could do was hope. _'Since this is a team duel if I'm attacked directly Harrison can defend me with a face-up monster. If Harrison wants to he can easily stop any attack by Inferno Hell Terror.'_

**"This beast, his fearful presence is enough to weaken the bravest warrior. As long as he is in play all of my opponent's monsters lose half their attack and defense points, making your Black Lightning worthless!" **Harrison still had no physical or vocal reaction, despite the fact that his monster quickly fell to fourteen hundred and fifty attack points.

Another magic card appeared on Murk's field, this one depicting a dark blue V on a holographic background. **"Villain's Power raises the attack strength of one Elemental Villain in play by one thousand for the duration of the turn. Now, Inferno Hell Terror (4200/2000) will rip Leroy apart!"**

Two sets of arms shot towards Leroy, intent on shredding him to pieces. Harrison scowled and pointed at his face down. "Murder Master allows me to destroy one attacking monster. If that destruction is successful all monsters on your field and in your hand are also destroyed."

Inferno Hell Terror roared as it was ripped apart, and a card fell from Murk's hand as well. Then the wave of devastation hit the other field, destroying Nero Angelo, a card in the first Murk's hand, and Possessed Marionette. "For each destroyed I receive three hundred points of damage." (HSLP: 600)

Harrison scowled when suddenly Nero Angelo reformed on the field. **"When a demon on my field is destroyed I can discard Dark Life Imitation from my hand to revive it. At this time it gains one hundred attack points per level. This applies to all demons on the field of course."**

Possessed Marionette reformed, along with Inferno Hell Terror. Then each of them began to gain attack points. Inferno Hell Terror reached four thousand attack points; Possessed Marionette hit seven hundred, while Nero Angelo reached thirty-six hundred. **"All this for a measly cost of half my life points." **(MLP: 200)

The second Murk grabbed one of the two remaining cards in his hand. **"Luckily for you no monsters summoned by this effect can attack during this turn. I place one card face down and end my turn."**

He casually discarded four cards, and then shuffled three of them back into his deck. **"How pathetic that this is all a hero and an avenger can manage. You'll lose and fail. Your vengeance…"**

He looked over at Harrison who met the gaze with equal force. Then he turned to look at Sanzo, who also met his eyes. **"And your promise will both be forgotten and discarded into this darkness. You will have failed to do as you wished, and your entire lives will be for naught!"**

Sanzo grimaced and placed two fingers on the top card of his deck. _'I can't fail…I can't give up on that promise! If I can't fulfill it, what kind of older brother am I? What kind of hero will I be!'_

"NO! I won't lose…I will be a hero because it is my promise! I will never break that promise, and I will win and show this world that heroes do exist! Let me show you…my hero's heart!" He drew with impressive force and Harrison's eyes widened, going to his rival.

_'Sanzo…your conviction on being a hero…its strong, stronger than I could have imagined from you. Is that the true source of your power, that promise you made? Very well then…show me your conviction in keeping up your vision of this world!'_ Harrison and Sanzo's eyes met, and they nodded at each other.

"From my hand I activate the magic card Fusion Recovery! I use it to bring Elemental Hero Burst Lady and Polymerization back to my hand!" The two cards came out of his cemetery and he picked them up. Immediately he placed one of them onto his duel disk and Elemental Hero Burst Lady appeared, striking a pose.

**"Weakling hero…she loses half of her attack points to her fear of Elemental Villain Inferno Hell Terror!" **Burst Lady's attack power shrank, but Sanzo didn't seem to be worried, instead he retained a focused look on his face.

"I activate Oversoul, which special summons one normal Elemental Hero from my graveyard to the field! Come back out, Elemental Hero Featherman (1000/1000)!" The green winged hero appeared, spreading his wings out as wide as he could.

Murk didn't seem all that worried. **"Fool, even if you fuse for Flame Wingman again it won't accomplish anything. With Inferno Hell Terror in play its attack power will become nothing to worry about."**

"You don't understand a thing about heroes! It doesn't matter even if people believe in them, they continue to fight on because its what they feel is the right thing to do! And no matter the odds, heroes always find a way to push to victory! Even if it means changing everything they are and sacrificing themselves completely to protect others!" Harrison's eyes widened at those words.

_'The way he speaks about them…that conviction…its so much like my own desire as an avenger. If such willingness is there to sacrifice yourself for your desired goal…perhaps the true difference between a hero and an avenger is just a matter of words. No…the avenger strikes because it is their desire out of anger, whereas the hero strikes because it is their desire to do the right thing. And in this world…only power exists.'_ He shook his head, trying to figure out which was right.

Sanzo slammed another card into his duel disk. "I activate Metamorphosis! By sacrificing one monster on my field I can special summon a fusion monster from my fusion deck with an equal level! I choose to sacrifice Elemental Hero Burst Lady!"

Even Harrison was taken aback by this. He had seen a few evolved hero forms, but this wasn't one of them. "I now special summon Elemental Hero Nova Burst Lady (1600/800)!"

The monster was Burst Lady; only now crimson armor was strapped onto her body, giving her a futuristic look. In addition there was a heavy looking energy cannon strapped to her right arm, and a small set of rockets on the back of her armor. "You see? In a dire threat a hero can evolve and gain more power, and so can I! Let me show you!"

The card he now was showing depicting two magicians casting spells that were now connecting. "Double Spell lets me discard one card from my hand to copy the effect of one magic card in my opponent's grave. And Murk, with Graceful Charity one of the cards you discarded was Metamorphosis!"

Featherman's body was also covered by armor, including a metallic helmet that descended over his face. His wings were now also covered by metal, giving him that same future feel that Nova Burst Lady had. "This is Elemental Hero Feather Avenger (1000/1000)!"

Harrison scowled. _'Feather Avenger? How is that possible…a monster that's supposed to be a hero can't possibly be an avenger! But if it's merely intent…and merely word that matters then…no! Heroes are a fool's fancy! Power is all that matters in this world!'_

His gaze drifted to Nero Angelo, who was radiating dark power. Then he looked down at his own hands which had dark power emanating from them like heat. _'Power…but power at the cost of what? At the cost of all that I am? Murk was right…I am afraid of becoming like Nero Angelo. Of becoming a monster in my quest to destroy one. I can't be like Vergil and fall into the darkness, but I'm too steeped in darkness to ever be anything but an avenger.'_

Murk shrugged when Feather Avenger spread its wings, its attack power dropping to five hundred. **"Even with that monster's ability to attack directly you cannot win. My face down card is hardly a bluff. Those heroes are stronger, but still not enough."**

Sanzo closed his eyes and smiled slightly, casually brushing strands of his silvery hair away from his eyes. "No Murk, I'm going to show you a whole new level of hero, unlike anything you've ever seen before! I'll show you the second reason my deck is called a Neo Elemental Hero Deck!"

The card he thrust up over his head was one that all of the players easily recognized, and they knew how it had entered his hand. "I activate the magic of Polymerization! And my targets for fusion are Nova Burst Lady and Feather Avenger!"

Each of the upgraded Elemental Heroes was dragged into the warp vortex. And when it cleared a new but still familiar hero appeared. Its body was muscular and a mix of red, black, and green. Spreading out behind it was a pair of massive angel wings. Its right arm ended as a dragon's head.

Surrounding the monster's body was a brilliant red glow, and emblazoned on its chest was a crimson starburst pattern. "So he descends, Elemental Hero Nova Wingman (2800/2100)!"

Murk laughed, despite the increased power. **"Your hero is nothing! Even now he weakens because of the power of Inferno Hell Terror!"**

"Just watch me! I activate a new field card, the one and only original Skyscraper!" The futuristic city was replaced by the older crisper city full of jutting towers and skyscrapers.

**"Even with an additional thousand attack points your monster can't possibly match mine in battle. The difference in their level of points is going to be sixteen hundred!" **Sanzo smirked and turned his last card around to face Murk.

"I'm not finished yet, just watch. Coins from Heaven lets each player draw until they hold six cards in hand. But unlike Treasure of Hell those cards are drawn from the top of the deck!" Once more they all began to draw, and Murk glanced at one of his cards before drawing.

Sanzo fanned out his new hand, and then looked up at his opponent. "Just like I thought, that last card in your hand was something you could use. But I'm guessing from how you reacted to drawing that its effect can only be used when it's the only card in your hand. So sorry I couldn't assist you there."

His field shimmered and the blue and yellow armored warrior of the Elemental Heroes dropped into view. "By activating Bond of Heroes I can special summon an additional Elemental Hero to my field from my hand. So next up is Sparkman (1600/1400)!"

Folding two cards up he pushed them into his graveyard before holding out another card. "Magic Shard Excavation lets me discard those two cards from my hand to pick up a magic card in my cemetery. And my card of choice is one I'll activate right now, my Metamorphosis magic card!"

The newer version of Sparkman wore almost an identical battle suit, but this one was more muscular and had heavy gauntlets with blasts on the wrists. "This is Elemental Hero Spark Soldier (2100/1400)! And of course now is the time, I activate the effect of one of the cards I discarded with Magic Shard Excavation!"

A shimmering hole of light formed on the field, similar to that which appeared when a fusion began. "Once while it's in the cemetery Grave Fusion lets me remove it from the game to fuse monsters together! So I fuse Nova Wingman with Spark Soldier!"

Each Murk stumbled backwards as the entire cavern was filled with an amazing bright light. The creature that was slowly floating down from the skyscrapers was the source. It almost looked like a mechanical angel with three sets of metallic wings, but it was hard to tell because its body was glowing so brightly. **"Impossible! How could you summon a monster like that?"**

"Because that's what heroes do, they unleash greater strength when what they believe in and what they fight for is threatened! This is what my strength has unleashed under the threat against my promise, the all powerful Elemental Hero Divine Soul Wingman (3500/2500)!" Its feet touched the ground and the light intensified. Even Harrison seemed in awe of it.

_'That pure light…it even seems to push back the darkness. If there is such a thing as a hero…this is truly the personification of that! A being that fights against the darkness with its own inner light rather than clutching at the darkness for an answer. This creature…it's my polar opposite.'_ He chuckled inwardly as he observed the dark power around him trying to push back the darkness but failing.

_'Perhaps all this time I was wrong. Sanzo and I are rivals not because I believe his beliefs are foolish, but because our beliefs are exactly opposite. To fight the darkness he uses the light as a hero, while as an avenger I embrace the darkness for the same result. His desires are pure while mine are tainted.'_ He looked over at Murk, who seemed paralyzed in fear of this beast of light.

"Sanzo!" His cry cut through the dreadful silence and his rival looked at him. To Sanzo's surprise Harrison had a slight smile on his darkened features.

"Show them…show them your power as a hero! Obliterate Nero Angelo and purge its darkness!" Both Murks looked over at him, and it was evident that they were surprised at his outburst. And it seemed that they had completely forgotten that Nero Angelo was weaker than Inferno Hell Terror.

Sanzo paused for a moment, and then gave his rival a thumbs up, his teeth glinting. "You've got it! I'll burn the darkness away with the purity of Divine Soul Wingman's light!"

Murk seemed furious. **"Coward! You can't hide from Nero Angelo behind him! Nero Angelo is your destiny!"**

Harrison smirked. "Idiot, I make my own destiny! Now, get out of my way!"

Each of the mystery duelists drew back in surprise when suddenly a heavy wind whipped about Harrison's body, and the skyscrapers turned to dust. Then the second Murk's set card shattered, leaving only monsters on the field. **"What is this? What's going on?"**

"When Divine Soul Wingman was summoned I was allowed to discard Fate's Intervention from my hand to allow me to activate one magic card in my hand. My choice was Heavy Storm." Divine Soul Wingman spread its six wings out wider and it began to glow even brighter than before.

Sanzo thrust his hand out towards Nero Angelo. "Even with its attack points cut in half my hero still has more than enough power! For every hero in the cemetery my Divine Soul Wingman gains a thousand attack points!"

Spectral images of the various heroes Sanzo had played during the duel began to appear. Sparkman, Spark Soldier, Featherman, Feather Avenger, Burst Lady, Nova Burst Lady, Clayman, Flame Wingman, and Nova Wingman all showed themselves before vanishing. "His power is almost complete, but there's one last piece needed to truly defeat both of you." (DSW: 10750)

The Hero Saint turned to Harrison and grinned. "Harrison, just this once, lend me your power! Let's blow away the darkness of Nero Angelo together!"

The Dark Kaiser shrugged and folded his arms over his chest. With a faint smirk he looked away. "Do whatever you want hero boy."

"Alright, here it comes, the power of the Hero Saint and the Dark Kaiser together! Go, Union Attack! By forfeiting the battle damage I can combine the attacks and attack power of two monsters on the field together! Divine Soul Wingman and The Legendary Black Lightning will now strike together this one final time! Purification of Darkness, Divine Strike!" Murk backed away in terror as Leroy and Divine Soul Wingman charged Nero Angelo together.

Ragnarok cleaved through Nero Angelo, and then a blast of raw light incinerated the demon knight's body. Harrison smirked. "Even though Union Attack did no life point damage from the battle, Leroy's effect activates. I suppose we gain life points from Nero Angelo's attack." (HSLP: 4200)

Sanzo also smirked as Divine Soul Wingman lowered in front of the second Murk while Leroy moved to stand in front of the original. "When Divine Soul Wingman destroys a monster in battle the opponent takes that monster's attack strength as effect damage!"

Harrison shoved his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and closed his eyes. "And Ragnarok's effect deals you a thousand points of damage since it destroyed a dark type monster."

At the exact same moment Leroy slashed his blade across the original's chest while Divine Soul Wingman began to burn the secondary one with its holy light. Both dark duelists screamed as they were hit by the combined power of the two deadly monsters. (MLP: 0)

The holograms slowly faded, and Harrison looked behind him. Just as he had anticipated Paradise was still miraculously asleep. "At least whatever those two gave her hasn't worn off. Now…I think there's something I need to take care of."

He walked over and grabbed Murk by the front of his cloak, and then pulled him to the side. Murk didn't say anything even as Harrison kept him at the very edge of the walkway. Directly behind him was a plunge into darkness. "So…are you going to get in our way, or are you going to beg for forgiveness for you foolish words?"

Murk chuckled as his secondary self faded. **"Not to either. I won't get in your way since you passed the test. But I won't beg for forgiveness since I don't actually exist anyway. I can't die, because I'm merely a reflection of darkness left from the powers sealed here."**

Sanzo approached Harrison slowly, one hand extended towards his rival. "Harrison, don't do anything rash. Even if it wouldn't literally kill him, you can't do this. You'd be stepping out into that darkness with him if you did."

Harrison closed his eyes, and then hurled Murk back onto the walkway. "Killing a loser like you wouldn't be worth my time. There's only one person I want to kill, and he's much more of a monster than you could ever be."

Murk chuckled, and snapped his fingers. "In that case, welcome to the Vault. I hope you can find what you're looking for."

Sanzo walked over to Murk and knelt down beside him. "Do you think we can have people rotate in and out of here, watching after that girl? Someone is coming after her and we're trying to protect her."

The specter shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me, do as you wish. As long as they don't actually desire to enter the Vault like the two of you did then I won't bother. Now go…get what you came for."

It didn't take much more incentive for Sanzo to join Harrison inside the Vault. It was a room filled with row upon row of boxes, each with intricate designs on them. A handful even had chains. At the very end was a pillar which had three cards behind glass and mystic designs were scrawled on the ground around them.

Harrison and Sanzo walked up and down the Vault, each of them searching for something different. Finally Harrison found what he was looking for. "Yes…this is what I wanted."

The moment he touched the chains on the box they shuddered and detached, as if sensing his desire to open it. Slowly he opened it, revealing a single card set in glass. "You were real…not a legend after all. I wonder though…just how real your power is."

Sanzo was already closing a box, and placing a handful of cards into one of his pockets. "Harrison, what exactly did you come here for anyways?"

The Dark Kaiser paused for a moment, and then tucked the glass set card into his pocket, along with the length of chain that was attached to it. "Power, nothing less and nothing more. What about you?"

The Hero Saint glanced back at the box, and then back at Harrison. "I came to find a weapon against Saint, and I believe I did. Whether it's worth it or not I have no idea."

There was a pause and a moment of silence between the two of them, and then finally Harrison spoke. "Sanzo…thank you."

All Sanzo did was smile. There was no need for anything else. Different though they were there was a level of understanding between them that neither could explain. It had been there since they first met.

Yes they were opposites, yes they were rivals, and yes they had completely different views on the world. But in some strange way, without even realizing it, the two had become best of friends. "Don't look so smug idiot; it was just a momentary lapse of judgment."

Sanzo chuckled and began to walk back towards Paradise. "Sure. Whatever you say Harrison, whatever you say."

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Author's Note: Quite an impressive combo Sanzo performed there wasn't it?

_Next Time: Envy's power, the Aura of Envy, is capable of defeating even the strongest of duelists by draining away their will to fight. Even defeating Envy doesn't guarantee safety from her power. So to crush Envy's power someone must take the risk that they might never duel again. Who has that will? _

_See it all in, Envy Be Thy Name!_


	65. Envy Be Thy Name

Author's Note: What is Envy's name? Oh that's right, it's Kara. Did you forget? I didn't forget.

**Chapter Sixty-Five: Envy Be Thy Name**

"Please…leave me alone…I give up." The Obelisk Blue student fell to his knees, tears dripping from his eyes. His body shook almost uncontrollably with his sobs. (LP: Forfeit)

Envy sneered down at him, shuffling her deck up. "What's wrong? You seemed so confident when you challenged me. You thought that since I was such a plain looking girl and that since I was the weakest of the Seven Sins you could cement your position by beating me, isn't that it?"

She planted her foot on his back and shoved his face into the ground. He offered no resistance, just shuddered and kept from looking at her. She sneered down at him, digging her heel into his back. "Now look at you, down on your belly like a worm. Bet you wish you hadn't been so confident now, don't you? If you hadn't acted up so much I wouldn't have gotten jealous. And if I hadn't have gotten jealous you wouldn't be the wreck that you are."

Pulling her foot off she reached down and picked up his deck, going through it with a frown on her face. After several moments she dropped back on the ground and sighed. "Not even a single worthwhile card that I could use for my deck. I guess you were nothing more than a confidence booster shot for me."

Envy began to walk away, but paused when she reached the tree line. "Even I'm not that clueless. How long have you been watching…Pride?"

The purple haired teenager strolled out from behind a tree, hands casually in his pockets. His grey blazer hung open, revealing a light blue sleeveless shirt underneath. "Oh? You've become more aware of my presence then. Do you have an answer yet? Do you know whose side you're on?"

Her initial lack of response wasn't because she didn't know what he was talking about. Instead, she was wondering what to say. "After seeing what happened to Greed, I know that if I ever want to do something on my own I can't strike out against Saint on my own. So if it has the potential of keeping me safe from that freak, I'll side with you."

Pride smirked and turned away. "Excellent. Just remember whose side you're on when the time comes. Or else you'll end up like Greed, just a shadow of your former self and a dust smear on the carpet."

Once he was gone she propped her back against the wall and sighed. "This was never what I wanted. I just wanted to be recognized…to have people not walking over me. I don't want to lose myself to Saint…I don't want any of this."

_"But you enjoy it so much, don't you? You enjoy seeing people fear you, enjoy hearing them beg for mercy. Those that would look down on you now look up at you in utter terror, stripped of every ounce of their self-esteem. Now you are the one who stands above all the others." _She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push out the image that came to mind.

But even though she tried, she couldn't get rid of the image of a beautiful woman that looked vaguely like her. Long brunette wavy hair, bright grey eyes, a voluptuous figure, and long slender legs. She also had a look of complete confidence on her face. "Go away; I don't want to talk to you right now."

_"But now is the perfect time to talk to me. After all, with all that confidence and self-esteem you just absorbed what better time for me to come out? So what do you say, perhaps we should take on that Shiro kid next. He's got crazy amounts of self-confidence, even if most of it can't be backed up. He'd make an excellent target." _Envy ground her teeth together and looked away, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't banish the image.

"I said no! Just let me pick my opponents, or let Saint, whatever. I don't care, you just don't get a say in the matter!" The beautiful version of her giggled, a pretty and cute sound that Envy only wished that she could make. People might want her if she had such an adorable laugh.

_"You don't believe that anymore than I do. Come on Kara, if not Shiro, how about Kaoru? She's also confident. Or that Chizuma girl, she's about as confident as Shiro. And once we knock off Mizuki's friends one by one, we'll get enough confidence and power to take on Sanzo and Harrison. And with their confidence absorbed into us, we'll take on Pride. And from him, straight to Saint!" _Envy growled and took a swing at the image. But since the other girl was just in her head her swing passed right through her.

"I said shut up!" The other her giggled and drifted backwards, fading as she did so. Envy fell to the ground on her hands and knees, breathing heavily.

"I won't…I can't…leave me alone forever…I just…I don't want any of this…"

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Enzeru squeezed Kane's hand, listening to the steady beep of the monitor. "Little brother, I promise I'll save you. I promise I'll save Aya as well. I'll stop this; I'll stop anybody else from getting hurt!"

Today was Kane's last day on the island before he was transported by helicopter to the mainland. There he could be put in a professional hospital where they knew how to really care for a comatose patient.

Tears brimmed in Enzeru's eyes as he thought about the suffering his family had undergone. And it was all because of two people. "Envy…Saint…you monsters…I'm coming for you!"

He stood up and squeezed his brother's hand one last time. "Nobody would agree with me except Inferno, nobody will go right to the source. But I've had it with waiting! No more…no more will I allow them to get away with doing whatever they want!"

Grabbing the duel disk at his brother's bedside and the deck next to it he marched to the door, slowly sliding it on. "Prepare yourself Envy, tonight is the night of your defeat!"

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The Ra Yellow girl slumped to the ground, her breathing shallow and unsteady. Envy sighed and turned away. "Are you happy now? I stole some more, just to shut you up."

The other her appeared again, smiling cutely. _"Kara, I'm never satisfied. Same goes for you, right?"_

"Talking to yourself Envy? I knew you were a vindictive monster, but I didn't realize you were a lunatic as well." Envy's eyes widened and she spun around. The voice was one she recognized quite well. It was one of Mizuki's friends.

With his Obelisk Blue coat hanging open much like Envy had seen Pride earlier that day, Enzeru looked like an incarnation of a fury. His silvery-blonde hair was hanging back limply against his head as if he had been running, and his eyes were filled with a controlled fire vastly different from the normal calm he wore. "Third Yukio…"

A rumbling sound rose from Enzeru as he held back his rage. "Envy, you'll pay for what you've done to my family! What hurts one Yukio hurts another, and for that I'll destroy you!"

He grabbed his Obelisk blazer and tossed it to the side, revealing a tight black t-shirt that clung to his body. He raised his left arm, displaying a duel disk in the on position, deck already in place. "Duel me! Or are you too much of a coward Envy?"

Envy paused, staring at him for a moment. She opened her mouth to refuse, but was cut off by a giggle. _"You weren't going to refuse, right? Enzeru is just brimming with confidence. And he'll be the perfect meal for me…for us. Go ahead, take him!"_

Her eyes slowly narrowed, and then she smirked. "You make me jealous…your strength, your family bond, all those good looks. I'm going to take it all away from you, just like I did to your brother and sister! Duel!" (Envy: 4000) (Enzeru: 4000)

Enzeru fanned out his opening hand, and then reached for his deck. "I'll be taking the first turn. Draw!"

He swished it off his deck in one quick motion, and then just as quickly played his first card. "I begin with Reinforcements of the Army, which lets me search my deck for a level four or lower warrior and add it to my hand!"

His deck popped out and he opened it, easily finding the card he wanted. He slid it into his hand and then snapped around another card. "Instant Replay copies the effect of Reinforcements of the Army, allowing me to add another such monster to my hand!"

Once more he found his desired monster and then shuffled up his deck. Envy smirked and planted her hands on her hips. "Bad hand? Or do you actually have a strategy you want to use against me?"

"Just watch and learn. I place a monster in defense mode and one card face down. That ends my turn." Envy watched him carefully before drawing to start her own first turn.

After carefully examining her hand she looked up at him and smirked, her eyes suddenly spinning with circles of green. "The Aura of Envy awakens…I can't hold it back against you, not at all! Feel happy about that, you'll experience my full strength from the very start!"

Enzeru nodded and beckoned towards himself with one hand. "Come; bring all your power at me so I can break it."

_"That's right, I love his confidence. Let's eat it all together!" _In the moment of the duel, with her power activated, Envy didn't even bother to shut out the voice. Instead she grinned broadly and placed a card into her duel disk.

"After setting that face down I summon Geisha Mistress Saisha (1400/1100)! And when Saisha is summoned I can destroy one magic or trap card on the field. Guess what? I choose my own set card!" A beautiful pale faced woman in an elaborate green kimono appeared. Her kimono swept over the set card, breaking it apart.

Suddenly the set card reformed and a giant crane made of what looked like paper appeared. "The trap card I destroyed was called Paper Crane, which lets me generate a Paper Crane Token (1000/1000) when destroyed."

She smirked and slid a card into her duel disk directly behind Saisha. "I equip her with Fan of Devil's Gust, which gives the equipped Geisha a boost of three hundred attack points. Plus, when activated it destroys one magic or trap card on the field!"

Saisha snapped open a fan, which revealed a pentagram symbol inside of it. Then she made a sweeping motion with it and a gust of black wind shot out, smashing into Enzeru's set card. "Of course, I've chosen your set card."

"That doesn't matter, since I'll chain it! Trifecta Shield prevents a total of three attacks during this turn, so unless you can manage four I'm safe." Envy frowned and looked over the rest of her hand of cards.

"Fine spoilsport, I'll just set a card face down and end my turn." She ignored the giggle from the other her, instead focusing her attention on Enzeru.

Enzeru drew, and then pointed at his set monster. "I'll show you my power now! I flip summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600)!" A blonde woman in red armor and a red head dressed appeared her shield and sword at the ready.

Envy frowned, feeling as if this was something familiar. "I thought you played Pure Land cards and those Paladins."

_"He's just like Kane, how silly, but how touching anyways." _Envy nodded, understanding now. And she couldn't help what she said next.

"Oh I get it, that monster is supposed to be Aya, just like Crescent Swordsman was. In that case, I'll break her apart just like I did to Aya!" Enzeru's eyes grew even fiercer with anger, and he slammed his other searched for card down.

"Next up, King's Knight (1600/1400)! And when King's Knight is summoned and Queen's Knight is on the field I can special summon Jack's Knight (1900/1000) from my hand or deck to the field!" An older bearded man in blue armor took the field next to Queen's Knight, followed closely by a youngish looking man in green armor.

The three knights held up their swords and crossed them together. "Jack's Knight, attack and destroy Saisha!"

The youngest of the three knights charged forwards, only to be stopped when an innocent looking young girl in a white dress blocked his path. Envy smirked, holding up a trap card. "Pure Maiden negates one attack, and is then shuffled into my deck face up. When I draw it I immediately discard it and gain two thousand life points."

She slipped the card into her deck and began shuffling. Enzeru didn't bother to wait for her to finish. "Queen's Knight, destroy Paper Crane!"

This time there was nothing to block the attack and the crane was diced into tiny pieces of paper. Envy shrugged, replacing her deck in its slot. Then she drew the top card. "When Paper Crane is destroyed in battle I take no life point damage and then I draw one card."

Enzeru nodded, and one card appeared between his three monsters. "Go ahead and take your turn Envy. I'm waiting."

_"Look at that, you block him and his confidence doesn't slip at all. Turn up the heat, after this next turn, let's draw it and really start to use our power on him! This low level isn't even bugging him he's so confident! I'll love eating all of his confidence!" _Envy gained an almost sadistic look in her eyes as she drew.

"I activate the continuous magic card Maiden's House! As long as this card is active all Geishas gain two hundred attack and defense points, and when they battle another monster the opposing monster loses two hundred points." Enzeru didn't even blink when Saisha's attack power rose to nineteen hundred, equal to Jack's Knight's attack.

"Next I summon Geisha Seamstress Itsuki (1100 +200/900 +200)! When she's summoned I get to add an equip card related to Geishas from my deck to my hand. And I choose to activate that equip on her!" She slid the card into her disk and a fan appeared in the hands of an older but still pretty Geisha who was sitting at a spinning wheel.

The fan Itsuki was holding started to glow, and a giant holographic card appeared in front of Envy. "Once per turn my equip card Fan of Fate lets me look at the top card of your deck. I can then choose to put it back on top or at the bottom. Plus she gets two hundred more attack points."

Envy frowned at the card she saw, and made a slashing gesture with her hand. "Place it at the bottom of your deck."

Enzeru slid the card onto the bottom of his duel disk. "Is that all?"

"Don't get impatient for defeat Third Yukio! Saisha, attack and destroy Jack's Knight! Destroy him just like I defeated Kane!" Enzeru grimaced as his monster's attack points fell to seventeen hundred. Then a black gust of wind sliced through him. (Enzeru: 3800)

"And when the monster equipped with Fan of Devil's Gust deals life point damage in battle I get to destroy another magic or trap card on the field! So say goodbye to your other set card!" Again Saisha used her fan, and this time it was Enzeru's only set card that was blown away.

"Next, Itsuki will attack Queen's Knight! Say goodbye to Aya!" Itsuki literally hurled her fan, sending it punching directly through Queen's Knight's chest. Then she snapped her fingers, returning the fan to her hands. (Enzeru: 3600)

"When Itsuki deals life point damage I can add a Geisha equip card to my hand. And I now equip Hypnosis Kimono to Saisha! This card gives Saisha a hundred attack points and five hundred defense points, plus making her the only available attack target." Saisha's kimono began to waver, sending out waves of dizzying energy.

Envy planted a hand on her right hip, smirking. _"That's right…the last turn going easy on him. Next turn; let's get him to his knees so we can eat everything he has to offer!"_

The other her hovered over her shoulder, licking her lips as she stared at the angry Enzeru. Envy smirked and nodded briefly. _'Do whatever you want, I just want to win.'_

"In case you hadn't figured it out already this deck…it was inspired by my siblings. This is my Trinity Knight Deck which represents the bonds of my siblings and me! This is my deck of family retribution!" He drew powerfully, and slammed the card into his deck immediately.

"The power of Trinity Resurrection brings back up to two monsters in the cemetery that have text that mention each other or are mentioned by a monster on my field. Since King's Knight's effect mentions Queen's Knight and Jack's Knight I can now revive both of them!" The two knights reformed next to the oldest member of the trinity, and Envy looked irritated at the sight of them.

"So what? They can only attack Saisha and she's too strong for even Jack's Knight to defeat! Not a one of them are strong enough to defeat her!" Enzeru smirked and flipped around one of the cards in his hand.

"Maybe alone, but together they are more than powerful enough! By sacrificing all monsters on my field I can deal damage equal to their attack to one monster on the opponent's field. And all that is thanks to the power of this one magic card, Brave Attack!" Envy stared in disbelief as the three knights crossed blades and lunged forwards, colliding with Saisha. They slammed directly through her body and the swords stabbed into her.

Enzeru smiled slightly as Envy screamed loudly with the swords piercing her body. Finally the knights faded away and Envy stumbled, trying to shake off the pain. "Damn that hurt…" (Envy: 1000)

The eldest of the Yukio triplets reached for his deck and plucked it free. "When I have at least one set of three related monsters in my cemetery this card activates from my deck: One for All, All for One! It now allows me to special summon one monster from a set that is level four or lower!" He tossed the card he found out onto his duel disk and then returned his deck back to its slot.

A warrior in bronze armor appeared in a crouched position, an old looking bronze sword and bronze shield in his grip. "I special summon Bronze Knight (700/700) in defense mode. Then I place my last two cards face down and end my turn!"

Since Enzeru seemed to be rushing his way through the duel, Envy found no reason not to follow his steady pace. "You seem eager to lose, so I'll accept that and crush you! By removing three equips from the game, my two in the grave and one on the field, I add this card to my hand."

It popped out of her deck and she held it over her head. Instantly the other her grew even more eager, and the swirling green in Envy's eyes increased in amount and pace. "Soul of Sin-Envy's first power drains the attack power of all monsters on your field and grants me that amount as life points!" (Envy: 1700)

She slid the card into her grave, and then placed her next card down carefully. "My next monster is the beautiful Geisha Singer Sayuki (1300/900) who gains the two hundred point bonus to attack and defense. And while in the grave Soul of Sin-Envy gives me life points equal to any attack or defense increases monsters on the field receive!" (Envy: 2100)

Envy motioned to her older Itsuki who held up a small needle from threading and prepared to throw it. "Itsuki, destroy Bronze Knight (0/700)!"

Suddenly her words were drowned out by a horrible ringing noise, and when she managed to focus again she saw a huge totem pole with speakers on it in front of Enzeru. It was emitting the horrible sound.

After a few moments Itsuki lowered the needle and the totem pole and music ended. Enzeru smirked and drew a card from his deck. "The quick-play magic card Command Silencer prevents you from commanding your monsters this turn as well as allowing me to draw one card. So please, end your turn."

The Sin scowled and planted a card into her disk. "Shut up jerk. I end my turn."

As soon as the card had left his deck another monster emerged on his field. This one was slightly taller than the previous one and all in silver armor, with silver weapon and shield. "From my deck I special summon Silver Knight (900/900) and when he and Bronze Knight are together I can add a special monster to my hand."

To the direct right of Silver Knight the tallest one yet appeared this one deck out all in gold. "For my normal summon this turn I call forth Gold Knight (1200/1200)! And now that they are together, their powers are magnified!"

Bronze Knight stood up out of his crouch and raised his sword over his head. "Bronze Knight's ability raises the attack of himself and his brethren by five hundred points. Even if you gain life points, it's well worth it for the bonus power." (Envy: 3600)

Next Silver Knight hefted up his blade and activated his ability. "Silver Knight's power is much the opposite and decreases the attack of all enemy monsters by five hundred points!"

Envy scowled as her two monsters fell to a weaker eight hundred and one thousand between the two of them. "Doesn't matter, your three monsters are just a pile up of weaklings like all you Yukio triplets!"

"Gold Knight, I activate your ability to allow me to draw two cards! And now, I will show you who is weak! Reverser card open, Dust Tornado!" The Sin gasped as a cyclone of dust shot out of Enzeru's trap card and speared into her face down card, ripping it in half.

He glared across the field and Envy's monsters shrank back. "Silver Knight (1400-200) attack Itsuki (800)! Gold Knight (1700-200) crushes Sayuki (1000)!"

Envy winced as her two monsters were slashed in half with one swing of each of the two knight's swords. That left her completely defenseless. "Bronze Knight (500/700), direct attack!"

She groaned when the blade hit her directly, and she stumbled back. To her surprise her stumbling was stopped by hands on her shoulder. Looking behind her she saw the grinning other her. _'But she shouldn't be able to touch me!' _(Envy: 2200)

When she looked back two cards were already appearing on Enzeru's field. "Do you understand Envy? Driven as I am, you cannot defeat me! Try as much as you like, it won't matter!"

_"Push harder, this guy is barely blinking. It feels like we're eating his confidence at a crazy rate, but so far he hasn't even flinched! I love this!" _Envy shook away the other's voice and drew for her turn, desperate to get this strangely unsettling duel over with.

Immediately after drawing she looked at her top card and grinned. "Guess what? Time to recover! I activate Pot of Greed, and the first card I draw is Pure Maiden, which I discard to gain two thousand life points." (Envy: 4200)

That left her with just two cards in her hand, but that would do quite a good job. "I activate Maiden in the Reeds which lets me special summon one Geisha monster from my hand. My choice is Geisha of the Future Motoko (2600 +200/1900+200)!" (Envy: 4600)

This particular Geisha was just as elaborately dressed as the others, but was set apart because she had no eyes. "Of course, she immediately loses five hundred attack points, but that doesn't matter to me. Now, I activate her special ability and draw one card now."

She drew again, and then after registering the card she raised it and pointed with it at Enzeru and his knights. "Motoko, attack and destroy Bronze Knight!"

Motoko raised one heavily clothed hand and instantly needles sprayed out from within the confines of her sleeve. But to Envy's surprise they flew right by Bronze Knight and pounded into Enzeru's body. "What the heck? How was that a direct attack?"

Enzeru chuckled weakly as he dusted off his chest from the damage. Then he pointed at one of his cards on the field, which was now face up. "Astral Barrier allows me to direct attacks squarely at my life points instead of at my monsters. In addition, before the attack hit I was able to activate Nutrient Z to gain four thousand life points." (Enzeru: 5300)

Envy shrugged as her body was covered in a green light for a brief moment. "One of the other effects Soul of Sin-Envy has while in the grave is that when you gain life points, so do I." (Envy: 6300)

Glancing at the card she still had in hand, Envy set it on the field. The other her chuckled. _"That's right, show him our power and eat all of his confidence! With this much confidence it won't be long until we can show our true self to everyone!"_

Envy frowned, barely noticing her opponent drawing. _'You keep blabbering like that but I don't want to hear it. You're just a stupid voice in my head that I can't get rid of. You have nothing to do with me.'_

The eldest Yukio drew twice from the effect of his Gold Knight, when he saw the cards in his hands he closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Your cowardly power Envy…I can feel it eating away at me. But it's not going to work!"

The Sin's eyes widened, but her other self just looked on intrigued. "What are you talking about? Nobody can withstand the Aura of Envy for long. Even the bravest opponent crumples in despair when faced with me."

Enzeru shook his head, looking dangerously calm. "You don't understand Envy. You can drain away all of my courage and all of my confidence, but it won't matter. I'm not running off of any of those things at this moment. The thing fueling me is a righteous anger! The desire for divine justice!"

The second Envy spread her arms out wide, her face ecstatic. _"Yes, he's the perfect opponent! He can keep going and keep generating more and more confidence just because of that feeling! We'll eat all he gives us and become wondrously strong!"_

From a tree not too far away Pride smirked and brushed a lock of purple hair away from his eyes. _'I see, so that must be part of his power as Fortitude. That means that he's the perfect opponent for Envy. Perhaps only he is capable of defeating her. But we'll have to see.'_

"Envy, I activate a special ability of my three knights! By giving up my battle phase these three can deal damage to one monster on the opponent's field as if they were attacking with three thousand points! Platinum Point Slash!" Envy screamed as three swords slashed through her monster, blasting it to pieces. (Envy: 5600)

As soon as she recovered she realized he had already activated another card, which showed the trio of poker knights charging into battle. "Tri Knight Strike allows me to remove one set of three related monsters in order to gain an additional battle phase this turn. So all three of my monsters will attack you directly!"

She screamed again as one by one the three metallic knights cut into her flesh, cutting her life points down by a significant margin. "You…you'll pay for that! Just wait until you succumb to the Aura of Envy! Then there will be no mercy!" (Envy: 2000)

Enzeru held up another of his cards, his eyes burning with determination. "Envy, you won't have the chance for any such thing! By discarding First Knight (2000/1000) and Third Knight (1000/2000) I can pick up a magic card from my grave with Magic Shard Excavation!"

As soon as he had recovered the card he grabbed the last card from his hand and thrust it out. "Foolish Burial sends Second Knight (1500/1500) to the grave! And now, with him in the grave I activate Tri Knight Strike by removing all three of them! Farewell Envy!"

Bronze Knight jumped up and cut her first, followed by Silver Knight, and then Gold Knight. But instead of falling to her knees in defeat Envy burst out laughing. "Fool, you can't beat me! Everybody is always jealous, so Envy will always be victorious!" (Envy: 5600)

She smirked and held up a card, revealing it to be her set card. "When you attacked the second time I just used Body of Sin-Envy to absorb the attack points of your monsters. Of course they regained it from Bronze Knight, but since they gained attack points I gained that amount as life points before damage."

Enzeru frowned and looked at his knights. Sure enough each of them now only had five hundred attack points. _'Damn…I used up my entire hand for that killing strike as well. There's nothing else I can do.'_

Envy drew, and her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw the card. _'So quickly? Oh why would it matter anyways? I should be happy; this will unleash all of my power even faster!'_

"Third Yukio, I activate the final of the set to unleash my full strength! I play Heart of Sin-Envy! Consider yourself lucky, because no opponent has ever seen all three of these cards played. They've all succumbed to the Aura of Envy, most before I ever even used Body of Sin. So now, prepare to suffer!" Enzeru grimaced as he felt a heavy wave of power fall on him, and it was like he was suddenly being assaulted by a depression so powerful it was making him sick to his stomach.

He gritted his teeth and fought back. _'I can't succumb, not when I have my family counting on me! I refuse to lose!'_

Envy and her other self were wide eyed with delight and frustration that still Enzeru wouldn't go down. "Fine, witness its power! First your monsters get drained and I gain life points. Then since they regain attack I gain more life points!" (Envy: 8600)

She laughed hysterically as Enzeru's life points began to fall rapidly and hers shot upwards. "Once per turn I can drain your life points by half with these three cards together. And that amount gets added to my life points!" (Enzeru: 2650) (Envy: 11250)

Without a moment's notice the continuous magic card on her field broke apart. "By sacrificing a card on my field when you have more monsters on the field than I do I can special summon one monster from my grave. So welcome back Geisha of the Future (2600-500/1900)!"

Immediately Envy drew from Motoko's effect. Then she clenched one fist and punched it towards Gold Knight. She was unaware of her other half doing the exact same thing, one hand on her back. "Motoko, smash Gold Knight and get rid of that pesky draw effect!"

Enzeru grimaced as a hail of needles shot at his monster. "No, my knights won't fall! I activate the effect of Astral Barrier, directing the attack to myself instead!"

He was pounded by the needles and fell to one knee, breathing heavily. Still he found himself fueled by that powerful burning sensation within him. It was enough to beat back the pain and the horrible depression hovering over him. "I can't lose…I won't lose…not yet, not ever!" (Enzeru: 550)

With one powerful yell he stood up and drew, shocking Envy. _'This guy…he's not human! Nobody should be able to withstand my full power! Nobody has that much confidence!'_

The other her smirked and Envy's eyes widened as the hand on her back slid _into_ her. _'What…what are you doing?'_

_"This guy is so much that I can't stop myself! I want to eat all the positive thinking emotions I can find! I want to devour it all! So give it to me!"_ Envy squeezed her eyes shut and tried to pull away, but that hand sank deeper into her. But only she was aware of it.

_'Give you what? What the hell are you babbling about? What can you get from me?'_ The other her burst out laughing and now her entire arm submerged into Envy's back. The other hand also began to follow, and Envy grimaced in a mix of pain and nausea.

_"All that confidence and self-esteem you've been storing inside yourself from our defeated foes, give me every last ounce of it! I want it all!"_ Envy screamed even as Enzeru activated his drawn card.

"Envy, this is the end! I play Triple Suicide Strike, which allows me to sacrifice three monsters to deal you their original attack points as damage! Then the original attack points of all other three part sets I've used in this duel are also dealt to you! So take it all, over twelve thousand points of damage!" The metallic knights, a set of knights in smooth gunmetal armor, and the poker knights all charged Envy.

"NO!" Envy let out one final piercing scream as the nine swords stabbed into her, hitting her with every ounce of damage Enzeru could muster. At the same time the other her pulled backwards, a glowing mass of green light held in her hands. (Envy: 0)

Enzeru felt his body weakening as the duel came to a close, and he nearly collapsed. "The second effect of Triple Suicide Strike deals me the same amount of damage…" (Enzeru: 0)

The green in Envy's eyes faded as she collapsed, breathing weakly and clearly unconscious. Enzeru began to approach, wondering exactly what had happened. Then Envy's body jerked up and was engulfed in a bright green light. "What the…"

Even Pride in his hiding spot was rooted, not quite sure what he was seeing. _'Damn…something unexpected is going on here.'_

When the light faded Envy was standing there once again. But this time instead of the short plain looking girl it was an older looking woman of great beauty. She had long shiny brown hair, soulful grey eyes, perfect legs, an amazing body, and she carried herself with an air of great confidence. "So wonderful…so amazing! So this is what its like to really feel the wind, to feel the ground beneath your feet! Already I'm intoxicated by it!"

With a tentative frown Enzeru held his ground. "Who are you? What happened to Envy?"

The older woman cocked her head to one side, and then tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "You mean Kara I suppose. I guess she lost whatever was left of herself when I ate her confidence. All the rest of her had already gotten eaten away by other people's emotions, so now that what she had left is gone, there's no more Kara York."

She grinned and picked up Kara's scattered cards. "And who am I you ask? I guess I'm that power, I guess you could say that I'm the Aura of Envy. I'm born from all the raw emotions that Kara absorbed with that power. I guess if you had to separate us, the girl who was always jealous with no confidence of her own was Kara York. But me?"

One hand drifted to her stomach, and she paused as she patted it, clearly amused at being able to feel herself. When she refocused she fixed Enzeru with a wide eerie smile. "I'm the real Envy. I'm all of that power and all of that confidence she gathered. Now…now I think I'm going to go eat some more, since I can't seem to stop being hungry. You've been a great meal, but I need somebody I can actually drain dry."

Enzeru's eyes widened as he realized what she meant. "You can't do that! I won't let you! I'll defeat you and prevent you from harming anyone else!"

Envy turned around, and when Enzeru tried to follow he stumbled and fell. "You used up almost all your energy against Kara, so fighting me you'd just probably burn yourself to ash drawing on too much power. But I guess if you really want to get your siblings back, when you've recovered, come find me. I'd love to eat all of your inner strength."

She winked and began to fade away, as if she were vanishing into thin air. "Don't worry about it; even if you don't seek me out I'll come back to you sooner or later. After all, a person like you is a fine wine. A perfect treat for the right moment. Once I'm full, I'll eat you for dessert!"

A delightful but somehow frightening giggle hung in the air even as she drifted out of sight, no sign left of her. Enzeru dug his hands into the dirt, tears forming in his eyes. "I couldn't stop her…I failed…but next time…next time I'll succeed!"

A wave of dizziness hit him and his face hit the dirt. The last thought he had before losing consciousness was that he wanted to be there when his brother woke up, and smile down at him. Tell him that Envy was gone forever, and that they were finally safe. _'Kane…sorry…'_

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Author's Note: Uh-oh, looks like Envy has gotten even stronger. Can anybody beat her at this point? Even I'm not sure…

_Next Time: Mizuki is shocked when Vlad returns once again, this time in order to pass on secretive knowledge to her that only she can know. But in order to get it from him she must first defeat him in a Darkness Game when he is at his fullest power. Yet as mighty as he is, can she possibly defeat Vlad the Impaler, Strongman of Duelist Academy?_

_See it all in, VS The Impaler; Vlad's Plea!_


	66. VS The Impaler: Vlad's Plea

Author's Note: Once more, here comes Vlad!

**Chapter Sixty-Six: VS The Impaler; Vlad's Plea!**

Mizuki yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Then she frowned and plucked at her nightgown. _'I need a new one; this one from last year doesn't fit anymore.'_

Classes had been duel lately, and even the math she was teaching and dealing with wasn't difficult enough to challenge her. The last truly interesting thing she had been involved with was the duel with Greed. _'And everybody hasn't been spending much time with me lately, they seem busy with something. But I can't even get them to tell me what they're up to.'_

She was startled out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. She stood and walked to the door, slowly pulling it open. What she saw when she peaked out was something large and brown. "Huh?"

A few moments later she realized she was staring at a t-shirt, and she craned her neck up in a way that felt very familiar. There, standing directly in her doorway and smiling down at her, was the massive form of Vlad. "Vlad!"

He laughed warmly and scooped her up in a bear hug, barely aware of her yelp of surprise. "Little Mizuki! It's been too long!"

Once he set her back down she looked up at him in awe. "Vlad…what are you doing here? I mean its good to see you and all, but its late and this is a school. Plus…this is the girl's dorm. You aren't supposed to be here."

Vlad's smile faded and he looked down each direction of the hallway. "I wish I was here for good reunions and so on, but unfortunately I'm here to bring you important news. Yet again, it's unfortunate because I can't simply give it to you. You have to earn it."

Mizuki looked at him quizzically, arching an eyebrow. "Umm…what news? And what do you mean by 'earn it'?"

The giant sighed and rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed. "It's important information that only you can know. It's about the colony, and most particularly about Saint Beatrix. I warned you before for free, but I can't get away with that anymore."

After nodding slowly she considered exactly how much this might help. "I'll do whatever I have to in order to learn more about Saint. If I can learn more about him, then maybe I can figure out how to stop whatever he's planning."

"Very well, I suppose that I can do this. But for you to earn that information, you must beat it out of me." She wasn't sure if she could have been more surprised than she was right then. Her heart skipped a beat when he lifted up his left arm, revealing a duel disk.

"You mean…I have to beat you in a duel in order to get the information? But Vlad, even at my best I couldn't take you down." Vlad smiled and patted her on the shoulder, nearly knocking her off her feet in the process.

"You don't give yourself enough credit little one. Your potential has always been greater than mine. If you push yourself, I'm certain you can defeat me. Of course, don't think that despite wanting you to have this information I'll hold back. I'll come at you full force from the very start in this duel. And the duel will be…in the darkness." Mizuki bit her bottom lip and looked down at her feet, filling the space between them with a harsh silence.

Finally she looked up into his eyes and nodded. "I'll do it, I'll duel you with everything I've got, even if it is in the darkness. But…can I get dressed first?"

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There was silence between the two as they stood facing each other, each one opposite the other. It was here, in this very place, that they had first dueled. Vlad himself had chosen the location. Rather than duel in the Obelisk Arena, he chose for them to duel in the Obelisk Gym, where they had first met and dueled.

_'This whole thing has a somber feel behind it. I don't like the fact that he picked this place; it seems too sentimental, even for him. His normally warm and inviting smile and eyes are dulled now, like he's hardened. Or perhaps he's afraid of the outcome…'_ She shook away the thought, not wanting to imagine Vlad in any way as weak. That just wasn't possible; he was the strongest person she knew.

Vlad pounded one hand against his massive chest and then raised his left arm, his duel disk moving into position. "Make this a grand duel Mizuki! I want to feel your full power from round one. Remember, no superficial strategies, just the hearts and minds of the duelists waging all out battle!"

Mizuki nodded and activated her older model duel disk. "I'll meet your wishes and surpass them Vlad! So you better not hold back on me either!"

With her heart thumping in her chest from a mix of anxiety and excitement she clicked her deck into the slot, while Vlad did the same with his. Then their life points lit up. "Duel!" (VLP: 4000) (MLP: 4000)

The lights in the room flickered, and then darkness exploded from Vlad's bulging muscles. They filled the gym, engulfing them in the Darkness Game. Just like before Mizuki felt a strange tingling, and knew that it was different from when she summoned this place. _'Strange. Back when Vlad first talked to me about the ultimate duel I wonder if that was what a Darkness Game was. Now that I've experienced them I know the answer. And now, in a twist of fate, I'll see if I can have an ultimate duel with Vlad in the darkness.'_

Her reminiscence was broken when she saw that Vlad had drawn, and she felt the darkness ripple from the power. _'Just like I thought, in this place I can feel his strength. His draw is more powerful than I remember.'_

"Little one, this duel…I will grant you my ultimate strength! Magic card activates, Pot of Greed!" He drew twice with his large fingers, and then snapped up another card, which showed a scientist using a scalpel on the evil jar from Pot of Greed.

"Research on the Pot of Greed, when played during the same turn as Pot of Greed, allows me to draw two cards." Mizuki kept herself calm, despite the excitement that was continuing to build. His power was already evident, getting those two cards so quickly on the first turn.

"Since I have no monsters in my hand or on my field I can add my key monster to my hand. And now, since I have no monsters on my field and none in my hand save him I normal summon Strongman (1900/1200) without tribute!" The muscular wrestler dressed in blue did a front flip out of the darkness and landed in a flexing pose.

Mizuki's eyes widened when she felt the next big pulse of power. "From my hand I activate the quick-play magic card Strongman Ultimate Summoning! When I've normal summoned a Strongman I can special summon the other two from my deck, though they cannot attack during this turn. After activation this card removes itself and the top five cards of my deck from the game."

Another two identical monsters rushed out onto the field, giving Vlad a trio of his Strongmen. Vlad's meaty fingers held up a single card between two of them. "Ultimate Training allows me to equip any Strongman I have on the field with an 'Ultimate Trainer' from my deck. The equipped monster now gains two hundred attack points per level of a destroyed monster, but loses the ability to absorb effects."

His only other monsters were slipped into his magic and trap zones behind the three Strongmen. Then old men in track suits stepped out behind the Strongmen and began massaging their shoulders. "Now, field magic card activate! Super Battle Arena!"

A wrestling ring appeared around them, elevating them off the ground. It came complete with ropes and everything. "While this field card is in play all monsters that attack other monsters in battle gain one thousand points for damage calculation. This makes this the ultimate weapon for monster on monster combat!"

Two more cards appeared on his field, these ones sitting each at the farthest end of the ring floor. "With those two cards my turn ends. Go on little one; show me how much you've grown since last time we battled!"

Mizuki drew and quickly analyzed her hand as well as his field. "I activate Rune Symbol-Wunjo, allowing me to special summon a level four or lower monster from my deck. I special summon Rune Berserker (2000/1200)!"

Her rune creature was bulging with muscles, but still not quite up to par with Strongman. However, Mizuki knew that she could easily remedy that. "Rune Berserker attacks Strongman in the middle, activating the effect of Super Battle Arena!"

The berserker pushed against the ropes, pressing them back until they were nicely stretched. Then he allowed them to release, propelling him forwards at high speeds, his attack points shooting up to three thousand in the process. "Here he comes!"

Mizuki wasn't even the slightest bit surprised when Strongman crossed his arms over his chest and absorbed the blow, stopping Berserker in his tracks. "Little one, my trap card Strong Block negates one attack while Strongman is on the field or in my cemetery."

She nodded and grabbed more cards from her hand, inserting them into her disk quickly. "I'll keep this duel at the sort of pace you love Vlad, a fast paced hard hitting duel! Three cards face down, and that ends my turn!"

Vlad nodded and slammed a mighty hand against his chest before drawing swiftly. "Here we go, Mizuki! The effect of Ultimate Trainer still activates, giving each Strongman on the field three hundred attack points. And since I have three, that's nine hundred attack points!"

Each of his Strongmen rose to twenty-eight hundred attack points. However, despite that Mizuki didn't seem frightened. "Since you seem in fact eager to taste Strongman's power, I'll give it to you. Strongman (3800) attack Rune Berserker!"

Using the ring to his advantage Strongman flung himself at high speed towards the other fighter. Mizuki stood still as Strongman clothes lined his opponent, dropping him to the ground. "Hoh? You didn't lose any life points?"

He saw why when it appeared that one of her previously set cards was now face-up. "That's right, because the damage was reduced to zero when you triggered my trap card, Rune Curse-Death! Now your monster will be destroyed and then you'll take half its original attack as damage!"

Dark energy surrounded a different Strongman but then the glow faded almost immediately. Vlad let out a deep chortle. "While equipped Ultimate Trainer also prevents Strongman from being destroyed by targeted effects. And since he wasn't destroyed I take no damage."

The Strongman that had finished off Berserker bellowed as his muscles began to ripple and grow. "Now Strongman gains eight hundred attack points from having finished off a level four monster!" (Strongman: 3600)

Vlad raised one arm to the sky and then swung it down so that it was leveled at Mizuki. "I have my next Strongman attack you directly! Strongman Strike!"

Mizuki pointed her own right arm to her left, where her farthest left card was still set. "I activate Rune Curse-Phantom Essence! This lets me special summon back one Rune monster destroyed in the past two turns, along with another one of equal level from my deck. During the end phase of this turn each is destroyed!"

Rune Berserker appeared on the field in defense mode, along with a white robed figure holding a glowing shield. "To accompany him I choose Rune Guardian (1000/2000) also in defense mode!"

Since it was now attacking a monster Strongman gained an extra thousand attack points. Then it slammed its shoulder into Berserker, sending him flying away. "Strongman gains eight hundred attack points! Now the third one will finish Guardian!"

The third and final Strongman used both hands to hammer Rune Guardian into the ground. Mizuki drew a deep breath, glad that they were in defense mode. That attack had looked pretty painful. "Another eight hundred attack points!"

The two duelists met eyes for several tense moments which were eventually broken when Vlad guffawed loudly. "Already I'm enjoying this battle! But now…now I'll take this battle to the ultimate level!"

Mizuki moved her right hand towards the final set card on her field. "We'll see about that. First though, I activate Rune Blessing-Gifts of the Fallen! Since a Rune monster was destroyed I can either draw one card per level of the slain monster, or since it was battle one for each level of the slayer. So I draw seven cards!"

He closed his eyes, his laughter fading into a small smile that crept onto the corners of his lips. "Mizuki…there is one final effect of Strongman that I have never revealed to any duelist. One final effect that there was never a need to reveal."

"Another effect? How many effects does that thing need anyways?" Vlad laughed at her response, and then shook his head to return to the matter at hand.

"It's actually a restriction. You see, its effect states that if there is a monster in my deck not named Ultimate Trainer or Strongman then it is removed from the game. Thus it is an additional reason why these six monsters are the only ones in my deck. However, as an exceptional duelist you should know that other than their main deck, duelists usually have two decks. Some have three." Mizuki nodded, understanding what he was talking about.

She reached into her blazer and pulled out a small stack of cards, which she opened up. "Right, most duelists have a side deck of up to fifteen cards. The third deck is for those who use fusions, it's the fusion deck."

"Correct. Neither of those two places is restricted by the effect of Strongman. Therefore, I will now show you the ultimate form of Strongman! His greatest extent of power, which resides in my fusion deck!" Mizuki's eyes shot wide open as blasts of energy surrounded the three Strongmen and their equipped Ultimate Trainers.

Vlad raised both arms above his head, smiling widely now. "By sacrificing a Strongman equipped with Ultimate Trainer on my field whose attack is three thousand or higher I can special summon this monster from my fusion deck. Since I have three that meet this condition, it happens three times. So let me introduce you to them, the truest extent of my power!"

The energy broke apart and Mizuki was treated to a sight of three monsters that stood about nine feet in height each. Their muscles had muscles in much the same way as the original Strongman, but a faint blue glow emanated from their bodies. The blue wrestling outfits they wore were also adorned by a golden belt with a miniature globe featured on the front. "Mizuki, meet my Ultimate Strongmen (3000/2300 X3)!"

Her breathing felt slightly shallow as she stared at the huge monsters. She could literally feel the power coming off of them in waves, and the connections they had to Vlad. _'It's like they increase his power and he increases theirs. If those things hit me the damage will be tremendous!'_

A card appeared behind them, and Vlad offered her one more sad smile. "It's your turn little Mizuki. Please, show me what you can do to combat these monsters. These creatures which I have only ever used on two opponents before this in my entire dueling career."

Mizuki drew, making her hand ten cards. _'Alright, with this many cards I can come up with a way to counter and defeat those behemoths, regardless of what effects they might have.'_

"Little Mizuki, your hand looks a little weighed down. Allow me to assist you in narrowing down that amount by activated my trap card, Heavy Slump! Since you have at least eight cards in your hand you now shuffle your hand into your deck and draw two new cards!" Mizuki gulped and slipped the ten cards back into her deck. Once she had thoroughly shuffled she picked up the top two cards of her deck.

_'Okay, so now I'm down to just two cards in order to fight back against them. But still, I can't pull any punches or slow down at all. If I'm going to win, if I'm going to show Vlad an ultimate duel then I have to use every ounce of power I have!'_ One of her cards appeared on the field in the form of a Rune monster with a shield and a bow.

"Rune Centurion (1800/1800) in defense mode. Then I'll place one card face down behind him. That's all I can do for the moment." Vlad nodded and then drew, looking up at his Ultimate Strongmen.

"Ultimate Strongmen the first, attack and destroy Rune Centurion!" It looked back at Vlad and then shrugged. It didn't seem to have any initiative to attack.

He chuckled. "I see, so you're using Rune Centurion's effect to prevent this Ultimate Strongman from attacking during this turn. That's alright; I can still deal some serious damage with just two. Next Ultimate Strongman attacks!"

The second Ultimate Strongman smirked at the challenge and swung his massive fist. The sheer force of the swing sent a wave of expelled air rushing at Centurion. The Rune monster held on for just a few moments before he was torn apart by the wave. Mizuki winced as some of it hit her. "When Ultimate Strongman defeats a monster in battle he gains half of its attack and defense points for himself as well as absorbing the effect."

_Ultimate Strongman 2 (3900/3200)_

Mizuki frowned when she heard a trickling sound. She looked down and realized to her surprise that her life point meter was falling, if only briefly. "Why did I take damage? And why so little?" (MLP: 3900)

Vlad motioned to his Ultimate Strongman, which was shaking out its fist. "Each Ultimate Strongman begins with one Iron Fist Counter on it. For every Iron Fist counter it has when it destroys a battle you take one hundred points of damage. Also, it gains one Iron Fist counter for each level of a monster it beats in battle. So this one when it destroys monster will now deal you three hundred damage. Against this ultimate form, even defending his worthless!"

The third Ultimate Strongman glanced at the other two, and then kicked straight out with a leg the size of a normal man's waist all the way around. Just like the other one's punch it sent a wave of force at Mizuki. "I reveal my continuous trap card, Runic Wall of Prophecy!"

A group of stone columns shot out of the ground in front of her, eight in total. All of them were glowing with the runic symbols that decorated them. The attack smashed three of the columns into pieces. "Runic Wall of Prophecy comes into play with eight thousand points on it. It prevents me from taking that many points of damage, and its count is reduced whenever I take damage. So now it has just five thousand points of protection left."

Vlad laughed heartily, enjoying the duel. "I'm glad you were able to defend, it would be anti-climactic for me to be able to hit you so early in the duel. I throw a card down to defend me, and end my turn. Now Mizuki, please show me how much you've grown!"

She nodded and drew. Since it was the only card in her hand there was little she could do. "Vlad…those two other people you mentioned. Were they Sanzo and Harrison?"

He grinned and nodded, planting one fist against his chest. "That's right! Those two showed so much incredible potential in our respective third duels that in order to defeat them I was forced to unleash these monsters. Of course…if we were to duel now I'm certain those two would have surpassed me."

Mizuki stared at Vlad as if he had just grown a third head. "What are you talking about? You're Vlad the Impaler, the Strongman Duelist! You were so strong that you surpassed even the title of Kaiser! Even an experienced top-level Pro Duelist had to struggle to beat you, and that was just barely."

Vlad smiled and patted his chest, giant comical tears at the corners of his eyes. "I'm so inspired that you think so Mizuki, but I was never surpassing the title of Kaiser. The title of Kaiser goes to a perfect duelist who relies on impeccable strategy and skill to win. I refused the title because my power relies on the strength of my deck and the incredible power of my draw. But there is a limit to what mere strength can accomplish, and those two have passed that level."

The tears faded as he squeezed one hand into a fist in front of his face, sparkles lighting up the darkness around him. "That is one of the reasons I have come here to face you in this duel! To force you to surpass the point where mere raw talent and strength can take you! Defeat me in this, our third duel, with all of your strategies and skills combined with your talent and strength and then you will show me the truth!"

Mizuki blinked as he spun around in a circle, finally ending facing her again, both hands raised aloft into the air, the sparkles multiplying. "Show me the truth of what I have suspected since the beginning! Defeat me here in our third duel and you will reveal that your potential, as I have always thought, surpasses even Sanzo and Harrison's!"

She felt a shiver run through her body at the mere thought of being stronger than them. Then she saw an image of Nightmare in her mind, standing over their fallen battles. "Vlad…I…I'm afraid of that level of power."

He laughed at her and beckoned towards herself. "Unlike me you have a nearly infinite potential, whereas I have already reached my limit long ago. Unlike Sanzo you are not constrained by a rigid view on morality and who should win, you simply duel to the fullest with all your strength! And unlike Harrison you won't go to any lengths to gain power, which gives you the chance to gain power beyond anything he could as it will come naturally."

He beckoned to her again. "Come and defeat me with all of your power, surpass your worries and soar straight up to the heavens just as your title implies! You are the Rising Star of Duelist Academy, and that name carries with it all your glory and beauty! Face me with all of that!"

Mizuki broke into a smile and the image of Nightmare faded from her mind. "Vlad…you always seem to have the ability to make my worries melt away and make me feel infinitely strong. For that…I'll thank you by winning."

All five of the remaining stones crumbled into dust. "Since I can't discard two cards as upkeep for my continuous trap card it is destroyed. However, I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Vlad drew and looked at her set monster for a moment. "I won't disrespect your determination by pausing Mizuki! Ultimate Strongman the first (4000) battles with your face down monster!"

A simple snap of his fingers was enough to create a significant force that blew apart the set monster. "Now my Ultimate Strongman gains attack points, as well as the effect of your monster! You also take damage of course." (MLP: 3800) (US1: 3750/2950)

He looked on in surprise when his middle and strongest Ultimate Strongman exploded. "What? How did that happen?"

"The monster you destroyed was Rune Mystic (1500/1300) and I used his effect to destroy your most powerful Ultimate Strongman. Of course…that's all I've got left." Vlad smirked and one of his set cards activated in response.

"Strongman Head Lock lets me equip one monster in your cemetery or field, regardless of anything you might attempt, to a Strongman on my field. Since Ultimate Strongman counts as a Strongman that means Rune Guardian is removed as a threat." The first Ultimate Strongman revealed he was now holding Rune Guardian in a head lock, preventing him from moving.

Mizuki grimaced as she realized that she now had nothing left. "Go ahead Vlad; attack me with all your strength! If you don't, then my potential is for nothing!"

"Very well, I'm coming little Mizuki, prepare yourself! Ultimate Strongman Strike!" Ultimate Strongman roared his battle challenge into the darkness and barreled across the field. Mizuki stood in his path and accepted it as a fist the size of her head smashed into her stomach.

The blow sent her flying straight through the air about twenty feet, and when she hit the ground she began to bounce and roll. Finally after rolling an additional ten or so feet she slid to a stop, motionless on the ground. "Mizuki…I apologize." (MLP: 800)

Even as she remained motionless his body began to glow. "Strongman Energy Conversion allows me to discard a card from my hand to gain the attack points of one monster beaten by Strongman during this turn as life points." (VLP: 5500)

He held up another card and Rune Guardian faded away. "Strongman Reborn lets me sacrifice one magic or trap card on my field, in this case Rune Guardian, to special summon a Strongman from the grave. And since this effect specifically mentions Strongman it is able to revive my Ultimate Strongman (3450/2750) from the cemetery."

The formerly most powerful Ultimate Strongman pounded his fists together, looking happy to be back. "Like his previous form, when special summoned from the grave he regains half the attack and defense points he has previously gained while on the field. However, his Iron Fist counters do not regenerate."

With a sad smile on his face he folded his hand of cards up. "Mizuki, my turn is over. If you can't get up I'll understand. But it was necessary…and for that I'm sorry."

His eyes widened when the darkness around them rippled and Mizuki planted her hands under her and began to push herself up. "Who can't get up? I can't think of anybody who would give in just because of that…"

Even as she staggered to her feet Vlad could see that the blow had done some heavy damage. Blood dripped from her forehead, forcing her to close her right eye. Her blue blazer had been ruined, leaving her standing in just her skirt and a black shirt that she wore under her blazer. "As a matter of fact that sort of power…has got me all heated up!"

She laughed her face lighting up with excitement. Vlad's eyes widened as he realized that the one eye she had opened was a vibrant blue color rather than its normal green. "This…is this the power I heard about?"

Mizuki brushed some dust off of her black shirt and stretched her neck out, looking eager to continue. "Something like that. See, its sort of complicated, but from what Tobias learned about me I've got an extra organ in my body that produces some weird chemicals that act to produce an energy very similar to that of Darkness Games."

She held up one finger, looking almost like a teacher if it weren't for her bloodied condition. "My body apparently acts pretty oddly under stressed conditions, and my autonomic nervous system is connected to this strange organ. What's odd is that the parasympathetic and the sympathetic divisions both go into overdrive in conjunction with this organ, providing me with some interesting effects."

When she saw the blank look on his face she continued. "The parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is intended to moderate the excitatory effects of the sympathetic division by pumping out hormones that slow the metabolism and restore cell energy supplies."

As she explained Vlad felt the energy of the Darkness Game beginning to warp and change, and it drifted from his control. He could also practically see the huge amount of power flowing from Mizuki. "At the same time my sympathetic division reacts to dangers and challengers by pumping out norepinephrine."

She cracked her knuckles and blue light streaked across the boundaries of the Darkness Game, the energy Vlad was feeling now completely different. "This chemical is a neurotransmitter that increases tissues' functions acceleratating body processes and in the brain enhancing awareness, alertness, and arousal. Its this chemical that gives people almost super human abilities in times of extraordinary stress, such as people lifting up cars to save a child trapped underneath."

The cut on Mizuki's forehead stopped blooding, and her body was now engulfed by a blue light. "Plus I'm also producing tones of endorphins, which inhibit pain. So the combination of all of this means that not only is my sympathetic division causing that special organ to produce huge amounts of that chemical like darkness game energy, but my parasympathetic division is causing it to restore the supplies. Which means I've got a nearly inexhaustible energy source!"

Vlad frowned, feeling himself being pushed back by the power. "That would also explain why you supposedly act oddly when under the influence of this power. It's an extreme form of an adrenaline high. But that sort of process can't be healthy for your body as a whole."

Mizuki shrugged and the power pulled into her, settling. "I don't know about that stuff, in fact I just recently figured out how the actual process works, and that's only the basic idea. All I know is that when I'm like this I feel like I can do anything! You wanted my full power Vlad? Well this is my power, so taste it and try not to get swept away!"

She drew and Vlad had to dig his heels in to prevent being blown away by the sheer force of the draw extended through the darkness. "Yahoo! I always feel so held back by what's proper and right and the desire to not hurt anybody, but like this none of that stuff matters! All that matters is the moment, and in this moment what I want to do…is win!"

Blue lightning bolts streaked down and slammed onto her field as she threw her card down. "By removing every Rune Symbol in my hand, cemetery, and deck from the game I can special summon this monster. Even then it has to be the only card in my hand…so feel lucky you can face it!"

Half her deck vanished in a flash as the darkness began to convert itself with the power of that strange blue lightning. It was taking physical form, and Vlad could feel the power it was exhibiting. "Amazing! I love it, this whole thing is amazing!"

The light that the beast was giving off prevented Vlad from getting a good look at it, but he knew it had to be beyond strong based on what he was feeling. "Vlad, this is all of my power packed together into one shape! Pure Rune-Goddess of Fate! And now…I activate her effect to divine your future!"

Mizuki's right eye opened as the dried blood cracked and was blown away by the force of her own energy. It too was a brilliant blue color. Vlad's eyes widened when he saw himself reflected in her eyes. "Vlad…these eyes of mine are peering into the future with the aid of this goddess and do you know they've revealed to me?"

He offered no response, to involved in the shock of what he was seeing and feeling. "They've revealed to me the truth. Your future…is over! Pure Rune-Goddess of Fate, unwind the threads of his fate!"

Vlad felt a strange sensation in his body, and then he noticed that the three monsters on his field were gone. "So amazing…beyond anything I've ever seen…" (VLP: 0)

Even the brilliant form of the goddess faded, leaving only Mizuki and Vlad in the darkness. She floated into the air and drifted towards him, her face still excited. "Hey Vlad, guess its time for your punishment. Its time for you to tell me exactly what you were going to."

As he began to speak he could only think of one thing. The future. _'Mizuki...if you can harness that power at will then you'll be able to stand up to the power of Saint and the other enemies that await you.'_

_'There is hope for the future Mizuki, as long as you never embrace the darkness into your heart.'_

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Author's Note: Wow…mystery monster by Mizuki defeats Vlad in one blow! What is this power?

_Next Time: Despite their efforts Saint has uncovered Paradise's location. The next to strike is the horrifying fifth Sin, Wrath. Wrath is a devastating duelist who claims to be so powerful he can defeat two duelists at once. Chizuma and Kaoru make their move to face Wrath, but to their surprise he is as strong as he said he was._

_See it all in, VS Wrath; Exploding Rage!_


	67. VS Wrath: Exploding Rage!

Author's Note: And now for another Sin, this time here's Wrath!

**Chapter Sixty-Seven: VS Wrath; Exploding Rage!**

"Oh…so that's where they've hidden her away? Hmm….at this point it seems like Sloth isn't in the right state to go after Paradise. So…would you like to go fetch her for me…Wrath?" There was a sound of flesh hitting flesh, and without looking back Saint smiled knowingly. The shadowed figure standing a few feet behind him had one fist in the other palm.

"Absolutely! Finally, it's my turn to go on the attack!"

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Kaoru's right eye twitched when Chizuma yawned loudly again. It was enough that she had been paired with the younger and more excitable girl, but for her to be so loud about how bored she was…

"Maybe you should have brought some cards or something to pass the time?" Chizuma looked up at her incredulously from her place against the wall and then reached into the bag at her side, pulling out a deck.

"But I did bring cards, see? I never let them be too far from me." Kaoru smacked her forehead with her palm.

"I meant playing cards, not your deck. You know, to play solitaire or something. Look, I know you didn't want to be here but you said you'd help protect Paradise. Even if it's just because you're indirectly protecting Mizuki I think you should follow through with that and not complain." Chizuma stared at her blankly for several seconds, dragging out the silence into the depths of the cave.

The grave silence ended abruptly when Chizuma's blank face split into a huge grin, her eyes nearly closed she was smiling so broadly. "You're pretty cute when you're frustrated."

Again Kaoru slapped her forehead, turning away from the other girl. "How does Mizuki not realize you're gay?"

Chizuma shrugged, her grin fading into a faint but pleased smile. "It's because Mizuki-sama is special. But sooner or later she'll understand and come over to my way of thinking."

Kaoru paused, her purple eyes turning towards the doll-faced girl. Even though Chizuma was smiling on the outside Kaoru could see the frown she was hiding in her heart. "But if she's completely heterosexual, what then? There's only a small chance that she's not and even you think so."

"Good, start contemplating that crap before you die!" Both girls jerked to their feet and looked around for the voice that now echoed throughout the cavern. A giant shadow hit the far wall thanks to the lights coming from the entrance.

"Chizuma, get ready!" The other girl nodded and they stood their ground, blocking the path to the Vault. Footfalls sounded throughout the cavern as the source of the voice stalked out of the shadows.

Both of them sweat-dropped when the gigantic shadow shrank into a boy who couldn't have been even five feet in height. His hair was dark as night and cut into a bowel shape on his head and his blue eyes seemed angry. He seemed even smaller when one took notice of the terribly baggy grey uniform he was wearing. "You two ready to get the heck out of my way or get beat?"

Kaoru's sweat-drop doubled in size when Chizuma raced towards the boy and picked him up, swinging him around, and her eyes wide as saucers. "He's so adorable! He's like a little puppy!"

"Put me the hell down woman! I'm a Sin, not a damned puppy! Unhand me you vile wench!" Chizuma ignored the boy's protests and continued swinging him around. He seemed incapable of freeing himself from her grip no matter how much he struggled.

The purple eyed girl ignored her younger companion's antics and addressed the boy. "You seem a little young and a little small to be a Sin. You sure you aren't just teasing us?"

He raged and fidgeted yet didn't manage to dislodge himself from Chizuma's grip. Instead he settled on glaring daggers at Kaoru. "Shut up, I'm the mighty and powerful Sin known as Wrath! I can't be defeated!"

The dreaded sweat-drop reappeared with a vengeance. "But…you've been defeated by a hug. You're not exactly scary like I expected from Wrath."

"I've got powers you can't even begin to comprehend wench! Let me go and I'll show you just how powerful I grk!" Chizuma blinked as she realized that his squirming had managed to weaken her grip, and while swinging him her grip had released. Wrath had gone flying through the air and landed on his but a handful of feet away.

Kaoru planted a hand on her hip and stared at the Sin as he jumped up and rubbed his bottom furiously. "Well he's angry, but he's kind of a wimp. I sort of expected Wrath to be terrifying, not a little kid."

Chizuma blushed brightly when she realized she had dropped him. "I didn't mean to send him flying like that. He was just so light and fragile it was like tossing a Barbie."

Wrath stopped rubbing his butt and stomped his right foot against the ground. "I'm not a Barbie you psychotic lesbian! I'm a powerful duelist and one of the Seven Sins! And I'm here for Paradise, so get the crap out of my way before I beat you down!"

Kaoru stepped forward and raised her right arm, palm out. "Sorry about this, but I can't do that. So back down before you get hurt kid."

The little Sin narrowed his eyes at her and then screamed as the lights went out in the room. Suddenly a new light appeared, only this one seemed to come from nowhere. "Losers, I'll beat you in the darkness! And since I don't want to waste time I'll beat you both at once!"

The two girls exchanged glances, and then focused on the brash Wrath. His lips were curled up into a cocky and nasty sneer. "If you're so confident then we'll face you with two on one rules. But don't get upset when we smash you to pieces."

Wrath smirked and flipped open the red duel disk that sat on his arm. He reached into his blazer and pulled out a deck, which he quickly shuffled and placed into his disk. "Let's get going brats! Wrath is going to destroy you!" (WLP: 4000)

Kaoru and Chizuma nodded, each of them activating their disks. "Let's duel!" (KLP: 4000) (CLP: 4000)

Wrath laughed darkly as he slashed two cards off his deck. "According to the rules of a two on one engagement I'm allowed to draw two cards instead of one during my draw phase!"

He fanned out his hand and smirked as he quickly slapped two cards onto his duel disk. "And another rule of this time of duel is that I get to make two normal summons each turn! That means that I summon Action Warrior-Brawler (2000/800) and Gun Brawler (2000/800) both in attack mode!"

Two tall and muscular men appeared, one a duplicate of one of Shiro's monsters and the other wielding a rifle with a bladed edge. "I activate Gun Brawler's effect, letting me once per turn deal you one hundred points of damage one time per 'brawler' on the field. So I'll deal you both one hundred damage!"

Gun Brawler plowed across the field and slammed the butt of his rifle into Kaoru's stomach, dropping her to her knees. Then he cracked Chizuma on the shoulder, also sending her stumbling. "Hah! And even that minimal damage hurts you…because of my power as Wrath!" (KLP: 3900) (CLP: 3900)

Kaoru was gasping and wheezing from the blow, but since Chizuma had only taken a hit to bone she simply grabbed her arm and looked up at Wrath. "I don't understand. What did you do?"

"It's simple; you two idiots assumed that somebody named 'Wrath' would have a power related to combat. But instead my power relies on my anger just as my name truly suggests. The seething cauldron of rage inside of me actually causes people I'm angry at to be several times more susceptible to pain! You're now frail and weak thanks to Wrath!" He laughed darkly, ignoring Kaoru's furious glare as she stood back up.

After several moments his laughter died down and he narrowed his eyes at them. "But laughing at you two stupid wenches isn't going to get me the win any faster. So I throw a card face down and end my turn."

Chizuma drew first and then placed a card onto her field. "Every dancer needs an audience, so I summon Tango Fan (500/500) in defense mode. When this monster is summoned I get to special summon two more to my field also in defense mode."

A trio of Latino men dressed in fine Italian suits now sat in comfortable chairs in front of Chizuma. Each of them was holding up a pair of miniature binoculars to their eyes. "I set two cards face down and end."

Kaoru focused her own power on Wrath, and saw in him an utter confidence and that boiling rage underneath that he spoke of. There also seemed to be a lack of interest in actual strategy. _'As if his monsters didn't say it well enough he's just going to come straight at us with an overwhelming supply of brute force. I guess I'll just have to counter that.'_

"Alright Wrath I activate the continuous magic card Forced Destiny which comes into play with three counters on it. But I won't explain its effect yet, instead I'll activate Cost Downfall!" One of the cards in her hand began to glow, light seeping out of Wrath's two monsters into it.

"For each monster more than I control that my opponent has I can reduce the tribute cost of one monster in my hand. Since you've got two more monsters than I do I can reduce this monster's tribute cost by two, making it nothing. So now I normal summon Arcana Force XV- The Devil (2500/2500) in attack mode!" Chizuma gulped as Kaoru's monster appeared on the field.

Its upper torso was black and armored with two extensions from its shoulders and two where its head might be. In place of a head or a face it had a white orb similar to a giant eye, one of each also found at the sockets of its 'arms'. Each of its arms was just a joint that extended into a pair of tentacles with spikes at the ends. Its torso ended in a spiked glass sphere surrounding what looked like brain matter. "Icky…"

Wrath grinned at the monster. "Now that…that monster I like! Bring it on!"

Kaoru nodded as a holographic representation of its card appeared above her. "Normally you have to call stop to end the rotation of The Devil to determine its effect. However, by offering up a counter from Forced Destiny I can choose it. So I choose upright!"

The rotation stopped upright with a dinging sound. "The Devil's effect can't activate just yet so I'll save it for later. I set one card face down and end my turn!"

The Sin drew two more times, and slammed another card onto his field. "I summon Gang Brawler (2000/800)! And when he's summoned I can pay increments of five hundred life points to special summon the others to the field. So I pay one thousand to bring out the other two!" (WLP: 3000)

Quickly a new trio of monsters formed these ones muscular and wearing street clothes with bandannas wrapped around their heads. "This time I'll activate Gun Brawler's effect and deal all five hundred points of damage to the purple eyed chick!"

Kaoru barely had time to react before the butt of the rifle caught her in the chin, knocking her off her feet. Blood blossomed from her lips where her teeth had punctured it from the impact. Chizuma moved to her aid, but Wrath held out a hand. "Help her and you'll get a punishment! She's got to take the pain on her own!" (KLP: 3400)

The girl rolled on the ground in pain, her hands clasping her bruised and bloodied jaw. Wrath snickered and caught a card that exited his deck. "Since I've got at least ten thousand attack points worth of monsters on my field I can add this card to my hand and play it. Go, Soul of Sin-Wrath!"

He slid the card into the grave and cracked his knuckles. "Soul of Sin-Wrath cannot be removed from the cemetery. Also, while it's in the cemetery when I attack with a monster its original attack points are doubled. In exchange all my monsters permanently have zero defense points."

With a chuckle he grabbed one of his other cards and held it out. "I activate the normal magic card Two on One Combat! This multiplayer card increases the attack points of all my monsters by five hundred as long as I've got two opponents to myself."

Each of his Brawlers instantly gained five hundred attack points even as their defense points fell to zero. Chizuma's eyes widened in sudden understanding. "If your deck has multiplayer magic cards in it…that means it was prepared for a two on one duel!"

Wrath grinned viciously, barely noticing Kaoru beginning to bring herself to her feet. "That's right, this deck was designed to take advantage of me facing multiple opponents and the extra advantages provided to the duelist facing more than one duelist. If you knew anything about the Pro League you'd know that I'm famed for my talent at beating multiple opponents at once in multiplayer style duels!"

He pointed at Tango Fan and Action Warrior-Brawler prepared itself. "Little wench I'll give you a piece of advice for free. This brawler has a trample ability, so when it attacks it'll reach forty-five hundred attack points. That means you'll be taking four thousand points of damage!"

Brawler began to charge the defenseless Tango Fan, but Chizuma looked ready for it. "Beautiful Tango now activates, preventing all Tango monsters from taking damage this turn. Plus I gain three hundred life points per Tango monster…though I'll be giving Kaoru seven hundred and myself two hundred." (KLP: 4100) (CLP: 4100)

Wrath scowled as Action Warrior-Brawler bounced harmlessly off a barrier. "Fine, if I can't beat you I'll take down the purple eyed girl! Gun Brawler, go on the offensive!"

To Wrath's frustration this attacker also bounced off of an invisible barrier, the attack failing. "Sorry Wrath but my continuous trap card Fate's Wall comes into play with one counter per level of one Arcana Force monster on my field. So it had seven counters, one of which I sacrificed to negate your attack."

"Fine, then take three more of them!" The Gang Brawlers attacked all at once, each one plowing into the barrier with their shoulders and being reflected back. However, the six points of light on Fate's Wall faded down to three.

"Heh…you two held up well but that was just my first charge. I set one card face down and end my turn. My next charge will be even deadlier than the first!" Chizuma and Kaoru exchanged slightly fearful looks, realizing just how much trouble a deck designed to face multiple opponents would be.

Chizuma took a deep breath and an image of Mizuki flashed in her mind. "I'm going to beat you anyways Wrath, even if your deck is meant to face two opponents! And to start with I switch Tango Fan into attack mode!"

Wrath burst out laughing as he pointed at the aristocratic man. "Attack mode? That wimp couldn't even dent the fingernails of my brawlers!"

"Maybe on its own it can't, but with combined power my monsters can dance their way to victory! So I activate Union Attack, which lets me let this one monster attack with the combined power of all other monsters on the field for one strike. So with the other two fans and The Devil its power is four thousand! Attack Brawler!" Wrath's eyes widened as the man raised a can and charged his Action Warrior-Brawler.

"I know that card…it reduces the damage I'd take to my life points to zero in exchange for that effect. But I don't care since I won't lose my monster anyways. Reverse card open, Covering Fire!" Gun Brawler jumped in front of Action Warrior-Brawler and fired off a bullet, punching a hole into Tango Fan's chest.

Chizuma gasped as her monster stumbled and dropped to his knees. "You can't hurt my brawlers with those wimps! Covering Fire lets one attacked monster gain the attack points of another monster on my field. So combined with Gun Brawler's twenty-five hundred that was five thousand." (CLP: 3100)

The doll-faced girl bit her lip and snapped her fingers, and the other two Tango Fans applauded. "When a Tango Fan goes to the grave I gain five hundred life points per Tango monster that was in play at the time of its destruction. So I gain fifteen hundred." (CLP: 4600)

'_Don't worry Mizuki; I'll protect Paradise as well as I'd protect you! I won't lose to this guy no matter what!'_ A card appeared in front of her and she nodded to Kaoru, who drew after the acknowledgment.

Kaoru examined the cards in her hand as well as taking a good look at Wrath. _'He's still brimming with confidence and rage. I can tell he's not even thinking about his strategy. He has no regard to anything but attack and doesn't think about his next move until he's about to make it. That essential nullifies my ability. A bad opponent for me.'_

She had been discovering more often than not recently that her power of the Heart's Eye was only useful against opponents who tried to hide or who were at least complicated. Against those who wore their hearts on their sleeves or just thought of the fight it was useless. _'And I can't even touch True Sins apparently, they just block me out.'_

Her eyes widened as she remembered something Frost had mentioned recently. _'She said that Sloth took her and Inferno down because their mental guards were relaxed so his sleep inducement worked too fast for them to stop. If my power is comparable to a Sin's then I can see into the hearts of True Sins.'_

She delved further into the thought, remembering her encounters with the minds of Inferno and Frost. _'That's right…I did see into their hearts. It's just that once I was in there they were ready for me and forced me back out. If it's possible…then I can figure out how to surpass my normal limits and overcome such defenses.'_

Kaoru focused on Wrath who seemed impatient for her to make her move. _'That doesn't apply well to this battle, but I'll take this chance as a form of training. I've never tried to hone my Heart's Eye because it was natural. But the ability to see the hearts of True Sins might prove crucial in the future so I have to improve!'_

"Wrath…I'm going to make you a stepping stone! I activate Grave Destiny, shuffling my cemetery. Then I declare Cost Downfall and if that's the top card of my grave I add it to my hand and draw two cards. If not, it is removed from the game. Of course since I have no other cards in my grave it's easy." She picked up the card from her grave and drew twice more, giving her five cards in hand.

"By playing Cost Downfall I reduce this monster's tribute cost by two. So now I normal summon Arcana Force XVIII- The Moon (2800/2800) in attack mode!" A giant of a monster appeared with a hunched figure and grey skin. Its belly was a translucent material that seemed to contain an alien-like creature.

"I tribute another counter on Forced Destiny to give The Moon its upright effect! Now during each of my standby phases The Moon will produce a Moon Token for me to use." Chizuma gazed up in awe at Kaoru's two mighty monsters, each one disgusting in appearance but still impressive.

'_Wow…she's really showing why she's a high ranked Obelisk Blue right now. She summoned those two powerful monsters like it was nothing and didn't even rely on chance to get their positive effects.'_ Kaoru smiled, her Heart's Eye still able to see into Chizuma's heart.

"You didn't think my deck relied on luck did you? There are plenty of ways for me in this deck to make absolutely certain I get the positive effects of my Arcana Force cards. After all, the amazing formula for this deck was created by a man who used it successfully as one of his Pro League decks. Nobunaga Mitsuhiro pioneered this deck's formula!" Chizuma applauded, and Wrath narrowed his eyes at her.

"You think you're tough just because you brought out two tough monsters so easily? Ha, they're nothing compared to the might of my brawlers! I don't care what formula you play by it can't beat me!" Kaoru grinned and glanced at Chizuma's newest set card.

"Chizuma, if you'd be so kind to activate that card like you want to I'll make short work of this jerk's monsters." Chizuma gave her a thumbs up and pressed the activation button on her disk. Immediately a trap appeared, showing Tango Dancer and Tango Dance Partner under a spotlight.

"Duo Spotlight Battle is a continuous trap card that lets me, and in this case also Kaoru, to pay one thousand life points to let two monsters of ours attack together to combine their strength. Take the next step of the dance Kaoru, it's your lead!" Kaoru nodded and looked up at her two monsters, her life points draining. (KLP: 3100)

Kaoru thrust out one hand and pointed at Action Warrior-Brawler. "The Devil and The Moon will now attack together (5300) and destroy that monster!"

A beam shot out of The Moon's forehead and The Devil shot one of its barbed tentacles towards the monster. Wrath grinned and his set card flipped up. "I activate another Covering Fire, powering it up to five thousand! Although I can't stop it from dying I can certainly reduce the damage!"

First a tentacle pierced into it and then the beam struck, blowing it to pieces. Kaoru narrowed her eyes and pointed up at The Devil. "With its upright effect when The Devil attacks I can choose a face-up monster and destroy it. If I succeed then you also take five hundred points of damage." (WLP: 2700)

The Devil threw another tentacle, this time at Gun Brawler and punched a hole in it blowing it to pieces. Then The Devil swung its bladed limb at Wrath, gouging a line down his chest which blossomed with blood. "No way!" (WLP: 2200)

Both Chizuma and Kaoru stared in surprise as Wrath patted his injury with one hand, seemingly uninjured. "Just like my power enhances pain for you two it drops pain for me to almost nothing as long as I've got my emotions bubbling up. So even a Darkness Game can't hurt me!"

Wrath chuckled and wiped the blood that was now on his hand onto his pants leg. "But more importantly then that…I loved that move! If you two can take out two of my brawlers with such an impressive attack score then you're worth my time! I'll make sure to beat you two into a pulp at full strength!"

Kaoru frowned at this revelation. _'He really is excited just because I could produce an attack of over five thousand points. He wasn't completely interested in this fight until then. It looks like strategy doesn't impress him, only brute power does. I suppose that makes sense considering his attitude so far.'_

Something else she noticed was the buzz of activity in his heart and where it was directed. _'I see, so regardless of Chizuma's trap being responsible for it Wrath is interested only in me at the moment because I produced that attack. Right now he barely notices Chizuma. The very core of his heart is screaming at him to destroy me completely.'_

Wrath grinned ecstatically which seemed out of place with the angry fire in his eyes. "I love it! This duel is going to be better than I thought!"

Kaoru's purple eyes glittered as she continued to examine Wrath. _'If I had to put his heart's thoughts right now into words it would be "destroy the purple eyed one" and "make them acknowledge it". Although what that last part means I can't tell.'_

Knowing that his focus would be on her Kaoru could potentially take that to great advantage. _'If Chizuma can understand that then I can keep his attention on me and make my own defenses and counterattacks. Meanwhile Chizuma can prepare for an all-out strike to finish him. Together Chizuma and I should be able to win this despite his deck taking advantage of the two on one rules.'_

"One card face down. The turn is yours Wrath; make of it what you will." She took a deep breath as the cocky Sin drew and then quickly drew again.

"Alright, this should be fun! I start off with my first normal summon of the turn by bringing out Smash Brawler (2500/0) whose summon effect lets me destroy one face down card on the field!" This muscular man was equipped with a heavy sledgehammer which he instantly swung down and sent a wave of force after Kaoru's set card.

Kaoru smiled briefly before her card was hit by the blast, sending it up in smoke. "Looks like Fate's Wall is my only defense right now. And you've got four monsters."

"Not exactly. In fact, since I still have another normal summon left I'll call out Inferno Brawler (2500/0) who deals you three hundred life points of damage whenever he attacks." This one was surrounded by an aura of flame that was making sweat bead on Wrath's forehead.

Wrath whipped around one of the cards in his hand, grinning the whole time. "I activate the continuous multiplayer magic card More is Less. As long as this card is in my play I can have two battle phases provided I only attack one opponent in each battle phase. That means in this turn I can blow you both away!"

He pointed at The Devil and Inferno Brawler wound up and hurled a ball of fire at it. "Time to take out The Devil with a boosted attack by Inferno Brawler (4500)!" (KLP: 2800)

Kaoru felt her body heating up from the nearness of the fire, but it quickly dissolved when it hit the barrier in front of The Devil. "Another counter says goodbye from Fate's Wall to defend The Devil."

The Sin motioned to a Gang Brawler and it began to charge. "I'll just send two more Gang Brawlers in to strip Fate's Wall of those last two counters and pave the way for my true counterattack!"

Each of the strikes was defended by Fate's Wall, pushing the brawlers back. "And now here I come once again! The final Gang Brawler is going to attack and destroy The Devil!"

He laughed with delight as his monster charged only to have his laughter fade in surprise when it too was reflected. "What the crap? I know I counted right, I know your Fate's Wall should be out of counters to block my attacks!"

Kaoru smiled and held up a card between two fingers. "That would have been true if I didn't chain the card Smash Brawler was going to destroy. This is my trap Arcana Counter which lets me place counters on any cards on my field that can hold them. The number of counters I can produce total is equal to the level of one Arcana Force monster in play, such as my level eight The Moon. So I gave four to each of my two continuous cards."

He did the math and realized that Fate's Wall would still have an additional three counters remaining to ward off attacks. "Fine, if that's the way it's going to be I'll get rid of one more of those with an attack from Smash Brawler!"

Wrath showed almost no reaction when once again his attack was thwarted by Fate's Wall. "That card is getting pretty annoying, but it can't stop me for long. Of course I can't attack you any more…but have you forgotten my continuous magic card?"

More is Less glowed brightly and each of his brawlers turned to gaze at Chizuma. "You've got just two wimps on the field and only one set card so these five attacks should completely annihilate you! Get ready to be crush!"

Kaoru's eyes widened as she felt the rage within Wrath almost arbitrarily shift. _'All of a sudden his heart is ranting for him to destroy her and make her acknowledge 'it' just like it was for me. His anger doesn't even have a purpose, it just moves on a whim!'_

But that wasn't the only problem. _'Not good, I was hoping he'd focus just on me because of his anger to give Chizuma time to prepare. She's not at the same level yet…she's not ready for this sort of a duel! I wasn't ready either…for Wrath's fluid anger!'_

Wrath laughed and met Chizuma's big grey eyes with his own blue ones. "I'm going to bury you neck deep in a pile of your own pain wench! Now die you stupid dyke!"

Even as Inferno Brawler began to charge something changed in Chizuma's eyes. Kaoru turned to stare at her dueling partner. _'Suddenly her heart went cold…that anger blows Wrath's right out of the water!'_

Chizuma's eyes focused directly on Wrath's, completely going past Inferno Brawler. The light and joy in them had faded now replaced with a cold fury. "That…was a mistake."

Wrath's eyes widened as he felt a pulse of power from within the girl. _'No way…I didn't even know she had any power! Where's this all coming from?'_

He sneered back at her, his anger overtaking his surprise. "Mistake? What the crap are you talking about? You're the one whose about to suffer a terrible beating for underestimating me!"

Chizuma shook her head and reached back behind her. She pulled on the cord that tied her hair into its long ponytail, releasing it. Her hair unfurled like a curtain down her back, seeming vastly longer now that it wasn't pulled together. "You call yourself Wrath but you don't know what wrath really is. I'll show you for what you've done that you should always take great care with the things you say! Its not right to make anybody hurt just because of what you feel like saying!"

Wrath and Kaoru stared in surprise at Chizuma as her hair whipped out behind her. "What the heck are you talking about? What did I even do?"

She closed her eyes briefly, Inferno Brawler pausing in the middle of his attack. Then after a few moments her eyes snapped open revealing raw determination mixed into that icy wrath. "Nobody can call me that and get away with. Never again!"

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Author's Note: I know that I haven't updated in quite a while (18 days ago) and for that I apologize. I got busy and a mix of numerous things including my own laziness and apathy prevented me from getting this done. But here it is and I promise to get back into the swing.

_Next Time: Wrath has revealed something in Chizuma that nobody at Duelist Academy has ever seen. The pain of a hidden wound from her past drives Chizuma into a dark fury and it becomes a battle of wrath against wrath. With Chizuma's awakened anger can she and Kaoru defeat Wrath?_

_See it all in, VS Wrath; Burn Up Blade!_


	68. VS Wrath: Burn Up Blade!

Author's Note: The battle against Wrath continues!

**Chapter Sixty-Eight: VS Wrath; Burn Up Blade!**

_Wrath laughed and met Chizuma's big grey eyes with his own blue ones. "I'm going to bury you neck deep in a pile of your own pain wench! Now die you stupid dyke!"_

_Even as Inferno Brawler began to charge something changed in Chizuma's eyes. Kaoru turned to stare at her dueling partner. 'Suddenly her heart went cold…that anger blows Wrath's right out of the water!'_

_Chizuma's eyes focused directly on Wrath's, completely going past Inferno Brawler. The light and joy in them had faded now replaced with a cold fury. "That…was a mistake."_

_Wrath's eyes widened as he felt a pulse of power from within the girl. 'No way…I didn't even know she had any power! Where's this all coming from?'_

_He sneered back at her, his anger overtaking his surprise. "Mistake? What the crap are you talking about? You're the one whose about to suffer a terrible beating for underestimating me!"_

_Chizuma shook her head and reached back behind her. She pulled on the cord that tied her hair into its long ponytail, releasing it. Her hair unfurled like a curtain down her back, seeming vastly longer now that it wasn't pulled together. "You call yourself Wrath but you don't know what wrath really is. I'll show you for what you've done that you should always take great care with the things you say! Its not right to make anybody hurt just because of what you feel like saying!"_

_Wrath and Kaoru stared in surprise at Chizuma as her hair whipped out behind her. "What the heck are you talking about? What did I even do?"_

_She closed her eyes briefly, Inferno Brawler pausing in the middle of his attack. Then after a few moments her eyes snapped open revealing raw determination mixed into that icy wrath. "Nobody can call me that and get away with. Never again!"_

The Sin twitched and then slammed one fist into his open palm. "I don't give a crap about what you have to say! Inferno Brawler, continue your attack and use your effect!"

Flames licked at Chizuma but she stood her ground, just barely flinching. Then Inferno Brawler's fire covered fist plowed into her Tango Fan, ripping it in half. "Tango Fan grants me a thousand life points, but since I took three hundred the only gain is seven hundred." (CLP: 5300)

Wrath sneered at her and looked over at her remaining monster. "Let's clear a path Smash Brawler! Break down that final barrier to her life points!"

The brutish warrior ran forwards and slammed his shoulder into Tango Fan, sending it flying away. When it finally came crashing against the ground it blew into a million tiny pieces. Chizuma didn't even look back at it. "I gain five hundred life points." (CLP: 5800)

Chizuma's grey eyes stared straight ahead at Wrath and almost through him, causing him to shake with pent up fury. "Quit looking at me like that! Quit looking at me like you don't see me! I'll rip your damned eyes out!"

The three Gang Brawlers began to pound across the floor towards her, each of them raising a fist. Kaoru stared at her in horror and began to move to her Fate's Wall card. "No, don't use your counters on me. This is my fight now."

Kaoru stared at the younger girl in surprise but nodded, seeing that in her heart Chizuma was completely serious about that. "Alright…do this as you need to."

The dance genius nodded once and then pointed at her face down card. "Wrath, you never paid attention to my set card because I never used it. But my card gains a counter when a 'tango' monster is destroyed. When activated I can destroy one monster on your field per counter. So reveal yourself, Tango Fury!"

Wrath growled in frustration as his three charging Gang Brawlers were ripped apart by an invisible force sent by Chizuma's trap card. "Damn you…I'll make you pay for that! You won't escape my fury!"

Chizuma continued to stare past him. "You don't know anything about fury. I'll show you mine as soon as you end your turn."

"Fine! Just don't say I didn't warn you, because I did! I'll gouge those eyes of yours out sooner or later for looking at me like that!" A pair of cards formed behind his pair of brawlers. Then he glared at Chizuma, who reached for her deck.

"_Why don't you just go home and leave us alone? Stupid dyke!"_

Kaoru's eyes widened and she shot a look at Chizuma. Even though Chizuma's eyes seemed cold and faded that was a terribly intense flash of emotion. _'It's rare that I feel emotion so intense that it's translated into words. What happened to her?'_

"_I don't see why we have to let the dyke in the changing room with us. It's as bad as having a guy and yet the Head Mistress doesn't care."_

"Chizuma…" The other girl didn't look her way; instead she finally placed two fingers on the top of her deck and slashed the card off.

"I haven't let anyone call me that since back then Wrath…and you'll pay for bringing back painful memories. I've embraced who I am and I won't let anyone hurt me for that!" She held the card out and a green grinning jar formed in front of her, looking particularly evil.

"Pot of Greed!" She drew twice and the jar shattered. Then she looked down at her new cards very briefly before looking back up at Wrath.

A spot directly in front of her was filled with a crimson light out of nowhere. Slowly the light parted, revealing the creature within. It wore clothing identical to that of Tango Dancer but its face was a dark purple color and horns poked out of the top of his hat. "Meet Tango Devil (1500/1400)!"

Chizuma snapped her fingers and Tango Devil beckoned to Kaoru's monsters. Kaoru stared in surprise as The Moon shrank down and was pulled into a little glass ball in Tango Devil's hands. "What are you doing Chizuma? What happened to The Moon?"

"Its simple, Tango Devil won't dance together with any human so he creates his own partners. Each turn I can take control of one monster on the field to combine his attack with. That monster goes back to its owner during the end phase. Now Tango Devil creates his dance partner!" Light flowed out of the glass ball and formed into a woman dressed like Tango Dance Partner. The difference here was red skin and leathery wings.

She raised her right arm and pointed at Inferno Brawler. "Tango Devil (4300) attack and destroy Inferno Brawler!"

The two demonic dancers clasped hands and began to waltz across the field. Wrath snarled and slammed his hand down onto his disk. "Reverse card open, Brawl of Life! I now gain life points equal to the total attack points of the battling monsters!" (WLP: 9000)

"It doesn't matter! Inferno Brawler is still finished!" Suddenly the dancing pair was engulfed in flames and they plowed into Inferno Brawler. Even the normally flame resistant monster screamed in agony as his flesh was boiled off. He graced the moment when he was destroyed. (WLP: 7200)

The fire died down and Wrath smirked meeting her eyes. "You seem pretty frustrated and pretty intense. Heh, but no matter what you say your hatred can't match mine! Don't you think so…dyke?"

Chizuma's hands clenched into fists and Wrath threw back his head, laughing. "Just like I thought, that's the word that sets you off! Sheesh, who would have thought that some pretty lesbo like you, would turn out to get furious from something like that!"

"You don't understand at all Wrath, you couldn't understand. Its not hate I feel, its just anger and pain. All that pain from those awful times…that's what I'm directing at you for insulting me!" Wrath scuffed the ground with his shoes, starting to look bored.

"Whatever, its not like it matters anyways. I can't lose to some idiot like you no matter what you say. And right now, heck I'm not even really angry right now this is just my normal state. But if you piss me off you'll see my true form!" Kaoru's eyes widened she heard a roar from him.

'_Acknowledge it!'_

Even while Kaoru was trying to figure out exactly what his heart was saying Chizuma's hands were unclenching. "True form? I don't know what caused you to be this way and I can't say that even if I knew I'd understand. But it doesn't matter. You hurt me…and I won't let you continue to do that."

She held out her right hand and energy began to gather into her palm. Both Wrath and Kaoru stared in surprise as the energy escalated. Then she clenched her hand tight and the ball of light formed into a bright red blade of energy. "I'm about to make my attack Wrath!"

The Sin blinked in surprise when a number lit up over her head reading one thousand. "Where'd that sword come from? And what monster's attack score is that anyways?"

"Monster? That attack score is mine! And this sword is my Burn Up Blade!" She held up her duel disk, revealing that there was a new card in one of her magic zones. Wrath just stared at her while Kaoru nodded in understanding.

"I see…it's a rare card called a player equip. A specialized magic card that's actually equipped to a player rather than a monster. I've never heard of this one though." Chizuma slashed the blade through the air a few times, testing it out. It left a glowing trail that faded after a few seconds.

"Burn Up Blade gives me an attack score of one thousand and lets me attack you. That's not its only effect but it'll come in handy to let me make this fight personal!" She pointed the blade at Wrath and spread her feet slightly apart, preparing to make her charge.

"Idiot! If you attack I'll just demolish you with Smash Brute! Your attack score is much too weak!" Suddenly his eyes widened as he realized that there was still a card face-up on her field.

"You forgot Wrath the power of my unity! I activate the effect of my continuous trap card and pay one thousand life points! Now since its still under my control I'm going to attack together with The Moon! Here I go!" Chizuma (3800) raced across the field and Wrath could only stare in shock as she swung her energy weapon down on Smash Brawler. (CLP: 4300)

"You're still being dumb! Brawl of Life's effect lasts until the end phase so I'm just going to gain life points. Specifically I get sixty-three hundred life points even before your attack lands. (WLP: 13500)

Chizuma screamed her fury as her blade cleaved straight through Smash Brute. It stood stock still for a few moments before detonating, forcing Chizuma to jump backwards to avoid it. (WLP: 12200)

Wrath's eyes widened when she ran through the smoke and sliced the sword diagonally across his chest. He stared in horror at the bloody gash crossing his body making an x with the wound previously made by The Devil. "With Burn Up Blade I deal you the attack of any monster I kill in battle as damage." (WLP: 9700)

He stumbled backwards, his hands clutching at the bloody wounds. "You…that actually hurt…but…it doesn't matter! Stupid, you just helped me more than hurt me! My life points are way up!"

Chizuma walked back to her side of the field, her long hair flowing out behind her. "You're right, but now you've got just one set card down on your field and you couldn't use it to defend you against my attack. In other words…you're defenseless. And the next turn…is Kaoru's!"

She turned back around and unclenched her hand, causing the fiery weapon to vanish for the time being. "But don't worry I'm still going to be the one that brings you down Wrath. For what you said…I won't ever forgive you."

A pair of face down cards appeared in front of her, emptying out her hand. "Kaoru, make good on your turn, but leave the final blow to me."

Kaoru nodded as she drew. One glance at the card and she grinned. "In my standby phase The Moon generates a Moon Token (0/0)!"

The belly of The Moon burst open and released the bulbous grey-skinned creature that was gestating within. Then it closed up and another one appeared inside. "Moon Tokens aren't useful for much, but this deck needs tribute bait and they make good bait. Before I do that I activate Coins from Heaven!"

All three of them began to draw cards. Wrath drew five cards, Chizuma drew six, and Kaoru drew only four cards. Looking down at her new hand she nodded and the Moon Token disappeared in a flash. "I tribute my Moon Token for Arcana Force VIII-The Strength (1800/1800)!"

A grey armored beast with blue lines all over its flesh formed and its card started rotating. "In order to avoid its deadly negative effect I'll sacrifice a counter from Forced Destiny to give it its upright effect. Normally I could take control of one monster on your field but you don't have any."

Wrath snarled as he saw the three monsters looking down on him. "Alright Wrath, here it goes! Triple direct attack!"

Twin blasts of energy hit him, one from The Moon and another from The Strength. It was followed up by a slashing scythe from The Devil. Wrath's scream was swallowed up by the sound of the explosion. (WLP: 2600)

The smoke faded revealing Wrath quivering, his knees just barely holding out and keeping him standing. His body was smoking and there was now a line of blood going straight through the middle of the x. "How are you even standing?"

Wrath's eyes widened farther than should have been possible and blood vessels in his eyes became more noticeable. "Because I hate everything! My hate keeps me alive no matter what!"

"Why? Why do you hate everything? I don't understand." Wrath bared his teeth, the corners of his lips frothing as blood continued to drip down the front of his chest.

"You couldn't possibly understand! Throughout my life I've experienced a pain like that of hell, the pain of total loneliness! I lived my life without family, without friends, without anyone to acknowledge me! I just wanted someone, anyone, to acknowledge my existence. And the only people who did gave me passing glares as if I was evil for having nothing!" Saliva dripped down his lips and the veins in his arms and face began to bulge.

"There's no way you could comprehend what its like to spend the first eleven years of your life with only the barest of notice from anyone, with the only notice being disdain and disgust! So I grew to hate everyone for not letting me be a little kid, for not letting me play and have fun like all the other kids! For not acknowledging my existence or giving me merit!" The darkness rippled as he tilted his head back, staring at the sky as his body continued to stiffen, more veins growing.

"I decided that by hating everyone and everything that I'd repay the world for treating me like this! And then one day, just about a year ago he came to me and showed me dueling. Showed me that through it I could force others to experience my feelings even if it was just by striking them with all of my power until they couldn't stand! Then he showed me my power and showed me that the key to the true me was my anger. So let me show you my true form!" The strange light that always seemed to be present in a Darkness Game suddenly vanished, plunging them into complete blackness.

Slowly the lights flickered back on, and Wrath stood before them. At first glance he was no different, still the same short twelve year old from before. But the differences were frightening.

His jacket had been discarding, revealing that the triple slashes were puffed up, possibly infected. His tiny little body was no longer tiny though, as muscles bulged everywhere visible. Veins stood out all over his flesh, including on his face, and his eyes were completely bloodshot. A reddish froth could be seen at the left corner of his lips and he sneered as he wiped it off. "Before…all you saw was Toji Minoru. Now I'm truly Wrath."

Wrath smirked and Kaoru took a step back as his power flared, making the darkness ripple. To her surprised Chizuma didn't even flinch. "What's the difference? Heck, you seem calmer now."

The Sin focused his attention on Kaoru and began to explain. "The difference is in this state my mental defenses are complete and I shut down all the stupid childish whining from before. All emotions are sealed except for a cold simmer rage. Now all I've got is the desire to kill everyone in my way to make them acknowledge my existence through their deaths."

Kaoru gulped and slid a card into her duel disk, choosing to conserve her resources for her next turn. "I end."

She was barely able to follow his movements and he drew his next two cards. "Its pretty funny, that in terms of dueling in my normal state I can barely beat Envy, meaning in terms of dueling talent I'm the second weakest. But in terms of ability I am the weakest, my power is pathetic. It's only in this state do I shine."

He clenched his free right hand into a fist and then unclenched it, smirking as he watched the muscles flex. "Of course my adrenaline is pumping way too high and way too much, so this state probably causes physical damage if prolonged. But with it comes not a greater talent, but a focus I can't muster as Toji. With those distractions out of the way my ability and power is five times what it was before!"

His set card flipped up. "This trap card can only be activated during my turn, so like you thought it couldn't defend me. Its called Brawler Training and by discarding cards from my hand I can create clones of one brawler on my field or in my grave. One clone per discard."

Wrath licked his lips and folded up most of his hand. "As Toji I was planning to use Brawler Training to create copies of Inferno Brawler so that when I attacked even if you kept negating my strikes you'd still be taking damage. But that's stupid, there's a much better choice waiting in the grave."

Five cards were shoved into his graveyard slot and his field started to shimmer. "By ditching these five cards from my hand I special summon five copies of Gun Brawler (2500/0). Do you know what that means?"

Kaoru gulped, remembering quite clearly what that monster did. "I see that you do remember. Since each Gun Brawler can deal you a hundred damage per brawler in play that's five hundred damage. But since I've got five that means each turn I can deal twenty-five hundred damage to your life points. Starting…now!"

The purple eyed girl screamed as five Gun Brawlers descended on her, landing five different blows with the butts of their rifles. She hit the ground, her head spinning and blood dripping from a wound on the back of her head. "That looked painful." (KLP: 300)

He stared down at her dispassionately and shook his head. "And to think that as Toji I would have spread the damage between the two of you thinking that since it was a two on one duel I should make you both suffer. But no, the most effective strategy is to finish you off quickly since you have fewer life points. When one is gone the other will quickly follow."

"Are you forgetting that I'm here completely Wrath? Don't you remember that I said the final blow of this duel would be dealt by me?" Wrath turned to face Chizuma who was staring at him defiantly. Her grey eyes shimmered with determination and he smirked in reply.

"I hadn't forgotten. In fact, I'll be getting to you in just a moment. But first, I believe its time for me to move up to the next level of Wrath. I activate Pump Up and combine it with Forked Magic to target all five Gun Brawlers. This doubles their attack points for the turn." All five of them instantly shot upwards to five thousand points.

A card slid out of his deck and into his hand. "When I have twenty thousand or more attack points worth of monsters on my field I can add this card from my deck to my hand. At this time I activate it, Body of Sin-Wrath!"

Just like with Soul of Sin he placed the card into his cemetery immediately. "When this card is activated the original attack of all monsters I summon onto the field is considered the current attack of one monster on my field I choose. I choose a Gun Brawler, making the original attack of all monsters I can play five thousand."

Chizuma nodded. "And with Soul of Sin-Wrath's effect when they attack that means even if they had zero attack points their attack points would become ten thousand because their original attack would be considered to be five thousand."

"It's slightly more complicated than that, but that's the general idea. For example, during each player's turn I can increase that original attack score by two hundred with Body of Sin-Wrath. Meaning my five monsters now have original attack scores of fifty-two hundred." He narrowed his eyes at Chizuma, briefly glancing at Kaoru's down-trodden form.

"I suppose I'll crush you at full force. I activate the final card in my hand, one called Gift from Multiple Foes. This multiplayer magic card lets me add one card from my deck to my hand when I'm against more than one opponent." Another card popped out of his deck and he added it to his hand.

"My other self is foolish, or else I would have added Heavy Storm to my hand to crush you. However, he constructed this deck using only one magic and trap destruction card. So instead I'll complete my power by activating Heart of Sin-Wrath!" His muscles bulged even more as he played the final of the three card set.

Once more he slid the card into the grave. "For the first effect of Heart of Sin-Wrath I double the original attack score established by Body of Sin-Wrath. Since that amount is currently fifty-two hundred I raise that original to ten thousand four hundred."

Had Kaoru been completely conscious she probably would have gasped in shock. Chizuma remained eerily quiet. "As you can no doubt surmise that means when I attack my monsters will reach twenty thousand eight hundred attack points. Then again, there's another effect to Heart of Sin-Wrath."

He snapped his fingers and his five brawlers briefly glowed. "At a cost of five hundred life points during my turn as an addition to the two hundred point boost I can increase the original attack points of my monsters by one thousand." (WLP: 2100)

Wrath sighed and pointed at Chizuma. "Have fun dancing in hell. Gun Brawler (22800) will escort you there! Rest in peace little dyke!"

Gun Brawler raised the rifle to his shoulder, took aim, and fired.

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_"Did you hear? Chizuma came out of the closet yesterday. Turns out that she's into girls." There was a mix of gasps and snickers that followed. Chizuma bit her lip, standing outside the door. She was younger, her hair cut short and barely to the nape of her neck._

_A different voice spoke this time. "I guess it makes sense now why she would blush when we would all change into our leotards. Funny that I used to think it was because she was shy."_

_The third voice that spoke was slightly musical but with cruel tones hidden in it. Chizuma recognized that voice. It belonged to the prettiest girl at Tokyo's Girl's School of Dance, Misaki Mitsaru. "I don't see why we have to let the dyke in the changing room with us. It's as bad as having a guy and yet the Head Mistress doesn't care."_

_Another voice, this one quiet and shy responded. "That's not nice Mitsaru-san. That's an offensive word; it isn't kind to talk about people in that way."_

_Chizuma's heart leapt at those words. To hear that one of the girls was actually supporting her as she struggled to accept herself was joyful. 'She's so kind…and she cares!'_

_"Besides, it's not her fault. I'm sure if we all stood up for her and helped out she'd get over it and go back to being the funny girl we all knew."_ _There were whispers of assent and Chizuma's heart plummeted to her feet. Fix her? Like she was damaged goods…like she was diseased._

_Misaki laughed, not sounding pretty right now. "You can't fix something that's so broken. Chizuma's a dyke and that's not going to change. I can't believe all those times she slept in my bed with me, probably thinking all sorts of sick stuff. And to think she called herself my best friend."_

_The pretty girl continued, unknowingly tearing Chizuma's heart into tatters the more she spoke. "I bet she was never really friends with me. I bet the whole time that dyke was just harboring a big secret lesbian crush on me."_

_"Come to think of it she's always talked about that one pro duelist like she was the second coming or something. But it's odd; I thought all lesbians were big macho girls. Chizuma's one of the prettiest girls at the school and she's really feminine to." There was a brief argument about whether lesbians had to be macho or not, and Chizuma couldn't help but let the tears flow._

_The same timid girl from before spoke. "Maybe it's just a phase. I'm sure she'll get over it and go back to normal soon if we just support her through it."_

_The very first voice piped in. "Its weird, I remember her getting two weeks of detention earlier this year for being caught kissing that cute guy behind the school. If she kisses guys she can't really be a lesbian, can she?"_

_"Maybe she's bi? I've hear that there are lots of people who swing both ways, but they usually prefer the opposite sex of their own. Maybe that's what Chizuma is." Chizuma's back slid down the wall, her arms wrapping around her knees to provide herself support. She planted her face against her knees and bit back the sobs, her body shaking._

_Misaki hushed everyone again by being the loudest. "As long as I've known her Chizuma has always gone all out in everything she does. If she says she's a big dyke then she's going to be a big dyke full time. That thing with the guy was probably just a show."_

_Chizuma had no idea how to tell them that it was that very same experience that began to make her understand that she wasn't attracted to guys. When she had kissed him she had felt nothing, it was like kissing a doll. _

_Unbidden a sob broke through the dam she was trying to keep up. The room she was outside of suddenly went silent, and the next thing she knew a ring of girls was surrounding her, Misaki at the forefront. "See! She was listening in on us the whole time! I bet its some weird fantasy of hers playing out!"_

_None of the other girls spoke; they just seemed to follow Misaki's lead. They egged at her, tossing insults, while some in the back kept quiet, still unsure. Slowly Chizuma stood her eyes wet and red from crying. "Misaki…please don't do this…"_

_Misaki stepped aside, making a path through the girls appeared. She motioned with her arm to the opening and glared at her former best friend. "Why don't you just go home and leave us alone? Stupid dyke!"_

_Chizuma dipped her head to the ground and ran past the gang of girls, tears flowing freely. The next week she was resigned from the dance school. It would be a month before she came out of her room and signed up for a dueling prep school. But by then she was no longer the same person as before. _

_Because even when she was laughing and smiling she could still hear that word echoing in her head. That word spoken so harshly by the girl she had grown up with having as a best friend. _

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_'After that I vowed that I would never again be called that. I finally let my hair grow out and I've let it grow ever since as a sign of becoming my own person. I never thought I'd hear it again or that it would still hurt so much. Because even when it was Wrath saying it, the voice I heard was hers…'_

Wrath stared straight ahead and a smile slowly formed on his lips. "I never expected that it would go like this…guess you caught me off guard."

He coughed, blood splattering out of his mouth. His eyes lowered and he took in what had happened. There, thrusting through his stomach was the crimson weapon that Chizuma had summoned. And there she was, standing just inches from him, hand still clutching the blade. "I guess I get it…you've felt the pain of loneliness too, haven't you? That's how you beat me…" (WLP: 0)

His eyes began to dull, barely registering what he was seeing anymore. He blinked in surprise when tears dripped onto his cheeks. Slowly he raised his head and saw Chizuma staring down at him, her grey eyes full of life and pain, tears building in them. "I'm so sorry Toji…I never meant for this to happen…"

Wrath's lips cracked into a bloody and distorted smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. "It's okay…you acknowledged me…right?"

Chizuma nodded and Wrath slumped forwards, his head pressing against her stomach. "Then I guess its okay after all. And even though I can't help but hate you…I'm still glad for some reason."

She wrapped an arm around his head and let her tears fall. "This wasn't what I wanted at all…I just wanted to stop her from calling me that…I never meant to hurt you."

The shadows burst, leaving them back in the cavern. Chizuma slumped to her knees, still holding Wrath's cold form in her arms. "I'm so sorry…"

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Author's Note: Bet you guys weren't expecting. Oh, and also I'm now over 800 pages. When I hit 1000 there will be some sort of celebration, of that I'm sure.

_Next Time: As Kaoru tries to understand what happened to Wrath they are all shocked by the sudden arrival of Saint along with Sloth and Midas. For the first time more than one Sin is prepared to battle and neither Kaoru nor Chizuma is ready to face a different opponent. But at the last moment help arrives, and chaos erupts!_

_See it all in, Chaos in the Cave Pt.1; Chaos Erupts!_


	69. Chaos in the Cave Pt 1

Author's Note: Now let the chaos commence!

**Chapter Sixty-Nine: Chaos in the Cave Pt. 1; Chaos Erupts**

_Wrath stared straight ahead and a smile slowly formed on his lips. "I never expected that it would go like this…guess you caught me off guard."_

_He coughed, blood splattering out of his mouth. His eyes lowered and he took in what had happened. There, thrusting through his stomach was the crimson weapon that Chizuma had summoned. And there she was, standing just inches from him, hand still clutching the blade. "I guess I get it…you've felt the pain of loneliness too, haven't you? That's how you beat me…" (WLP: 0)_

_His eyes began to dull, barely registering what he was seeing anymore. He blinked in surprise when tears dripped onto his cheeks. Slowly he raised his head and saw Chizuma staring down at him, her grey eyes full of life and pain, tears building in them. "I'm so sorry Toji…I never meant for this to happen…"_

_Wrath's lips cracked into a bloody and distorted smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. "It's okay…you acknowledged me…right?"_

_Chizuma nodded and Wrath slumped forwards, his head pressing against her stomach. "Then I guess its okay after all. And even though I can't help but hate you…I'm still glad for some reason."_

_She wrapped an arm around his head and let her tears fall. "This wasn't what I wanted at all…I just wanted to stop her from calling me that…I never meant to hurt you."_

_The shadows burst, leaving them back in the cavern. Chizuma slumped to her knees, still holding Wrath's cold form in her arms. "I'm so sorry…"_

Kaoru shuddered as she sat up painfully. Her right arm cradled her stomach, which felt like it had been hit with a bowling ball repeatedly. A trail of blood ran from the left side of her forehead to her chin, forcing her to keep her left eye closed. "Chizuma…"

Her one open eye flashed with intense imagery, and she realized the truth. _'Chizuma is in so much pain right now that her heart is projecting everything that's happened. She's replaying it all in her head…'_

"_Wrath sighed and pointed at Chizuma. "Have fun dancing in hell. Gun Brawler (22800) will escort you there! Rest in peace little dyke!"_

_Gun Brawler raised the rifle to his shoulder, took aim, and fired._

_Chizuma, with tears burning in her eyes, thrust one hand out towards one of her set cards. "I activate the trap card Reduction Barrier, cutting all damage to me this turn to one tenth!"_

_Wrath sneered as the bullet roared. "It doesn't matter! All five of these monsters can easily demolish your life points!"_

_To his surprise the bullet zipped straight past Tango Devil and struck Chizuma in the shoulder. Chizuma slid backwards and grabbed the wound, which immediately began to pump out blood. "What…why was that direct?" (CLP: 2020)_

_His eyes trailed to her other card which was now face up. "My trap card…Deux Passé. It turned your attack into a direct one on my life points. And now…I can return the favor."_

_She began to charge forwards, releasing the bloody wound and letting it flow free. The crimson Burn Up Blade sprang to life in her hands. "And by paying a thousand life points I'll use Tango Devil's attack points to give me the needed power to end this!"_

_Wrath opened his mouth to say something but was cut off when the Burn Up Blade pierced into his stomach. He was silenced by the blood that spat out of his mouth. "I never expected it would go like this…guess you caught me off guard." (WLP: 0)_

Kaoru snapped her right eye shut and cut off her power. She pushed through the pain and stumbled to her feet, making her way towards the younger girl. "Chizuma…you don't have to hold this weight on your shoulders alone. I can help."

"Ah, such a touching sight. I suppose it isn't surprising at this point that Wrath was defeated. A pity, but he was my least favorite Sin." Kaoru and Chizuma froze up, and Wrath shuddered. That voice…that calm and happy voice that sent warmth through their bodies while chilling them to the bone. It belonged to only one person.

Slowly they turned and found themselves facing the smiling business man Saint Beatrix. To his right was the sleepy looking Sloth, still in his rumpled grey uniform. And to his left was Greed, who appeared to have changed into a solid white uniform. Kaoru gulped. "Saint…"

Wrath lifted his head weakly and glared at the open-faced man. "Bastard…stay the hell away from me. I won't become like Greed…I won't be turned into one of your stupid puppets!"

Saint's smile widened and both of them ignored the confused looks on Kaoru and Chizuma's faces. "Come now dear Wrath don't be so cruel towards young Midas. He's gone through a very trying period in his life and survived the transition. He has surpassed my expectations and emerged from the darkness of sin into the light of purification. Forever gone are his days as a Sin."

The young Sin spat blood on the ground, and then glared back up at Saint. "Yeah…and now he's a True Virtue…a freak that only obeys you!"

Midas smiled widely, in what appeared to be a more innocent version of Saint's. "That's only because Saint is the path to salvation. And its keeper is Hope. And its key is"

He was cut off when a still smiling Saint placed a hand on his shoulder. "No need to be hasty. After all, they'll all learn soon enough. But these two aren't ready for purification, not like dear Wrath."

Chizuma and Kaoru did their best to move in front of Wrath, but it was difficult with their wounds hampering them. Chizuma glared at Saint, still holding her bloody shoulder. "We won't let you touch him!"

Their eyes widened when they realized that he was no longer standing in front of them. Kaoru stiffened as she felt it…and she craned her neck over her shoulder. There, standing with his back to them directly behind Wrath…was Saint. "How…"

"I do so detest violence; I am a pacifist at heart in truth. Perhaps that is why in my heart of hearts I am so eager to see Wrath purified of his violent ways. But of course, I still have other pressing matters. Girls, would you be so kind as to direct me to Paradise?" Kaoru and Chizuma were still, unable to move. Somehow, without any effort, Saint had bypassed their efforts totally.

They could practically feel Saint smile wider as he looked up at the massive door the lead to The Vault. "Ah…I believe your services are no longer required. Paradise is behind that door, I can fell it. I suppose that its time I move in there."

He looked over his shoulder, his bright blue eyes twinkling with amusement. "Midas, please do me a favor and prevent Miss Takashi and Miss Kaoru from further inflicting injury upon themselves. Transfiguring them to gold will allow time for their wounds to heal and prevent them from doing something foolish."

"Of course, it'd be my pleasure!" Midas smiled and walked towards them, the two still paralyzed in feel. He raised his right hand and his eyes glowed gold briefly. He was really going to turn them into statues, and there was no way out of it.

"**Saint Beatrix, leave or pay the price. You will not enter The Vault." **Saint smiled and returned to looking in the direction of the door. Standing directly in front of the door was the robed form of Murk, still wearing his strange gas mask.

Saint closed his eyes and shook his head, still smiling as he did so. "Murk, it's been quite a while. Although for once I wish you would dispense with the pleasantries and remove your mask, but beggars can't be choosers."

Murk stood his ground, unmoved by the comment. **"Depart or suffer Saint Beatrix, this is your final warning."**

"You shouldn't resort to such useless threats, it isn't becoming for you. We both know how this battle will go; after all, you hardly even qualify as a True Sin. The more threats you swing around like a crude club the weaker you appear." He smiled all the more when he heard Murk growl in frustration.

Midas smiled down at Kaoru and reached for her forehead. "Don't worry Miss Kaoru; I assure you that it's completely painless. At least I hope it is, I'd hate to hurt someone like this."

A powerful thud echoed through the cavern and Midas stumbled backwards. He blinked out the stars in his eyes, putting a hand against his bruised. "That was unkind…"

Wrath snarled at him and lowered his fist. Then he collapsed to his knees and grabbed at his stomach wound. "Damn…I don't have enough power left after that injury to mass his pain like I could."

Suddenly Midas was running straight at Wrath, his hand extended towards the weakened Sin. "Just wait Wrath! I'll purify you in gold so that Saint doesn't even have to lift a finger!"

Midas' eyes widened once again when he found himself unmoving, his wrist captured by someone else's hand. "Back off asshat, beating up on somebody who's defenseless is just pathetic."

He turned and found that his arm was being gripped by a petite girl with bright blue eyes and crimson hair. "Miharu Kanzaki…Inferno!"

Inferno smirked and raised her free hand to point at his face. "That's right, and I guess they call you Midas now. Well 'True Virtue' or whatever, I'll still kill you right now. So back down or burn."

Murk suddenly jumped into motion and the shadows around him flickered, swallowing him up. He reappeared in the shadows to Inferno's left and jumped at her. **"Release him!"**

The True Sin jumped to the side and rolled, avoiding his fist that swung right where her head would have been. She came up to her feet and glared at Murk. "Who the hell's side are you on you stupid excuse for a True Sin?"

"**Foolish girl, the edge of your pinky was touching the bare skin of his hand. He can transmute anything to gold as long as it touches his skin!"** Inferno gulped and glanced down at her hand. Had he not acted when he did she could have become a golden statue.

Saint sighed and shook his head. "It appears that things have suddenly become quite hectic. Truly a disappointment to say the least. Sloth, I suppose it's up to you at this point."

There was no response, so he looked over to where his loyal Sin was. Standing directly behind him with one hand on his back was Frost, her blue hair fluttering out behind her. "We have reached end game Saint Beatrix. Retreat or you will lose two of those who serve you. Then do you believe you can combat the combined strengths of three True Sins?"

The business man chuckled slightly. "I see, so you were prepared ahead of time. Sloth's power won't put you to sleep because your level is significantly greater. Of course I'm certain you and Miss Inferno are tired. A single slip-up and you'll be put to sleep."

Frost didn't even waver from her position. "I do not make mistakes Saint Beatrix, nor do I make idle threats. When I finish speaking I will begin a ten count. If you do not retreat before the ten count ends we will be forced to act."

This seemed to amuse Saint, despite the fact that his servants were at their mercy. "Perhaps they are in danger, perhaps not. After all, this is far from over. Midas, since Sloth is far from the combat type I'd like you to deal with these two."

Midas nodded happily and began to charge Inferno. The red head cocked an eyebrow at him and jumped to the side. "Are you suicidal or something? I can burn you to ash with a flick of my wrist!"

To her surprise she suddenly realized that he hadn't reoriented himself. Instead he was running straight towards Sloth and Frost. "Shit, he was going for them the whole time!"

She brought up her right hand and willed her power into the air around it. Fire leapt up and shot out, a stream of it streaking straight for Midas. "Take that jackass!"

He seemed to see it coming and jumped to the left, barely avoiding the flames. Instead they continued burning through the air. And what was now in their path was Sloth and Frost. _'He expected me to fire immediately, so he put himself in their path so he could dodge and use my attack to his advantage! He's smarter than I gave him credit for.'_

Frost grabbed the back of Sloth's blazer and pulled him to the ground, letting the fire soar over their heads. The heat blistered their backs but at least they hadn't been burnt to death. "Inferno, please bother to think ahead before taking action as I've asked numerous times."

Saint chuckled and tapped a long finger against his chin. "It seems I estimated your character accurately. Your unwillingness to take another's life is admirable, but in battle it will likely cost you."

Inferno growled and gathered her power for another strike. "Don't go freaking soft on me Frost! You could have just dodged and let Sloth take the hit!"

The blue haired girl stood up, calmly facing Midas. She didn't look in Inferno's direction even as she spoke. "Inferno, if you would, leave this battle to me. Hold Saint off for as long as possible, and when I have finished Midas I will join you."

Her red haired counterpart grinned and slammed her right fist into her open left palm. "Okay! Leave it up to me; I'll turn Saint into smoldering ruins!"

She spun to face Saint, who quirked an eyebrow at her confident stance. "Oh? You believe that you'll harm me? This should be interesting…"

Fire streaked from her fingertips lacing through the air towards Saint. He smiled and stood calmly in their path. _'He's gonna get roasted and he's not even trying to dodge!'_

Without warning the flames vanished just moments before they would have hit. Rather than being pushed back or dispersed they just seemed to disappear into thin air. "What!"

Saint shook his head and rubbed his chin in thought. "That won't be quite enough to wound. Perhaps you should make an attempt at strategy dear Miss Inferno."

"Keep talking you cocky jerk, I'll still fry you!" She thrust both hands out and a blast of intense fire shot out from them. It was as wide as her body and moving at incredible speed.

Without even making an attempt to move, without even lifting a finger Saint dealt with the attack once again. Just like before they seemed to strike a point directly in front of him and then were gone. _'It's like there's a barrier around him…but does it apply for direct combat?'_

Thinking of that she sprang forward, running towards him at top speed. She covered the distance in just a few seconds and was right in front of him. Because of the difference in height the right hook she aimed at his jaw was going upwards. "Take this!"

Closing his eyes calmly he tilted his head to the side to let the punch slide right past his face. Inferno slid past him and spun around, bringing up her left leg and using the momentum of her spin to add extra power to her roundhouse. "You won't get away from me!"

Her eyes widened when her kick was stopped in mid-air, her ankle held in Saint's solid but not painful grip. "Miss Inferno, hasn't anyone ever told you that it's rude to strike your elders?"

Inferno's blue eyes flashed with fury and thrust her free right hand directly in his face. "Let's see how you like it close range Sempai!"

Murk, Kaoru, Chizuma, and even Wrath all stared in awe as a fireball engulfed Saint's body. With her leg free Inferno did two back handsprings to put distance between her and the impact point. "Guess you're only good deep-fried…Sempai."

Chizuma punched the air. "She got him!"

Wrath shook his head, looking afraid even through his pain. "No…it won't work. You don't understand at all. Saint can't be harmed…he's untouchable."

Inferno gulped as the fire faded, revealing Saint standing in the exact same position he had been before. He lifted his head and looked directly at him, that creepy smile still present. "That was quite an impressive move Miss Inferno, had I been any other opponent I'd surely be dead."

"What…what are you? There's no way you could have withstood that level of flame without taking any injury!" Saint lowered the arm he had used to stop her kick. With a quirky smile he motioned to his suit.

"Perhaps if you looked closer you'd see that my suit isn't even dirty. Certainly I didn't take that hit; it would have killed me if I had." Off to the side Kaoru stared at him, or more specifically the ground at his feet.

'_The shadows created by his body…they're moving!'_ Just as she finished that thought Murk burst through the shadow directly behind Saint. He reached forward and wrapped his arm around Saint's neck, instantly applying pressure.

"**This battle is over Saint Beatrix. Surrender or I'll end your life right now."** Those watching the fight couldn't help but blink to try and understand what had happened when they heard Saint laughing happily.

"You certainly are clever Murk; I'll applaud your efforts. But perhaps you should focus your efforts on me, rather than that innocent air." Murk growled deep in his chest, realizing that he was indeed holding nothing. Saint now stood several feet behind him, smiling as always.

Inferno marched forwards her fists shaking. She stopped when she stood directly next to Murk. "Back off wuss, you don't even count as a True Sin for this fight. I don't care what sort of weird powers this guy has I'll still beat him down!"

A dozen feet away combat was continuing between Midas and Frost. Frost did a front handspring and then pushed up, spinning in mid-air so she came up facing Midas, who had just missed a grab. He grinned and stopped his momentum, turning around to face him. "You don't seem to want to really fight me lady, so just make this short and sweet and let me turn you into gold."

He made another grab and Frost pivoted on her feet, narrowly avoiding the strike. Midas swung his arm around, once again reaching for her. She backpedaled gracefully, moving away from the attack. "Offering to turn me into gold is hardly an incentive to stand still Sir Midas."

"Maybe it isn't, but that won't stop me from trying!" Her blue eyes calmly regarded him as he dropped to one knee and slammed his open palm against the ground. The stone floor rippled and a gold coloration spread outwards until it covered an area of about twenty feet around.

Frost stood calmly, her arms hanging at her sides. "I see, you intend to use the gold of the floor to inhibit my movements. Because there is less purchase on gold than on stone you believe it will give you a distinct advantage."

Midas shrugged and raised his right hand as he returned to his feet. "Something like that. Or maybe I just think it looks better this way!"

She regarded him as he began his charge, as she estimated he was practically gliding across the ground. _'Just as I anticipated, his boots are designed smoothly, allowing him to use the unbroken gold surface as if it were ice. Thus his speed is increased.'_

When he was directly in front of her, palm going straight for her face, she finally acted. Once again she pivoted, this time to the left to avoid his strike. She didn't miss Midas smirking as his arm shot past her. "Gotcha…"

Pushing with his left foot he managed to use the gliding nature of his shoes on the gold to pivot him at unnatural speeds. That brought his left hand around to slap onto her back. "This is the end, girl!"

Frost's body stood still as gold spread over her until she was completely covered. Caught between the two battles Kaoru and Chizuma grimaced. "Frost is…"

Midas wiped his hands off on his pants and walked past the statue. "It's a pity, but at least this way she won't get hurt while she's in the way."

A loud cracking sound stopped him in his tracks. Eyes wide he slowly turned, and to his horror discovered that her golden body was filled with cracks. "What in the…"

It burst outwards, creating a beautiful display as flecks of gold tumbled to the ground like shattered glass. Standing in the same position was a calm Frost, who appeared unharmed. "In combat you must always strive to be three or four steps ahead of your opponent. You failed to plan for my own counters and that is why you will lose."

Midas grimaced and readied his hands again. "What are you talking about? I know I turned you to gold and there's no way you could have done that!"

Frost raised her left hand and the air around it crystallized. "I have the power to slow down the molecular movement of water molecules, thus freezing them. I simply generated a thin layer of frost over my body. All that was transmuted to gold was that simplistic armor."

Kaoru stared at the True Sin in awe, not quite sure she believed what she was hearing. "She…she prepared for the chance that Midas would find a way to touch her by creating armor ahead of time! Amazing!"

The True Virtue growled and shifted his feet, preparing to attack again. "If you'll just keep putting up that armor then I'll just have to put so much energy into my technique that it goes straight through!"

His eyes widened as something blue came darting at him. He twisted to the side, and as he did saw that it was an icicle that had been thrown. "Miss…"

His body seized up as he felt something directly behind him. A cold slim hand was placed against the back of his neck. "Checkmate."

Closer to the giant door Inferno was breathing heavily, her hands still raised from her last attack. "Damn…everything I throw at this guy just comes to nothing. I can't hit him directly with fire or a punch. I don't get what his power is…"

Saint sighed and brushed the front of his suit. "It seems you and I are at an impasse. You cannot harm me and I refuse to harm you. Perhaps we should settle this in the more modern manner."

He reached into his coat and pulled out what looked like a cell phone. "Yes, perhaps the darkness is the best way to deal with this Miss Inferno. Do you accept?"

The moment the device touched his arm it quickly unfolded, turning into a small but portable duel disk. Inferno glared at him and then at her arm as a duel disk appeared. "Just like the darkness to accommodate its victims right? Fine Sempai! I accept your challenge! I've been acting to hurt you for quite some time now, and a Darkness Game is the perfect way!"

She pulled her deck out from within her blazer and slammed it home. At the same time Saint calmly inserted a deck into his pocket disk. "I haven't used this deck in quite some time; it should be interesting to dust the cobwebs off of it. I hope I provide sufficient challenge for you Miss Inferno." (SLP: 4000)

Inferno smirked as her disk unfolded, her life points ticking into place. "Don't worry Saint; no matter how good you are you can't possibly be a challenge for me! So just sit back and enjoy the flames!" (ILP: 4000)

Midas couldn't help but smirk as from his vantage point he saw the darkness spring up around Saint and Inferno. "You said to think a step ahead of your opponent right? Well I've seen a step ahead and I know that you won't actually freeze me since it would kill me. Since I'm willing but unable to kill you, but you're able but unwilling to me I guess those two provided the solution."

Frost narrowed her eyes at the back of his head. "Are you suggesting a Darkness Game as the solution to our conflict?"

He nodded, and she released his neck. "Very well, I accept your challenge Sir Midas. Understand though that I will not play politely. I will be playing for victory, not for excitement." (FLP: 4000)

Midas nodded and backed away, putting space between them so the duel could begin. He lifted up the duel disk on his arm, deck in place. "I wouldn't have it any other way since I'll be playing like that as well! For Saint I'll put you in your place!" (MLP: 4000)

As the darkness began to spring up Sloth started walking towards the door to the Vault. Murk stepped in his way, but then crumpled to the floor. "Saint instructed me to put any True Sin in the way to sleep and then get Paradise will the others were occupied. Sorry, it's troublesome but sleep for now…"

He yawned and rubbed a knuckle against his bleary left eye, trying to rub the sleep out of it. "I guess I should just get it over with…"

"Not quite! Stop right there Sloth!" Sloth blinked slowly and turned around, finding himself looking at the very end of the room where the entrance was. Standing at the entrance was a smirking Shiro, hands on his hips.

"Oh…you…who are you again?" Shiro didn't let the comment phase him and he flashed a grin at Sloth, and then pointed at him with determination in his eyes.

"The hero always arrives late, so here I am to kick your butt! Let's go Sloth, we've got a rematch to have and I've got a little girl to rescue!" Sloth stared at him for several moments, completely unmoving.

"Didn't say anything about putting you to sleep…guess I should duel…" (Sloth: 4000)

Shiro grinned and pounded his fists together. "Alright! It's time for you and me to finish this thing! Let's go sleepyhead!" (Shiro: 4000)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, but here it is.

_Next Time: Ready to take on the lazy duelist once again, Shiro steps up to the challenge. Despite his previous failure Shiro is absolutely certain that he can beat Sloth this time. But still Sloth's secret strength seems to make him impossible for Shiro to defeat. Before he can claim victory Shiro must uncover the Sin's secret power._

_See it all in, Chaos in the Cave Pt.2; Secret of Sloth!_


	70. Chaos in the Cave Pt 2

Author's Note: The rematch between Shiro and Sloth begins!

**Chapter Seventy: Chaos in the Cave Pt. 2; Secret of Sloth**

_As the darkness began to spring up Sloth started walking towards the door to the Vault. Murk stepped in his way, but then crumpled to the floor. "Saint instructed me to put any True Sin in the way to sleep and then get Paradise will the others were occupied. Sorry, it's troublesome but sleep for now…"_

_He yawned and rubbed a knuckle against his bleary left eye, trying to rub the sleep out of it. "I guess I should just get it over with…"_

"_Not quite! Stop right there Sloth!" Sloth blinked slowly and turned around, finding himself looking at the very end of the room where the entrance was. Standing at the entrance was a smirking Shiro, hands on his hips._

"_Oh…you…who are you again?" Shiro didn't let the comment phase him and he flashed a grin at Sloth, and then pointed at him with determination in his eyes._

"_The hero always arrives late, so here I am to kick your butt! Let's go Sloth, we've got a rematch to have and I've got a little girl to rescue!" Sloth stared at him for several moments, completely unmoving._

"_Didn't say anything about putting you to sleep…guess I should duel…" (Sloth: 4000)_

_Shiro grinned and pounded his fists together. "Alright! It's time for you and me to finish this thing! Let's go sleepyhead!" (Shiro: 4000)_

Sloth stared at Shiro, blinking every so often, his duel disk ready to go. Shiro's left eye twitched, waiting for a response. "What are you waiting for? And what are you looking at!"

"Weird hair…" The Sin drew five cards, not even registering how rapidly Shiro's eye was now twitching.

Shiro looked up at a stray strand of his hair and then shrugged. "What's weird about red and blue? I think it looks pretty good…"

Suddenly he remembered what he was doing and snatched a card off his deck. "If you won't go then I'll take this opportunity to act!"

He fanned out his hand and examined the contents, and then looked back up at Sloth. A voice flashed in his mind, harsh and confident_. "You idiot fool! Sooner or later you're going to have to face one of the Seven Sins, that's a certainty! You have a measure of power, and Saint has seen that, so you'll be forced to battle one. If you expect to duel one and survive you have to be at the peak of your game and mistakes cannot be made! As you are now, you're not ready. Especially not if an opponent like Nightmare appears to challenge you."_

'_No mistakes huh? Alright…so this guy uses an Ojama Deck so he'll need to gather the three Ojama brothers for his strategy to work. Now let's see what I've got…'_ He raised the cards in front of his face to give them another looked over.

'_Two monsters, three magic cards, and one trap. Alright, that's not bad at all. One continuous magic card, two normal, this'll do.'_ He grabbed one of the cards and slapped it down onto his duel disk. Immediately a biker appeared on his field, smirking at Sloth.

"Alright, so Action Warrior-Cyclist (1700/1300) is my first choice of monster. I'll follow that up by placing one card face down. And next I activate the continuous magic card Action Fourth Wall! This negates one attack on an Action Warrior per turn." He grinned and looked back at the three cards in his hand, consisting of one monster and two normal magic cards.

"It may be the first turn but that doesn't mean I can't hurt you. I activate the magic card Wave Shot! I send the top three cards of my deck to the cemetery to deal you one thousand points of damage!" A burst of green energy shot out of his card and slammed into Sloth's chest, forcing the duelist backwards. (Sloth: 3000)

Feeling better about his chances Shiro nodded to his opponent. "Alright Sloth, go ahead and take your turn."

Sloth drew and held up his magic card, depicting a stone well with a glowing blue liquid inside. "Magical Well adds one magic card to hand…can't be set or played this turn."

Shiro nodded. _'Okay, if I was running a deck then the obvious choice of card is Ojamagic. Which means he'll want to discard it.'_

The Sin took the card and lifted it to show Shiro along with another card he had. The new card showed a glowing red feather. "Activate magic card A Feather of a Phoenix. Discard one card to place card from grave on top of deck…"

Ojamagic was inserted into the graveyard and then a card shot out, which Sloth placed on top of his deck. "Effect of Ojamagic activates…I search my deck for Ojama Yellow, Green, and Black…and add to my hand."

The three freakish little monster cards popped out of Sloth's deck and he silently placed them into his hand. Shiro braced himself for whatever was about to come. _'With those three he can do just about everything with that deck. I've got to be careful.'_

Sloth slowly lifted his next card and Shiro blanched. "Ojama Get Ride activates. I send Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black to the grave. From deck I special summon in defense three level four or lower machine union monsters…."

Shiro's hands twitched but at the same time he couldn't help but grin with great expectation. "Here they come!"

"Special summon X-Head Cannon (1800/1000), Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600), and Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300) in defense. Now…activate special effect…" Shiro's grin broadened as the yellow tank flattened itself out and then the red mechanized dragon compacted itself to attach in the middle. Finally the blue cannon rested itself on top, creating one of the deadliest monsters in the entire game.

"By removing X, Y, and Z from the game I special summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2600)…summon in attack mode." Shiro smirked and slammed his right hand into his open left palm.

"Alright! Bring it on! You thought this sucker could take me out before and I'll show you just how bad I'll beat it down now! XYZ is going down!" Sloth stared at Shiro for a long moment, and then yawned very loudly.

Shiro grimaced but then shook the frustration as well. "Just remind yourself…he's Sloth, he's meant to be lazy. It isn't an insult, he's just lazy, he's just lazy, he's just lazy…"

"Activate special ability. Discard three cards from hand…destroy three cards on field…" The cannons on the union machine opened up on Shiro's three cards. He held up his arms as a series of explosions wiped his field clean. Not a single one of his cards managed to survive.

Sloth started to lift his hand to point at his machine monster, but stopped short and let his arm drop. "Card in grave activates…Ojamachine Boost. For every 'ojama' named monster in grave one machine on the field…gets four hundred points."

XYZ-Dragon Cannon steamed and smoked as its attack power shot straight up to four thousand. Shiro whistled, not quite sure he believed what he was seeing. "That's pretty darned impressive. That's a one turn kill technique right there!"

The Sin rubbed at the corner of his left eye. "XYZ-Dragon Cannon attacks directly…I suppose."

Instantly a huge wave of cannon fire erupted from the front of the mechanized monstrosity. It surged out and washed over Shiro, covering him from view. Sloth yawned and rubbed at the right eye. "Guess it's over…"

"Ha! I'm not finished quite so easily you lazy jerk! I survived the same way I planned to in our last duel!" The smoke cleared, revealing Shiro standing proudly in the same spot, fists on his hips and grinning. (Shiro: 4000)

Pulling his left hand away from his hip he tapped it against the side of his head, his grin nearly splitting his face in half. "See, when you attacked I was able to activate the effect of Action Warrior-Kuriboh (300/200). By shuffling it and one other card in my hand back into my deck I can reduce all life point damage from battle I would take in one turn. So your one turn kill was nullified!"

Sloth sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "How troublesome…"

Shiro smirked and reached for his deck. "You want troublesome? Well the second card I shuffled into my deck was called Repayment of Recycling! And when that card is shuffled into my deck afterwards I get to draw two cards."

He snagged two cards off his deck, giving him a hand advantage over Sloth. "And since you managed to burn your entire hand for little to no effect I guess it's my turn to take up the slack. So here I go, draw!"

One glance at the card he had drawn had Shiro doing a jig. "Alright Sloth I'm going to take this entire duel by storm! You've got your one turn kill and I'm about to show off my one card upset!"

He tossed the newly drawn card out onto his duel disk. "Here comes one card that is going to instantly undo all of your hard work! Let's give a warm round of applause, or in your case at least stare blankly, for Action Warrior-Knife Flinger (1300/1600)!"

The leather clad action warrior smirked at Sloth and crossed both arms over his chest. Clutched between each finger was a knife. "Have it him Knife Flinger! Take out XYZ-Dragon Cannon with your special effect!"

Knife Flinger swung his arms out, releasing all six of his knives. They flew true and struck XYZ-Dragon Cannon. Instead of bouncing off the metal frame like knives should have they punched straight through. The mechanized beast smoked for a moment before exploding, raining shrapnel down on the field. "And Sloth, here's the kill!"

Shiro grinned and punched out with his right arm, finger pointing at Sloth. "Okay Knife Flinger, give him hell! Direct attack!"

Knife Flinger reached into his jacket and pulled out another handful of knives. He jumped into the air and then threw them. Sloth stumbled as the knives hit him, cutting a hunk out of his life points. "Alright Knife Flinger, nice shot!" (Sloth: 1700)

Shiro gave his monster a thumbs up, and the monster returned it, smirking as broadly as Shiro was. "I'll call it a turn right there Sloth. Of course that's after I toss this card down on the field."

Sloth yawned and pulled a card off his deck. "Activated magic card Pot of Greed…draw two cards…"

Even though the Sin was getting a chance to recover his hand Shiro didn't seem worried. _'So far I'm doing great and the duel is fun. He burned his hand way too fast for nothing, so I've got a good start. Of course I can't get too overconfident, even though I'm kicking serious butt!'_

The grinning Ra Yellow was interrupted from his thoughts when Sloth activates his next card. "Ojamandala costs one thousand life points…it special summons Ojama Yellow (0/1000), Ojama Green (0/1000), and Ojama Black (0/1000) from the grave." (Sloth: 700)

The three oddball monsters appeared on the field crouching down. The yellow one twisted its eye stalks around, look at its two siblings. _"I'm having the strangest sense of déjà vu brothers! Didn't we fight this guy already?"_

The tubby black one scratched its head, staring at Shiro. _"You're right brother, we did! And I bet we'll beat him up good with big brother directing us!"_

The muscular green one with the crazy tongue hopped up and down. _"With big brother leading us we can do anything! Hurrah for the Ojama Brothers!"_

Shiro's left eye twitched and he raised his arm, pointing at the annoying trio. "Attention three weirdoes! Any more talking will be responded to with full force! I'll make sure you each take a nifty knife from my buddy here!"

All three of them yelped and huddled together, shivering in fear. Sloth yawned, not seeming to have noticed any of it at all. "One card face down…end…"

Shiro snatched another card off his deck and slapped it directly next to his Knife Flinger. "Introducing the next member of my action packed team, Action Warrior-Katana Master (1400/1000)! And guess what? He can attack twice in one turn, so all three of you oddballs are finished!"

The samurai unsheathed his katana and pointed it at the three freaks, which shrieked and started sobbing. Knife Flinger pulled out a handful of knives in readiness. "Alright you two, take those three down!"

Knife Flinger punched Ojama Black full of holes whilst Katana Master dispatched Yellow and Green with a one stroke of his sword each. All three of them exploded into pixels. "Ha! Continued lead for me!"

He blanched when Sloth's face down card flipped. "Ojama Delta Brief…this trap activates when all three brothers destroyed in one turn…special summon all back to field…"

Rolling his eyes at the sight of the three monsters Shiro took another glance at the card in his hand and then nodded. "Alright, I'm going to end my turn there."

Sloth drew and stared at his card. Then he held it up and a vortex formed on his field. "Polymerization…fuse together three Ojamas into Ojama King (0/3000)."

In place of three loser monsters what Sloth now had was a giant obese white monster with a crown upon his head. _"The king has entered the duel! Let's get ready to rumble!"_

Shiro sighed. "Look…making fun of Harrison was one thing but the dumb slogans kind of get on people's nerves. Can't you cut it out?"

Ojama King stared at Shiro in surprise, but before he could think of a response Sloth was already placing a card into his hand. "Since Ojama King was summoned I can add this card to hand…Change! Mecha Ojama King! Sacrifice Ojama King…special summon Mecha Ojama King (0/3000) in defense mode…"

Ojama King flew straight into the air, getting lost in the dark ceiling of the cave. When he came back down he looked much the same, only now his body was made out of angular plates of metal rather than curved white flesh. "I remember this guy…he summons those annoying little guys."

Mecha Ojama King's mouth opened and a mechanical version of Ojama Yellow hopped out. "Once per turn I can special summon one 'Ojamachine' from my deck. Special summon Ojamachine Yellow (0/1000)."

Ojamachine Yellow opened its mouth and out hopped another Ojamachine Yellow. This process repeated twice more until there were four of them on the field. "When a Ojamachine Yellow is summoned it creates an identical token…token has its effect."

Shiro nodded sagely, his arms folded across his chest. "Yeah, I remember that pretty well. And I can see where this is going. But I say bring it on!"

"Ojamachine Yellow and tokens…attack Katana Master." All four of them moved like frogs across the field towards the samurai. With the grace that only a sword master could show Katana Master glided in between all four and slashed them into pieces.

"When Ojamachine Yellow is destroyed in battle…all life point damage is zero. You take three hundred effect damage for each…" Shiro grimaced even though he had seen it coming. It was still a hefty chunk. (Shiro: 2800)

The prankster sighed as he looked at his life points. "There go my thoughts of winning with full points. But hey! The duel wouldn't be as exciting if you didn't at least hurt me once, right?"

Since Sloth had no other cards to play he just stared at Shiro. "Oh, right, lazy. Fine, I draw then!"

Shiro immediately smirked at the sight of his card. "Perfect! Time for me to take one of my newest cards for a test drive! Field magic card activates, Reload World here we come!"

There were no physical changes present from the activation of the field card, but Shiro was still happy. "Let me show you an example of the power of this field card. Once per turn either of us can shuffle our entire hand back into our deck and draw one of equal size. So I'm going to do that."

He shuffled his one card into his deck and then drew a new one. "Of course there's one downside to that. Whenever either of us uses that effect we take one hundred damage per card we shuffled in." (Shiro: 2700)

One look at his drawn card had him grinning. "That's just great! I activate the magic card Grave Life, which lets me send five monsters from my deck to my grave in order to gain two thousand life points." (Shiro: 4700)

Shiro grinned and thumbed at his chest. "People tend to think I'm dumb but I'm smarter than they give me credit for. As an example I'll show you that I can think ahead. See, next turn you could summon more Ojamachines and suicide them into my monsters for your advantage. But that's impossible if I do what I did last duel and switch both my monsters into defense mode!"

Each of his monsters dropped into a crouch, preventing Sloth from doing as Shiro had suggested. "Of course since I'm left with no new cards to play I'll just make that the end of my turn."

Sloth held up his card without blinking. "Miracle Trio activates. I choose one card in my grave, pay half my life points…" A card popped out of Sloth's graveyard as his life points began to drift downwards. (Sloth: 350)

"Now I add two cards from deck to hand with effects related to chosen card. I chose Pot of Greed…" Another two cards exited his deck and Shiro gulped, realizing that things might just get bad in a few seconds.

"Activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Research on the Pot of Greed lets me draw two when used the same turn…" He drew four new cards. But once he had them squared away he reached for the third of the cards he had gotten from his Miracle Trio card.

"Perfection of the Pot of Greed. If Pot in grave, increases draw by one. If Research is, also one. For each played the same turn, another one. So I draw five cards…" Shiro snapped his fingers in frustration as Sloth recovered completely from being stuck top decking. Instead he was now way up at nine cards.

Sloth slid one of his nine new cards into his duel disk. "Activate Ojama Beacon. Add Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black from graveyard into hand."

Shiro twitched as a thought reached his mind. _'Wait a second…he couldn't possibly have another set of X, Y, and Z could he? At least not if I've figured him out right…'_

"Activate magic card Ojama Get Ride. Send Yellow, Green, and Black to the grave. Special summon three machine union monsters to the field…" Shiro narrowed his eyes when he saw the three monsters that appeared. They were mechanical insects, two beetles and one multi-legged spider.

"Summoned Beetron 1-Kabutop (1700/1400), Beetron 2-Kawagaturbo (1500/1800), and Beetron 3-Spider Base (1000/2000)." Shiro's eyes widened as he recognized the three monsters. And he knew exactly where he had seen them before.

"Using effect of Beetrons. Remove them from the game to special summon from fusion deck…Assault Cannon Beetle (2400/2800) in attack mode." The three machine union monsters combined together to created a semi-insectoid machine with a heavy horn-like cannon as the main feature. And there was a loading section at the top.

Sloth searched through his hand and took another card, playing it with that slow but sure pace he had used through the entire duel. "Wall Power gives me the defense of one monster on the field as life. I choose Mecha Ojama King…."

Shiro realized that all of his hard work was going down the toilet with that one card. _'Yet somehow I'm not disappointed. Instead I'm just excited that this duel is getting even more interesting!'_ (Sloth: 3350)

The Sin moved on to activating his next card, and Shiro readied himself in anticipation. "Magic card activates, Ojamandala. Special summon Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black from grave." (Sloth: 2350)

The prankster blinked with a sudden realization. _'I get it! That's why he hasn't used Mecha Ojama King's effect to summon another Ojamachine. He's going to use it in concert with Assault Cannon Beetle's effect!'_

"Activate special effect of Assault Cannon Beetle. Sacrifice monsters on field to deal eight hundred damage for each. Sacrificing Yellow, Green, and Black." The three brothers blinked and stared up at Sloth before jumping up into the cannon loader.

Yellow wailed as he was slammed into place like a bullet. _"Big brother is so cruel! But here I go!"_ (Shiro: 3900)

Shiro slid backwards from the force of the 'bullet' impact. The ojama made an effect shot. Ojama Black moved in next and cried oversized tears. _"Big brother, bring us back so we can help out some more! I lived so short a time!"_

Another shot hit Shiro in the chest and he dropped to one knee, his brow scrunching up in pain. "Dang those guys hit hard…" (Shiro: 3100)

Ojama Green was the last one in. _"What a terrible world we live in! Woe is me!" _

The blast hit Shiro just as he was standing and winced, smoke rising from his body. "I ache all over now…" (Shiro: 2300)

Sloth glanced at Mecha Ojama King which opened its mouth. "Special summon Ojamachine Green (0/1000). Use Ojamachine's summon effect to create a token…"

Within mere moments he had another set of three monsters. And if he fired them and hit with each shot he would be able to deal twenty-four hundred damage to Shiro's life points. _'He's got enough firepower to drop my life points to zero!'_

"Sacrifice Ojamachine Green." Shiro crossed his arms over his chest, taking the blow hard but managing to stay standing anyways. (Shiro: 1500)

"Sacrifice Ojamachine Green token." The next one nearly knocked Shiro off his feet. But he managed to dig his feet in to prevent from being blown backwards. (Shiro: 700)

"Final shot, sacrifice Ojamachine Green token." As soon as the third blast hit an explosion rocked Shiro's field and he dropped to his hands and knees, breathing hard. (Shiro: 1500)

Shiro raised his head and grinned at Sloth. "Sorry lazy dude, but when you sacrificed that last one I used Action Stunt-Overly Dramatic Death Scene to destroy my Knife Flinger and gain its defense as life points. Thanks Knife Flinger…"

Sloth stared at his field, looking back and forth between his two monsters. Shiro frowned. _'He could sacrifice Mecha Ojama King for another eight hundred damage, but since Assault Cannon Beetle can't tribute itself he'll just wait till next turn when he can summon more Ojamachines. That gives me at least an extra turn to prepare for his next attack.'_

To Shiro's surprise Sloth pointed at the crouching Katana Master and Assault Cannon Beetle's power began to rise. "Selecting Assault Cannon Beetle for Ojamachine Boost's effect. Assault Cannon Beetle gains twenty-four hundred points."

Assault Cannon Beetle rose to forty-eight hundred attack points from the six 'ojama' named monsters in Sloth's graveyard. "Assault Cannon Beetle attacks Katana Master."

This time the beetle fired its cannon without a special bullet. And the blast was just as effective, easily destroying Shiro's final line of defense in the form of his Katana Master. "Heh, nice shot lazy dude."

A single card appeared behind Assault Cannon Beetle, leaving Sloth with four cards in hand. "End turn…"

Shiro grinned and slashed a card off his deck. "Your counterattack was totally awesome! But let me tell you, my counter attack is going to be just as good! Check this out; I activate Reload World's effect!" (Shiro: 1400)

Once he had shuffled the one card into his deck he drew another card. Then he reached for his deck again. "Action Warrior-Kuriboh sent Repayment of Recycling back to my deck, but like any good recycling card it returned to me. And since I just shuffled it into my deck I draw two new cards!"

When he saw one of his drawn cards his grin nearly cracked his face apart. "Ha! That's just perfect. Now I can complete one of my favorite combos. I started this one in my last turn when I played Grave Life, but now it's finished when I play Jar of Avarice, shuffling those five monsters back into my deck to draw two cards!"

Laughing he flipped around one of his four cards. "I play Highly Demanded Sequel! Back by popular demand here's the one, the only, Action Warrior-Knife Flinger (1300/1600)!"

When the knife wielder flipped out onto the field he did a bow and then twirled a knife between his fingers. "And if your lazy brain had already forgotten my Knife Flinger can nuke any monster on your field when he's summoned. And just like your big old XYZ-Dragon Cannon your Assault Cannon Beetle is trashed!"

With a flick of his wrist Knife Flinger sent the single knife he was holding flying like a dart. It sliced through Assault Cannon Beetle like butter and blew it into tiny pieces. "But wait, there's more! For this one time only it's a two for one deal! Go Monster Swap!"

Knife Flinger's image flickered and then vanished. Shiro grinned and held up the card. "Monster Swap returns one monster on my field to my hand and then lets me special summon another one of equal or lesser level. This card is perfect for Knife Flinger since it lets him come back out to play one more time!"

He slapped Knife Flinger down onto his duel disk and the Action Warrior reappeared. Once again he hurled a barrage of knives only this time his target was Mecha Ojama King. _"The king can't go out like this! It isn't fair!"_

The mechanical king exploded, leaving Sloth's field totally empty. Shiro grinned like crazy and punched his right fist into the air. "This duel is so totally awesome! So far neither of us has really had the lead and it just keeps getting better and better!"

He thumbed his nose and smirked. "First you bring out that kickass combo and nuke my field. Then I break your beast down and start my counterattack. Then you took back control, and then I got it. Then came Assault Cannon Beetle and now I've beat him as well. This duel rocks hardcore!"

Shiro felt like he was practically vibrating with pent-up energy. "It doesn't matter that you're a lazy ass who barely talks. You're still an awesome duelist and your strategy kicks butt. So I can't help but have fun…even if I should be taking this seriously."

With one final laugh he pointed at Sloth's open field. "And here comes my newest counterstrike! Knife Flinger, attack him directly just like you did all those turns ago!"

Knife Flinger nodded and tossed a knife at Sloth's head. But before it hit a scream filled the air and three cards shot out of Sloth's grave. "Ojama Screaming Retreat…when attacked directly…lets me negate the attack and add Yellow, Green, and Black to my hand…"

Shiro grinned even more. "That's about what I figured. I knew you wouldn't take the hit, I knew you'd have a defense. That's what makes this duel so great!"

He slammed another card into his disk and a bright light flashed over the field. "Flash Bang will let me change the mode of one face-up or face-down monster on the field. So I'm switching Knife Flinger into defense mode."

When the light cleared Knife Flinger was back in defense mode like he had been in the previous turn. "Since just defense mode wouldn't be enough I'll throw in a little facedown action as well. Then I call it a turn."

Once Sloth had drawn Shiro smirked at the Sin. "Sloth…guess what? I've figured out what your secret is. The secret of your strategy and what makes you so tough. Without a shadow of a doubt the source of your strength…is who you've copied!"

Sloth made no response so Shiro continued. "Not only is your deck identical to that of a former World Class duelist named Manjyome Jun but your dueling style is the same as well. Every play you've made with this deck is exactly what he would have done."

"What really gave it away was when you summoned Ojama Yellow. I mean, sure it was just one monster and all three of the trio have the same attack and defense points. But Manjyome was known for always choosing Yellow when it came to a choice between the three Ojamas. Nobody ever knew why, but it was his choice and since you made the same choice I knew it had to be right as well." Still there was no response from Sloth except for a loud yawn.

"Since I can expect your dueling style to be exactly like his I know this duel is going to get tougher and tougher as it goes. No matter how hard I push you'll push back harder until one of us goes down. But you know what?" He paused and then his lips twitched up into a quirky smile.

"That's exactly why I'm gonna love this duel win or lose!"

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Author's Note: A surprise gift after my temporary hiatus.

_Next Time: As the chaos continues Frost is forced to confront the newly converted Midas in the first meeting of a True Sin and a True Virtue. Meanwhile Inferno takes the battle to Saint, who despite her powerful assaults merely smiles. Can Frost overcome Midas' new strategy, and can Inferno beat Saint's third Hero deck?_

_See it all in, Chaos in the Cave Pt.3; Beauty and Flame, Gold and Ice!_


	71. Chaos in the Cave Pt 3

Author's Note: Conflict time!

**Chapter Seventy-One: Chaos in the Cave Pt. 3; Beauty and Flame, Gold and Ice**

_Saint sighed and brushed the front of his suit. "It seems you and I are at an impasse. You cannot harm me and I refuse to harm you. Perhaps we should settle this in the more modern manner."_

_He reached into his coat and pulled out what looked like a cell phone. "Yes, perhaps the darkness is the best way to deal with this Miss Inferno. Do you accept?"_

_The moment the device touched his arm it quickly unfolded, turning into a small but portable duel disk. Inferno glared at him and then at her arm as a duel disk appeared. "Just like the darkness to accommodate its victims right? Fine Sempai! I accept your challenge! I've been aching to hurt you for quite some time now, and a Darkness Game is the perfect way!"_

_She pulled her deck out from within her blazer and slammed it home. At the same time Saint calmly inserted a deck into his pocket disk. "I haven't used this deck in quite some time; it should be interesting to dust the cobwebs off of it. I hope I provide sufficient challenge for you Miss Inferno." (SLP: 4000)_

_Inferno smirked as her disk unfolded, her life points ticking into place. "Don't worry Saint; no matter how good you are you can't possibly be a challenge for me! So just sit back and enjoy the flames!" (ILP: 4000)_

The red head fanned out her hand of five cards and smirked. "Alright Sempai, here we go! I activate the magic card Bone Burial! I can send up to five monsters from my deck to the grave in order to draw cards until I've drawn that many monsters. All other cards are shuffled back in."

With an even bigger smirk she shoved five monsters into her graveyard slot and began drawing. Saint smiled slightly. "It seems rather rush and slightly rude to toss aside your monsters such as that, but having seen your strategy I understand the basis for this move."

Inferno held up the five Infernos she had drawn and shoved the other cards back into her deck, shuffling it up as quickly as she could. "Well you'll wish my strategy wasn't like you just saw because I'm gonna use it to flash fry your creepy German ass!"

Two spaces on her field shimmered as she played new cards. "Go continuous magic cards Inferno Impact and Dimensional Wavelength! First, let's explain my dimension card."

She pointed to the card which showed a D.D. Warrior Lady on a warped background. "As long as this card is in play whenever a monster in my cemetery is removed from the game I can automatically return it to my cemetery. That gives me an infinite supply of removable pyro types."

Moving on she motioned to her Inferno Impact card, which depicted a fireball crashing into a city. "And Inferno Impact deals my opponent five hundred damage whenever I special summon a fire attribute or pyro sub-type monster. Guess what that means?"

Saint rubbed his chin carefully. "I do believe that means you're going to be inflicting a considerable amount of damage on me quite shortly."

Inferno chuckled and placed her five drawn monsters down one by one until they filled every space on her field. And one by one five living fireballs with blue eyes formed on her field. "You're damned right! And with the five Infernos (1100/1900) I just special summoned you take twenty-five hundred damage!"

Five fireballs shot out of her continuous magic card, but to her consternation they vanished in mid-air before striking Saint. "Damn…I was hoping to put some hurting on you but I guess I'll have to wait." (SLP: 1500)

Saint smiled even when she suddenly threw her head back and laughed. "Guess I really don't have to wait since I've got these two cards in my hand! First off is the magic card Hinotama! So taste five hundred points of burn damage!"

The blonde man tapped a finger against his lips as the fireball dissipated above his head before striking. "Yes, considering your temperament I'm certain that if it had struck it would have had a rather spicy taste to it. Rather befitting of a spitfire beauty such as yourself, don't you think?" (SLP: 1000)

"Heh, well sempai I've got another taste of that spice for you! Here comes Flames of Hatred, which is going to give you a blast of nine hundred damage!" A black flame shot out of her card, but just like the previous several blasts of fire it too vanished. Saint lowered his hands and smiled faintly. (SLP: 100)

"Truly that's quite an impressive move. If that final card in your hand is an effect damage card I won't be able to fight back at all. That's to be expected from a duelist of your caliber of course." Inferno growled, somehow irritated at how complimentary he was being. She wanted him to sling insults back, not be nice to her.

"Sempai…you're the most infuriatingly nice guy I've met. I just wanna beat it out of you until you crumble! But luckily for you I can't deal any more damage for this turn. So I'll just set a card and let you try and recover." The German smiled brightly and drew his card casually.

Saint looked down at his six cards. "This deck, it brings back such wonderful memories from my younger years. I consider it my most nostalgic deck, though of course each of my decks holds a form of nostalgia for me."

"Yeah…I really don't care." Instead of being offended like she had hoped Inferno merely offered her an award winning smile and continued talking.

"I remember watching various versions of the show that these cards originate from over the years. They ranged from childish to dramatic and everywhere in between. Yet always there were those elements that connected them that made it wonderful to watch. Yes, truly this deck brings back memories." He plucked one of the cards from his hand and held it up almost as if examining it.

"I activate Childhood Memories, which allows me to name one card and should I draw it within the next five turns I will gain a thousand life points. In addition I will be able to draw two more cards. Of course if it's a monster I'll be able to summon it without cost." He tapped his chin as if in deep thought and then smiled widely when he came to a decision.

"I believe I'll select Cybernetic Hero-Optimal Defender. That should be sufficient. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, shall I truly begin?" Inferno readied herself, feeling as if suddenly the weight of the duel was shifting entirely towards Saint.

'_This damned calm he's showing is irking the hell out of me. It's like nothing can shake him or even touch him in this duel. But I've already got him down to a hundred life points, how could he make a come-back?'_ Saint took another card from his hand and placed it carefully down onto his pocket disk.

A space amongst his monster zones glowed and then a monster unlike any Inferno had ever seen appeared. It was a humanoid figure, except its face and body was metallic and angular. Its body was a green and black color and it had what looked like a high-tech cannon attached to its arm. "This is Cybernetic Hero-Cannoneer (1200/1000). Although he appears weak, don't take him all in at first glance. There's more to this hero than meets the eye."

He gestured to his monster and it jumped into the air, its body shifting. It twisted, parts detaching and then reconnecting. Inferno watched, awed, as it reformed into the shape of a cannon that latched itself onto the floor. "What…what the heck was that?"

Saint laughed gently. "That? That was Cannoneer's special ability, one shared with all other Cybernetic Heroes. You see, once per turn a Cybernetic Hero can change from 'warrior mode' to 'machine mode' or the opposite. This is Cannoneer's Cannon Mode (600/500)."

Inferno growled. "What the heck's the point of that? It's weaker than it was before. At least before it could have beaten one of my Infernos in battle, but now it doesn't stand a chance!"

"Yes, you are correct Miss Inferno. However, as you should well know there's more to a monster than attack points. In Cannon Mode's case he can deal you his attack as damage once per turn. So please, make ample preparations as Cannon Mode is firing now." Inferno's eyes widened as a blast of purple energy erupted from the tip of the cannon. She thrust one hand, using a blast of fire to shield herself. (ILP: 3400)

"You really think you can fight fire with fire? Well that's fine with me; nobody beats me when it comes to being a pyro!" Saint plucked another card free from his hand, now featuring a smile that seemed somewhat amused.

"I wouldn't dream of being your superior in the art of running a burn strategy. After all, hero decks are rather silly if you consider it. Still, I make do with my area of expertise. For the time being I'll simply place two cards face down. The turn is yours Miss Inferno." The red head eyed him for a second, but then drew harshly.

She saw her card and immediately snapped it up and out. "Let's widen the gap between our life points even more! I play Inferno Panacea, letting me gain the total attack or defense points of all monsters on my field named 'Inferno'. So I gain nineteen hundred points five times!" (ILP: 12900)

Saint whistled, his blue eyes sparkling. "Impressive to see your life points rise to such a level with only one card. At this pace my measly Cannon Mode could hardly hope to put a dent in your life points."

"Yeah and that's the way it should be sempai. And since you were nice enough to weaken your stupid hero I'll take it out with one of my Inferno! Blast it now!" The living flame shot itself towards Cannon Mode and Saint gestured vaguely towards his face down card on the right.

The fire hit a ripple in existence and faded out. "The quick-play magic card Weakening of Attack negates your attack and ends the battle phase. Simply think of it as a quick-play version of Negate Attack, that's all."

Inferno snarled and realized that she couldn't do anything at all this turn. "Whatever, sooner or late I'll get you. One hundred life points won't even begin to save you! So I'll just end my turn for now."

He drew once again and placed the card onto his duel disk. "I believe I'll begin by summoning Cybernetic Hero-Roll Out (1400/1200). Next I'll activate the continuous magic card Transformation Energy."

Both of his monsters briefly glowed. "As long as this card is in play whenever a Cybernetic Hero transforms itself I shall gain five hundred life points. And to begin that trend I will transform Roll Out into Bulldozer Mode (2600/0)." (SLP: 600)

Roll Out warped its body, turning into a giant bulldozer. Then Saint smiled as his pointed to Cannon Mode. "Cannon Mode will continue its assault by dealing you an additional instance of damage."

Once more Inferno thrust out her hand and exerted her will to combat Cannon Mode's attack with one of her own. "You can't hurt me that way, and like you said it won't even dent my life points. (ILP: 12300)

"Yes, perhaps that's the case but I would be foolish not to try. Now I will enter my battle phase and have Bulldozer Mode attack an Inferno." It trundled across the field and plowed into one of the pyro monsters, blasting it to pieces. (ILP: 10800)

Inferno smirked and pointed to her face down card. "That attack was the perfect trigger for my Backfire card! And whenever you destroy a fire monster in battle Backfire deals you five hundred damage." (SLP: 100)

Saint nodded quietly. "I see, very well. After Bulldozer Mode attacks it switches into defense mode for the next two turns. This applies to whichever mode it happens to be in of course."

He pointed to Cannon Mode which released its clamps and transformed itself back into its robotic humanoid mode. "And since I transformed Cannon Mode back into Cannoneer I gain five hundred life points." (SLP: 600)

Cannoneer raised his right arm and aimed the cannon on it at Inferno. "Once per turn Cannoneer may deal you one hundred points of damage per monster on your field, increasing my life points by an equal amount."

The mechanical hero fired a volley of four shots and Inferno blocked all four of them. After doing so she paused to consider the move. "Hah, you could have just done that in your first main phase and done more damage. That was pretty dumb." (ILP: 10400)

Saint smiled in response. "Actually Cannoneer has a slightly different effect if you have five monsters on the field, and I felt that this was sufficient. It was a matter of choice." (SLP: 1000)

"You'll regret it pretty soon, I can guarantee that. So are you ready for me to take my turn?" Saint inclined his head and Inferno didn't waste a moment in reaching for her deck to draw.

Inferno laughed and slapped her newly drawn card down. "I remove an Inferno in the grave and then return it so I can special summon another Inferno! And since I just special summoned it you take five hundred damage!" (SLP: 500)

"And guess what? Since your Bulldozer Mode has zero defense points that makes it easy prey for an Inferno! Take it out!" The flames streaked from her monster and speared into Bulldozer Mode, melting it down to a hunk of steel.

"Since an Inferno destroyed one of your monsters and sent it to the cemetery you take fifteen hundred damage! This is the end!" Flames erupted all around Saint, concealing him from view.

Inferno's elation died down when she saw Saint through the flames, brushing his Italian suit off. "Actually it isn't quite yet. You see, when you destroyed Bulldozer Mode I simply activated Option Hunter in order to gain his attack as life points before I received the damage." (SLP: 1600)

She grimaced and looked over at Cannoneer, whose attack strength was one hundred points too high for her to defeat. "Fine, I end my turn!"

He drew and smiled faintly, holding the card up. "It seems rather awkward for me to do so; however I'll play Pot of Greed. Despite my own…proclivities...I find this card too useful to avoid playing."

Two more cards were pulled from his deck and he examined them carefully. "Hmmm…perhaps I should use Cannoneer's effect. When you have five monsters on the field I can deal you one thousand points of damage, although I gain no life points."

Inferno was caught off guard when Saint's monster fired one huge blast from his cannon arm, rather than the series of smaller ones. She was barely able to fend it off in time with her flame to protect herself. "Damn…that was close." (ILP: 9400)

Saint pointed at the monster and once again it transformed into Cannon Mode. "I believe not only do I gain five hundred life points but I can now use Cannon Mode's effect to deal you six hundred damage." (SLP: 2100)

This time Inferno was prepared for it and was easily able to block the attack. "You'll have to do better than that to beat me. I've still got plenty of life points left!" (ILP: 8800)

The German duelist gently placed another card onto his disk. The newest monster that was summoned was taller than Cannoneer and had a red body with a yellow pattern on its chest. "This is Cybernetic Warrior-Hot Rod (1700/1500). Of course I'll be switching him into Roadster Mode (1300/1500) now." (SLP: 2600)

It quickly transformed from its humanoid mode into the shape of a sleek sports car which began to rev its engine. "In Roadster Mode Hot Rod can attack twice during the battle phase. So while it may cost me some life points I believe I'll attack twice and destroy two Infernos."

It roared across the field and plowed through two of Inferno's monsters, leaving her with just three. And when Backfire launched its assault Saint merely smiled and let the blasts vanish. "That still leaves me with a decent number of life points." (ILP: 8400) (SLP: 1600)

Taking the other card he had drawn with Pot of Greed he continued. "It might be presumptuous of me, but I believe I'll assist us both by activating Rain of Mercy. That increases our life points by one thousand each." (ILP: 9400) (SLP: 2600)

With a slight nod to Inferno he acquiesced his turn. "Please Miss Inferno; I'm finished for the moment."

She slashed a card off her deck. Once she had registered what it was she pointed at Cannon Mode. "Inferno, take out that pain in the ass! Burn it to ash!"

Saint sighed slightly as the flames turned his hero into slag. "Truly it's a pity. And I suppose I received damage now?" (SLP: 2100)

"That's right! Take those fifteen hundred points of damage like a man! Enjoy the heat!" Once more he was surrounded by flames, the difference being that now Inferno knew he had no way of getting out of the damage. Of course just as before he was physically unharmed. (SLP: 600)

A card appeared behind the middle Inferno. "Since I can't beat Roadster Mode in battle yet I'll just set this card face down and end my turn."

Saint drew and a wistful look appeared on his face. "Ah…yes so many beautiful memories. Miss Inferno, did you know that I once met a talented young lady with a talent much like yours?"

Inferno's eyes widened, but then she shook herself and scowled at him. "So what? Nobody can come close to my power!"

He smiled in return. "Perhaps. She wasn't a beauty such as you, but Mariah was still quite the spitfire. Her hair was dark, her skin tan, and her eyes such a beautiful blue. Like you she held a great affinity with fire, but she was often angry because of it."

He shook his head sadly and Inferno was surprised to see a single tear in each eye. "It was truly a pity to see what she was becoming. Perhaps it is simply the chaotic nature of fire that causes it. After all, you've felt it to have you not?"

Inferno raised an eyebrow, not following. "What the hell are you talking about you whack job?"

His smile this time seemed somehow apologetic, which didn't make any sense to Inferno. "The Corruption of course. Slowly but surely you're losing your grip on yourself, until sooner or later, just like Mariah, you will become an Atrocity."

With a roar of rage Inferno sent a huge wall of flame streaking towards Saint. With a shake of his head Saint allowed the flame to strike whatever strange barrier surrounded him, vanishing into thin air. "Attempting to deny it accomplishes nothing. But fear not…I know the darkness is creeping into your veins. But I can help."

The fire faded and Inferno stared at him with wide eyes. "What are you talking about? Help me…I don't know what you mean."

Saint gave her a gentle and warm smile. "I have the power to purify you, to cast out the darkness from within you by touching you with the light. All you have to do is accept my offer and I can prevent you from ever becoming a monster like those others."

With those words Inferno shook herself back to reality and glared at him with fury in her eyes. "You shut the hell up! I'm not like them; I'm not going to become an Atrocity! And I'm not going to lose to you! So shut up and get on with the duel."

Her opponent nodded, though he still had that sad look in his eyes. "Yes, I suppose I must continue. Perhaps before this duel is over you will accept my offer. Only time will tell dear Miss Inferno. Only time will tell."

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_Midas couldn't help but smirk as from his vantage point he saw the darkness spring up around Saint and Inferno. "You said to think a step ahead of your opponent right? Well I've seen a step ahead and I know that you won't actually freeze me since it would kill me. Since I'm willing but unable to kill you, but you're able but unwilling to me I guess those two provided the solution."_

_Frost narrowed her eyes at the back of his head. "Are you suggesting a Darkness Game as the solution to our conflict?"_

_He nodded, and she released his neck. "Very well, I accept your challenge Sir Midas. Understand though that I will not play politely. I will be playing for victory, not for excitement." (FLP: 4000)_

_Midas nodded and backed away, putting space between them so the duel could begin. He lifted up the duel disk on his arm, deck in place. "I wouldn't have it any other way since I'll be playing like that as well! For Saint I'll put you in your place!" (MLP: 4000)_

Each of them drew five cards and examined them carefully. Then Midas placed two fingers on the top of his deck. "If you don't mind I'll be taking the first turn!"

Frost didn't respond, she merely watched his eyes. _'He seemed excited with his hand. His decision to take the first turn was certainly based on a move that takes advantage of being undertaken before I can prepare defenses.'_

Even when Midas slipped his drawn card into the others Frost didn't stop watching him. _'He bares little to no interest in the rest of his hand. Instead his focus remains on the card at the far left of his hand. Therefore he intends to grab victory with that one card.'_

She mentally calculated the possibilities and then sighed. _'Very well, if I assume his strategy is to take advantage of my current vulnerability and it involves one card there is one simple conclusion. He intends to create a one turn kill.'_

Midas grabbed the card on the far left of his hand and held it up in the air. "From my hand I activate the magic card Broken Relics of Past Ages! This card allows me to discard any number of cards from my hand to add an equal number of magic cards from my deck to my hand."

With little care he took three of the cards in his hand and slipped them into his discard pile. "Since I've discarded three cards I get three magic cards. Also, the chosen cards cannot be set or activated for a number of turns equal to the number I searched for. So I can't play them for three turns."

Frost nodded, and Midas searched through his deck looking for the cards he wanted. Her eyes scanned his deck as she searched. _'Eighty-one. Which means his full deck consists of eighty-seven cards. When he has finished searching his deck will contain seventy-eight cards.'_

Although she had never seen him duel she could surmise what sort of strategy he might possess. _'If he has a large deck his strategy most likely involves considerable card drawing. It would be logical to assume that his strategy involves Muka Muka and its more powerful form. However…he seems uninterested in that at the moment.'_

Chuckling happily Midas found the cards he was looking for and placed them into his hand. Then he shuffled his deck back together and placed it into the deck holder. "Alright, I've found the cards I wanted. And here they are!"

He fanned them out for her to see. "Soul of Sin-Greed, Body of Sin-Greed, and Heart of Sin-Greed! The three key cards of sin that are given to each of Saint Beatrix's duelists. And they form quite the cornerstone of my strategy."

Seconds later he snapped the cards together so they appeared to be just one card. "Luckily for you I can't play them for three turns. Of course this time my strategy is going to be considerable different. See, the soul, body, and heart are the three parts that make up a sin. So let me show you what they can do together!"

Midas shoved the cards into his graveyard and the ground around him began to rumble. "By either negating all three's effects while in the graveyard or discarding all three from my hand I can special summon this monster from my fusion deck!"

A giant statue erupted from the golden ground. It too was golden, and depicted a kingly man holding a sword against his wrist. "Witness the birth of Embodiment of Sin-Greed (0/4000)!"

Frost didn't even look at the statue. Instead she continued her focus on her opponent. _'This is what he intends to use to defeat me. With the way he holds those cards in his hand they can do nothing when Greed is brought forth. Perhaps it has a summon effect that affects the cards in his hand.'_

"When Embodiment of Sin-Greed is summoned to the field I have to remove my hand and my deck from the game. Of course in order to avoid nearly immediate deck out I get to remove my draw phase for as long as he's on the field as well." He grabbed the two cards in his hand and the huge chunk of cards from his deck and shoved them into his white jacket. That left his deck tray completely empty.

Midas chuckled and pointed at Frost, looking completely satisfied. "This is the end Frost! Once per turn Embodiment of Sin-Greed lets me gain one hundred life points per card in my removed from play pile. That means I gain eight thousand life points!"

Golden light flowed from the statue and surrounded Midas, infusing him with a huge amount of life points. _'With the two cards from his hand and the seventy-eight from his deck it makes eighty. If he intends a one turn kill then its next ability is obvious.' _(MLP: 12000)

The True Virtue now snapped his fingers together and Embodiment of Sin-Greed began to glow red instead of the previous gold. "And once per turn it lets me deal you fifty life points of damage per card in my removed from play pile. I bet your math is good enough to tell you that eighty times fifty equals four thousand! So say farewell Frost!"

The red glow now surrounded Frost and she closed her eyes as it began to burn at her flesh. Midas shook his head. "It's a pity we couldn't have had a real duel, but I had to help Saint. Like I said, no dueling politely since its all about the win."

Frost nodded lightly. "Yes, I understand you perfectly. However, perhaps you should ascertain your opponent's actual defeat before making such a declaration Sir Midas." (FLP: 800)

His eyes widened in surprise. "What was that? How in the world did you survive that damage? You should have been defeated."

She held up two cards, one trap and one monster, as if they explained everything. "Existing in my deck is a card called Tactical Advantage. It allows me to pay half of my life points to activate any cards in my hand during your turn for the duration of the turn."

Once she finished saying that she placed the two cards into her graveyard. "To put it simply when I would have received damage I activate the trap card Shield of the Ice Goddess, which allows me to send one water attribute monster from my deck to the cemetery. After that the damage I would receive is reduced by the attack or defense power of my discarded monster."

Midas ground his teeth together, seeing exactly what had happened now. "So you paid two thousand life points and then sent a monster to the grave that had either twenty-eight hundred attack or defense points to reduce the damage to twelve hundred."

"That is correct Sir Midas. To be more specific I discarded Pillar of Ice (0/2800) to the cemetery. Now, perhaps in response to your attempt at a one turn kill I should begin my countermeasures." Midas suddenly felt as if he were staring at a towering monster rather than a petite girl with blue hair.

"From my hand I activate the magic card Shards of Winter. This card allows me to send one water attribute monster from my deck to the cemetery in order to deal my opponent one hundred points of damage for each level. I have selected Blue Ice White Night Dragon (3000/2500) which is a level eight monster." She held up her right hand, palm open and blue on it. Shards of ice shot out, slashing shallow cuts all over Midas' skin. (MLP: 11200)

Frost then reached for another card in her hand and slid it into the cemetery. "At this time I discard Mistress of Winter (0/2000) from my hand. When discarded in this manner Mistress of Winter allows me to select one card in my cemetery that contains any of the words listed in its effect. 'Winter' is one of the listed words, therefore I add 'Shards of Winter' to my hand."

Midas' eyes widened as she picked up the magic card from the graveyard. Then she slid a different card into her duel disk. "When a monster goes to my cemetery I may activate the continuous trap card Cycle of Seasons. This allows me to pick up any monster that goes to the cemetery through magic, trap, or monster effect."

Mistress of Winter was removed from her cemetery and added back to her hand. Midas took a step back, his eyes wide. "You…this can't possibly be!"

"Perhaps you now understand. When I play Shards of Winter I may send one monster from my deck to the cemetery to deal you damage. Subsequently I may discard Mistress of Winter to return it to my hand. Following that Cycle of Seasons will return Mistress of Winter to my hand. You see Sir Midas? Winter's icy grip is clutching you now." She held up Shards of Winter and blew icicles from her hand, slicing him even more. (MLP: 10500)

A rapid series of ice shards tattered his flesh, leaving him on his knees, breathing heavily as blood dripped from numerous shallow wounds. "But…with my life points as they are…you don't have enough monsters." (MLP: 4300)

"You are correct Sir Midas, which is why I will now activate the magic card Winter Comes Again. This card allows me to shuffle all water attribute and all aqua sub-type monsters from my cemetery back into my deck." Midas laughed weakly, realizing that it was over.

Frost raised her hand up to her lips and blew, sending flurry after flurry of icicles flying at Midas. He was peppered by them, but still he didn't fight it. "Sir Midas, at this juncture you certainly should understand that I will win this duel. Surrendering would be the wisest choice."

"Don't be stupid…I won't surrender, I won't betray Saint like that!" Frost sighed and continued her bombardment. Midas shuddered and when it finally stopped he dropped face first against the golden floor. Blood pooled around him from the numerous cuts on his flesh. (MLP: 0)

The True Sin sighed as her duel disk shut down. "Such unnecessary violence. This would not have been necessary had you not attempted a one turn kill against me. Had you not I simply would have dueled somewhat kindly. Instead I was forced to take these actions. That was what they call a zero turn kill I believe."

She turned and walked away as the darkness faded around them. "For your foolishness I leave you with this Penalty Game. All of your powers shall be stripped from you, leaving you as a normal human being."

All the gold that had formed shattered, sending golden flecks flying through the air. Then they began to drift back towards the ground like millions of miniscule flower petals. It was a beautifully surreal scene yet Frost simply walked away. "Gold and winter…they do not mix Sir Midas. Farewell."

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Author's Note: Here we go!

_Next Time: Everything boils down to this point as the respective battles ascend to their climaxes. Any conclusion would seem to bring disaster to one side or the other. And even if Saint is pushed back two Sins are still at his beck and call. Is there any way to protect Paradise, or will her power come into Saint's hands?_

_See it all in, Chaos in the Cave Pt.4; Protect Paradise!_


	72. Chaos in the Cave Pt 4

Author's Note: Conflict conclusion time!

**Chapter Seventy-Two: Chaos in the Cave Pt. 4; Protect Paradise!**

_Inferno raised an eyebrow, not following. "What the hell are you talking about you whack job?"_

_His smile this time seemed somehow apologetic, which didn't make any sense to Inferno. "The Corruption of course. Slowly but surely you're losing your grip on yourself, until sooner or later, just like Mariah, you will become an Atrocity."_

_With a roar of rage Inferno sent a huge wall of flame streaking towards Saint. With a shake of his head Saint allowed the flame to strike whatever strange barrier surrounded him, vanishing into thin air. "Attempting to deny it accomplishes nothing. But fear not…I know the darkness is creeping into your veins. But I can help."_

_The fire faded and Inferno stared at him with wide eyes. "What are you talking about? Help me…I don't know what you mean."_

_Saint gave her a gentle and warm smile. "I have the power to purify you, to cast out the darkness from within you by touching you with the light. All you have to do is accept my offer and I can prevent you from ever becoming a monster like those others."_

_With those words Inferno shook herself back to reality and glared at him with fury in her eyes. "You shut the hell up! I'm not like them; I'm not going to become an Atrocity! And I'm not going to lose to you! So shut up and get on with the duel."_

_Her opponent nodded, though he still had that sad look in his eyes. "Yes, I suppose I must continue. Perhaps before this duel is over you will accept my offer. Only time will tell dear Miss Inferno. Only time will tell."_

Smiling he held up his drawn card. "I've drawn Optimal Defender, so at this time the effect of Childhood Memories activates. I draw two additional cards and gain one thousand life points." (SLP: 1600)

Once he slid two more cards off his deck he placed his new card down next to Roadster Mode. "Since he is a monster Childhood Memories now special summon Cybernetic Hero-Optimal Defender (2800/2500) to the field."

His newest monster stepped out onto the field. It was the tallest Cybernetic Hero so far. Its chest was a square shape and a bright red color. Its face, legs, and arms were all blue. Its eyes glowed as it activated, ready for battle.

Selecting another card from his hand he held it out, aiming it at Inferno's face down card. "I activate the magic card Cyclone, which will destroy your face down card."

Inferno grimaced as a trap card called 'Flames of Balance' was blown away. "Now I equip Optimal Defender with the equip card Energon Rifle. This equip card grants any Cybernetic Hero an additional three hundred attack points and one additional attack during the battle phase."

A black rifle with no visible clip formed in Optimal Defender's hands, raising his attack points to thirty-one hundred. "Now I believe Roadster Mode will attack two of your Infernos."

The True Sin gritted her teeth hard as the monster plowed through two of her three monsters. "Still…you take a thousand damage." (ILP: 9000)

Saint shrugged as the fire evaporated in front of him. "True, but fire is merely the price of reaching the necessary destination." (SLP: 600)

He glanced up at Optimal Defender. "Optimal Defender, if you would, attack her final Inferno."

The robot nodded and opened fire with his rifle, sending purple bolts of energy streaking across the field. They punched dozens of holes in the final Inferno tearing it apart. "Five hundred damage is well worth that." (SLP: 100) (ILP: 7000)

Inferno gulped as she saw exactly what was about to happen. _'Damn it…and I'm top decking! How did this happen?'_

Saint smiled and gave another brief nod to his powerful monster. "Optimal Defender, attack her directly please."

She was so worried that she completely forgot to bring up her flames in time and the bolts of energy hit her in the chest, shoulders, and legs. With a grimace she barely caught herself before she fell. "Sempai…I'm gonna kick your ass for that." (ILP: 3900)

The last card in his hand appeared face down on his field. "Please, take your turn Miss Inferno. I'd like to continue."

"Just watch as I burn you down sempai! My turn, my draw!" She pulled the card off her deck and smirked darkly at the sight.

"It's all over sempai! I remove an Inferno from the cemetery to special summon Inferno (1100/1900) from my hand! And Inferno Impact will end this duel!" The living fireball shrieked and spat out a blue ball of flame. But to Inferno's surprise the fireball puffed out of existence and light descended from the sky, piercing through her monster.

"What the heck is going on? What have you done?" Saint smiled and motioned to his card that had been previously face down. Her eyes widened as she recognized the familiar image of a horn with wings on it.

"My trap card Horn of Heaven allows me to sacrifice one monster on my field to negate your summon. So I simply offered Hot Rod in order to negate the summoning of Inferno. Since it wasn't summoned I took no damage." Inferno gulped and realized exactly what that meant. Since it had been her only card she was now…utterly defenseless.

Saint smiled and drew, but barely made note of his drawn card. "It would be crude of me to use more force than is necessary. So I believe I'll attack you directly with Optimal Defender twice in order to end this duel."

Optimal Defender began to fire and Inferno didn't even bother to defend herself. Instead she simply let the energy bolts pound against her flesh, driving her to her knees. She slammed a hand into the ground, blasting a hunk of rock out with the flames. "Damn it! How could I lose to you?" (ILP: 0)

The German approached her and knelt down, cupping her face with one hand. "Dear Miss Inferno you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It was simply luck on my part that I managed to win. After all, you've had the lead the whole duel haven't you? I simply had better luck with drawing Optimal Defender."

She snarled and thrust one hand out, blasting him with fire. But as before he seemed unaffected, the fire not even touching him. "Damn you! I just want to hurt you once!"

Saint sighed and stood, turning away from her. "I'm afraid that's a request I can't fulfill. Now as to the matter of your loss in this Darkness Game. I suppose a simple enough request is that you no longer attempt to prevent me or any of my associates from acquiring Miss Paradise. Is that sufficient?"

Inferno scowled, but there was nothing she could do. "Damn…I'm sorry Frost…I couldn't beat him…"

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_Once Sloth had drawn Shiro smirked at the Sin. "Sloth…guess what? I've figured out what your secret is. The secret of your strategy and what makes you so tough. Without a shadow of a doubt the source of your strength…is who you've copied!"_

_Sloth made no response so Shiro continued. "Not only is your deck identical to that of a former World Class duelist named Manjyome Jun but your dueling style is the same as well. Every play you've made with this deck is exactly what he would have done."_

"_What really gave it away was when you summoned Ojama Yellow. I mean, sure it was just one monster and all three of the trio have the same attack and defense points. But Manjyome was known for always choosing Yellow when it came to a choice between the three Ojamas. Nobody ever knew why, but it was his choice and since you made the same choice I knew it had to be right as well." Still there was no response from Sloth except for a loud yawn._

"_Since I can expect your dueling style to be exactly like his I know this duel is going to get tougher and tougher as it goes. No matter how hard I push you'll push back harder until one of us goes down. But you know what?" He paused and then his lips twitched up into a quirky smile._

"_That's exactly why I'm gonna love this duel win or lose!" _

Since Sloth was hardly the rebuttal type he merely began his turn. "Activate Cracked Fossil. Special summon one monster from grave regardless of normal costs with no effect. Monster summoned is summoned in defense mode…"

Assault Cannon Beetle formed on the field in defense mode. Shiro breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that without its effect and stuck in defense mode it wasn't much use. "I play the magic card Front Change. Sacrifice Assault Cannon Beetle and special summon Combat Scissors Beetle (3600/1800) from fusion deck…"

Shiro grinned happily as the beetle rearranged its form to become less stationary, now having its main feature be the twin scissor-like pincers that had once been part of Kawagaturbo. "Guess I should have seen something like that coming."

Sloth pointed at the monster and it started to shimmer. "Ojamachine Boost grants Combat Scissors Beetle two thousand attack points."

The prankster chuckled at the sight of those fifty-six hundred attack points. "As if thirty-six hundred wasn't enough to kick my ass."

"Activate quick-play magic card Cyclone, targeting face down card. Set card destroyed…" Shiro's face down card was blasted by a gust of wind and he held it up.

"You trashed Bait and Switch so now I get to shuffle it into my deck and draw one card." Sloth shrugged and looked up at his massive mechanical monstrosity.

"Combat Scissors Beetle (5600) attack Knife Flinger…" The monster snapped its pincers together and cut Knife Flinger in half. The two halves slid apart and then burst like bubbles.

"When Combat Scissors Beetle destroys a monster the controller takes one thousand damage…" Shiro winced as his life points counted down, going too close to zero for his comfort level. (Shiro: 400)

"One card face down…summon Ojama Yellow (0/1000) in defense mode…end turn…" Sloth had to bite back a long yawn in order to finish his turn. And as soon as he had Shiro smirked and drew swiftly.

He looked at the two cards in his hand and then began to shuffle them into his deck. "Thanks to Reload World I'll get two new cards. But the best part is one of my shuffled cards is called Recycling Campaign. Its first effect when shuffled into my deck gives me a thousand life points." (Shiro: 1400)

Shiro drew two new cards and winced again when his life points were hit once more. "Of course before I explain the next one I take two hundred damage from Reload World since I shuffled in two cards." (Shiro: 1200)

Another card shot out of his deck and he opened up the side slot that contained his field card. "I hope you enjoyed Reload World because it's about to vanish thanks to the second effect of Recycling Campaign. I get to activate this card from my hand, deck, or graveyard! My other new field card, Recycling Bin!"

A tremendous green basket with the recycling symbol on it rose up behind Shiro, taking up a huge swath of space. "Of course my field card can't use its effects just yet so let's not get to that. Instead I'm gonna summon Action Warrior-Martial Artist (1500/1200) to the field!"

The karate warrior with his karate uniform did a series of flips out onto the field and then punched the air rapidly. Shiro chuckled at his monster's antics. "Don't worry about him, Martial Artist just likes to act tough to impress the ladies. Kind of like me in that way I guess. But now he's gonna do something else I enjoy doing. Kick your butt!"

Martial Artist sprinted from Shiro's side and past Combat Scissors Beetle, landing a heavy punch to the side of Sloth's face. The Sin fell to his butt and shook his head, looking slightly confused. "Martial Artist can attack my opponent directly as long as he reduces all damage by half. A pretty tough effect I'd say." (Sloth: 1600)

Shiro took the last card in his hand and placed it down onto the field. "Since there isn't much else I can do I'll just end right there."

Sloth drew and looked up at Combat Scissors Beetle. "Attack Martial Artist…"

Just like Knife Flinger before it the Martial Artist was cut in half by one swift attack from Combat Scissors Beetle. "Hold it right there Skippy! I activate my trap card Recycling Restoration! It reduces the damage to zero, shuffles Martial Artist back into my deck, and then gives me five hundred life points!" (Shiro: 1700)

Despite his sudden increase in life points it didn't make much difference as one of the pincers caught him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Sloth rubbed at his lips sleepily. "Combat Scissors Beetle's effect activates…" (Shiro: 700)

Sloth looked down at the four cards in his hand and then placed two of them onto his disk. "One card face down…summon Ojama Black (0/1000) and end turn."

Once again the tubby member of the trio joined the emaciated yellow one. They both looked fearfully at Shiro who stuck his tongue out at them. "Alright Sloth, here I go! Draw!"

The Recycling Bin above him shook violently. "Time for me to explain something. When Recycling Bin is the field all cards in our cemeteries are placed into it. And each turn I have to pay one thousand life points as upkeep for it."

He tapped the side of his head, grinning. "And when I can't its destroyed. The best part is that its coolest effect activates when it's destroyed!"

The bin exploded and both duelists' cemeteries began to churn. "When Recycling Bin is destroyed each player shuffles their entire cemetery back into their deck. Then I gain one hundred life points per card shuffled back in."

Together they reloaded their decks with all the cards they had used so far during the duel. "And Sloth, since your graveyard is gone that means Combat Scissors Beetle loses that unnecessary attack point boost." (Shiro: 5000)

Shiro grinned and plucked two cards off the top of his deck. "Also one of the cards I discarded with Wave Shot was the second Repayment of Recycling that I have in my deck. That means I get to draw two cards now."

He glanced down at his three cards and nodded briefly. "I activate Heavy Storm, blowing away both of your face down cards! Bu-bye!"

Next he flipped around another of his cards. "For the second time in this duel I'll activate Grave Life, sending five monsters from my deck to the grave to gain two thousand life points." (Shiro: 7000)

"Last but not least I'll set this one monster face down. That's a wrap for the moment. Come on Sloth; fight back with all you've got!" Sloth stared at him while he drew.

"Summon Ojama Green (0/1000). Activate Ojama Delta Hurricane…all cards on your field are destroyed." Shiro gulped as the three Ojama brothers jumped into the air, fists held high as if they were mighty superheroes.

"_Yellow!" _Came the cry of the skinny eye-ball freak. _"Black!"_ Came the voice of the bloated lard boy. _"Green!" _Was the cry of the muscled tongue monster.

Together they formed a tri-colored hurricane that was now descending onto Shiro's field. _"Ojama Delta Hurricane!"_

The hurricane lowered over Shiro's field and blasted his monster defense, blowing away the final thing between him and Combat Scissors Beetle. "This is going to hurt…"

Sloth rubbed the bottom of his right eye with one thumb and then gave his command. "Combat Scissors Beetle…direct attack."

Shiro screamed as the razor sharp pincers slashed his flesh, drawing a red line from each side of his torso to the middle. He collapsed, hands going to the ground. "I was right…it did hurt." (Shiro: 3400)

The Sin examined the last card in its hand and then sighed. "How troublesome. End turn…"

It took nearly a minute for Shiro to clamber to his feet and draw, but when he did there was a smile on his face again. "That sure was intense, but don't count me out of this one just yet."

He glanced down at the lone card in his hand, the top deck that could make or break the duel. Once he registered his card he bit his bottom lip and then shot a look at his duel disk. _'Alright…I've got two options here. I have to make a choice.'_

One more look at his card was followed by a long slow stare at Combat Scissors Beetle. Suddenly he grinned like a madman. "Alright, time to make a big gamble! I activate Action Stunt-Save the Girl, which lets me pick up one 'Action Warrior' from my grave and add it to my hand. Then I gain three hundred life points." (Shiro: 3700)

A card popped out of his grave and he picked it up, replacing his Action Stunt with it. "And now that I've got this card…I end my turn!"

Sloth drew and then pointed at Shiro, which had he been anyone else he would have noticed Shiro's grin. "Combat Scissors Beetle attacks directly…"

Again the pincers snapped shut on Shiro and again the teen screamed in response. When the pincers dropped him he swayed on his feet, his eyes looking glassy but his grin still present. "That sucked…but it worked out like I thought it would at least." (Shiro: 100)

"One card face down…end turn…" Shiro took a deep breath and placed one hand on the top card of his deck. This was the point where he had to pray. If he drew poorly then the duel was over.

"It just comes down to one draw! That's the way a real exciting duel should be! So here we go Sloth, let's take this to the next level. Here's my draw!" He pulled it free and brought it up to his face…and then broke into a jig.

The jig was cut short when he grabbed his side, wincing at the pain. "Okay…dancing right then was a bad idea. But still, I got a great draw! Go Scrounging for Supplies! By shuffling the eight cards in my grave back into my deck I can draw two cards!"

He drew twice more and his eyes widened. "Alright Sloth, that was even better than I thought. I place two cards face down and now I'll summon the card I gambled everything on last turn. Come on out, Action Warrior-Femme Fatale (1900/900)!"

The leather clad female Action Warrior that Mizuki had given him sauntered out onto the field and then did a spin kick, catching both of his face down cards with her spiked heels. "When she's summoned this feisty lady blasts every card on my field!"

Suddenly one of his shattered cards reformed face down on his field, while the other appeared in his hand. "But wait, there's more! One of the destroyed cards was Decoy Target and when it's destroyed I draw one card. Plus all other cards destroyed at the same time are returned to their original positions. That makes it the perfect combo card with Femme Fatale!"

He discarded Decoy Target and then drew again. "Next up I get to send one Action Warrior from my deck to the grave for each destroyed card. So say goodbye to Brawler and Gunner and say hello to thirty-eight hundred attack points added to Femme Fatale!"

The lethal lady smirked and aimed her assault rifle at Combat Scissors Beetle as her attack points skyrocketed. "Femme Fatale, I leave it up to you."

With a venomous grin she opened fire, pounding the machine until it exploded into fiery debris. "Let's check out the results then." (Sloth: 2500)

Sloth motioned to his now face-up card, forcing Shiro to sigh. "Ojama Delta Life grants me one thousand life points per Ojama on the field…"

"That's just fine lazy dude! I'm ending it right there, so come back at me with full force!" Sloth drew and held up a Pot of Greed, letting him draw twice more.

He turned around another of the cards and Shiro was shocked to see his Femme Fatale blow apart. "Smashing Ground kills your strongest defense monster…"

Ojama Yellow hopped up out of his cowering position and flexed his nonexistent muscles. At the same time Sloth placed a card into his duel disk behind the yellow intruder. "Shield Attack gives the defense instead of the monster's attack. Ojama Yellow (1000/0) attacks directly."

Shiro pointed to his face down card and grinned. "Sorry buddy, but this is really the end of the duel! I activate the quick-play magic card Command Silencer, negating your attack and letting me draw one card!"

A totem pole with speakers implanted in the wings rose up out of the ground and shrieked its signal all over the field. Ojama Yellow whimpered and pulled back, stopping its attack. Sloth grabbed his head and winced until the sound ended.

When the sound was over, Sloth looked around with an almost panicked expression on his face. Shiro stared at the Sin feeling a little confused himself. "Is everything okay over there lazy dude? It is your turn after all."

Sloth blinked rapidly and ruffled his already messy hair. "My turn? Oh crap…I hate it when this stuff happens. Ummm…I guess I end my turn then."

Shiro looked at the other duelist feeling more than just a little confused. But since he was in the middle of a duel he drew for his turn. "I don't know why your demeanor changed all of a sudden but here it goes. I place one card face down."

A card formed on his field, making it his only one. "And now I play Highly Demanded Sequel! That lets me special summon on 'Action Warrior' from the grave to the field. So welcome back Femme Fatale, who destroys me set card!"

Sloth's eyes bugged out when the leather wearing woman crunched the card beneath her heel. "Wow, she's dangerous and hot, that's quite a combination."

"Yeah…well this hot lady in my mind represents a certain sexy momma I happen to know! And now I send Action Warrior-Cyclist to the grave, giving Femme Fatale (3600) just enough power to end this duel. Attack and destroy Ojama Yellow!" Sloth stumbled backwards in a mix of surprise and fright when Femme Fatale opened fire on his intruder.

"No, wait! But I don't know what to do!" He covered his eyes as Ojama Yellow screamed and was blown apart. Moments later the rest of the field faded into nothing. (Sloth: 0)

The darkness faded as well, and Shiro approached the other duelist. "What's with you? You suddenly changed attitudes and didn't act like the tough duelist I had been facing. That seemed too easy."

Sloth looked at him and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you see this happens to me a lot. Apparently I'm a professional duelist, but I don't really like dueling and I can never remember the rules."

"What? That doesn't really make any sense you know…"

An amused chuckle stopped their conversation. "That's because the true secret of Sloth is that as Kenji he has no talent as a duelist. But he's also a narcoleptic who while sleeping was capable of memorizing the strategy of Manjyome Jun and playing exactly like him. Truly impressive is it not?"

Shiro scratched his cheek, considering this. "So…Command Silencer woke him up and he didn't know how to duel anymore? Umm…Kenji…let me see your card."

The pseudo-duelist shrugged and passed Shiro the single card he was still holding. Shiro grimaced and then pulled the top card off Kenji's deck. "Dude…the card in your hand was Politely Intruding Kuriboh (300/200) which you could have used to stop my attack. And your next card to draw was Ojama Assault Platform (2000/2000) which could have beaten me. You could have won the duel."

Suddenly his eyes lit up and he glared at Saint. "Say goodbye to one of your servants Saint! As Penalty Game I cure you of your narcolepsy!"

Saint sighed and shook his head. "Yes…how interesting. However…I believe its time we ended this game. After all, look who showed her face."

Shiro's eyes widened and he turned. At the same time Kaoru and Chizuma also took a look, while the weakened Inferno followed their gaze. From behind Saint Frost was also watching. There, rubbing her eyes sleepily was the pink-haired Paradise.

"What's going on? How come everybody is being so loud myuu?" Shiro moved to get in Saint's way as he started walking towards Saint, but he fell to his knees from the pain of his wounds.

"Dear Miss Paradise, come with me so we can have some fun. I assure you that you'll enjoy yourself and be provided for perfectly." He held out his hand to her, showing that he was holding a packet of bubblegum.

Entranced the little girl approached him, eyes wide. Frost snapped at her immediately. "Paradise do not go near him. That is an order."

Paradise pouted and then stuck her tongue out at the other girl. "Bleh! We don't have ranks and I'm older than you anyways, so I'll go wherever I want myuu!"

Frost rushed forwards and Inferno followed, both True Sins placing themselves between Saint and the little girl. "Come closer and we shall use force to stop you."

Saint smiled gently. "I believe that at this point I've proven that direct force will not work against me. But if you wish for me to indulge you I shall."

Inferno growled and sent a blast of flame at the man but as always it didn't even manage to touch him. Frost glanced at the various people fallen on the cavern floor and considered her options. "You are correct Saint Beatrix, we have too many injured. Your own minions have been defeated as well. Regardless of the outcome this will not end well for either side. However, we will not cease in defending Paradise."

He shook his head, looking somewhat disappointed. "I believed you to be more intelligent than that Miss Frost. If you cannot harm me then attempting to defend her is meaningless. Regardless of the losses I have taken my soldiers are replaceable, while yours are not. Perhaps you should consider that before deciding on a move. The advantage is mine."

Frost closed her eyes for a moment to analyze the situation, and when she opened them she treated Saint to a cold smile. "Checkmate Saint Beatrix."

A series of surprised looks flashed across the defeated forms of Saint's enemies. His eyes widened as well as he realized what they were surprised about. "The hero always arrives late!"

Shiro's left eye twitched. "Stealing my line…"

Saint turned slowly and found himself staring at four girls at the entrance to the cave. On the left side of the group was a short stocky girl with russet-brown hair and bright blue eyes. "True Sin, Wasteland at your service."

The ground around Saint's feet stabbed upwards like knives but he stepped through them, unharmed. "An impressive talent I see."

The second one was a tall blue-eyed girl with white hair and a passive look on her pretty features. Her white hair hung low over her plain blue dress. "True Sin, Sky."

Her feet lifted off the ground and she shot forward at incredible speed, but Saint vanished from the spot he had previously been standing in, appearing a few feet away. Sky quickly returned to her previous position. "Another talent, I'm enjoying this."

The third girl was a blonde wearing a black jacket with silver lines marking it and a pair of tight blue jeans. She winked at Saint with one blue eye and held up her right hand, revealing a swirling silvery material around it. "True Sin, Mercury."

The silver material flew from her hand faster than the blink of an eye, snapping the ground where Saint had been standing moments before. It exploded with incredible force, nearly striking Saint in his new location. "My oh my, I didn't anticipate that."

Final amongst the four was a girl of just barely over five feet in height with a busty figure and long legs. Her wavy dark hair and bright blue eyes seemed to strike an interesting mix with her Chinese features. "True Sin, Neuromancer. Saint, stand down. Against six True Sins even you cannot last forever. Especially when one of those True Sins is me."

Her voice revealed her as the first one to have spoken. Shiro and Chizuma suddenly caught a second wind and at the same moment opened up their mouths and spoke. "I call dibs on the babe!"

The turned to glare at each other and shoved fingers in the other's face and once again at the same moment replied. "I called it first, she's mine!"

The two went down onto the cave floor, tussling and arguing. A cloud of dust grew around them, causing those watching to sweat-drop, including Neuromancer. Saint sighed and looked from the four new True Sins and back to Paradise. "I see…well I suppose for the moment I should retreat."

He smiled and placed the bubblegum on the ground. "For another time little Miss Paradise. Perhaps when we meet again things will be a little different. So guarantee that we will meet again, and when we do I'll have more candy for you."

Paradise grinned at him and waved. "Okay mister, you better promise myuu!"

Saint's smile this time seemed almost like a smirk, but he managed to avoid it. "I promise Miss Paradise, with all of my heart."

Giving one last parting smile to those in the cave he bowed to them. "Another time dear friends. Until then, please be nice to my fallen comrades if you would. Have a nice evening."

He vanished, leaving them all alone down in the cavern. The cave was silent for a while, save for the wrestling and arguing of Chizuma and Shiro.

Finally Wasteland planted her hands on her hips and looked around the cavern. "So…who's cleaning this up?"

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A meeting was going on in the hospital at Duelist Academy. Shiro, Kaoru, Chizuma, Wrath, and Inferno were all being treated. Standing around their beds were the new True Sins along with the old ones, and Kenji sat in the corner.

Crammed into another corner were the forms of Harrison, Sanzo, and Enzeru. Frost looked at the apparent leader of the four new True Sins and spoke. "So you four were sent to retrieve Paradise by Father?"

Neuromancer nodded, looking around the room carefully. "That's right, we were. And we'll be leaving shortly as well with her. This time though we'll keep a closer eye on her."

Wasteland crossed her legs as she sat down on the end of the sleeping Wrath's bed. "I thought it was pretty odd at first that you two were having so much trouble here, but after seeing what that Saint guy is capable of I guess I understand. He'll be trouble in the future I guess."

Harrison rolled his eyes and walked to the door. "If nothing useful is going to be discussed here I'll be leaving. I have more important things to do than look over these idiots who got themselves hurt."

Shiro and Inferno both glared at the departing avenger's back. "What a jerk."

Sky watched the exit and smiled slightly. "I liked his hair."

Mercury raised an eyebrow at that. "You would I suppose."

Sanzo bowed respectfully to the four True Sins. "I apologize if I sound rude, but I would request that the four of you leave the island as soon as possible with Paradise in tow. The longer that girl is on the island the more danger we are in. Without her here Saint will likely tone down his efforts."

Enzeru nodded. "I agree with Sanzo. We've got enough problems now without that extra threat. There are still three Sins left and we don't even know what two of them are capable of."

Chizuma looked over at the sleeping Wrath with a motherly look and sighed. "What are we going to do about him? He needs a good home I think."

Kaoru raised her hand, bringing Chizuma's attention over to her. "I know it might sound odd, but I know some good foster homes back where I used to live that would take him."

The doll-faced girl smiled gently at Kaoru and bowed briefly. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

Shiro leaned in towards Neuromancer and gave her his biggest grin. "So…the others showed off their powers but what's yours?"

She eyed him askance, and her eyes widened slightly. "You…really don't get it do you? The name 'neuromancer' doesn't even connect in your brain at all."

He shrugged. "I've never been much for magic so the 'mancer' thing doesn't make much sense. So no, no clue."

She giggled, which caused Shiro to grin like an idiot and for Chizuma to suddenly remember she was there. "You're cute, but dumb."

Shiro honestly had no idea whether to be insulted or happy. So he figured he'd just leave that for later. "Okay, maybe so. But what's your power?"

Neuromancer held one finger in the air and then pointed at Chizuma, who blinked in surprise at being singled out. "She's imagining what I'd look like without a shirt on."

Chizuma blushed, and Shiro snickered at her. "Heh, dirty minded are we?"

Before Chizuma could even glare at him Neuromancer cut in. "And now you're thinking of the exact same thing."

Shiro paused and then shrugged. "Yeah, but anybody in the room could have figured that out. What are you trying to get at?"

A shoe pegged him in the head and he went down, head striking the pillow. "Bloody hell, she's psychic! You can't be that dense!"

With swirly eyes Shiro responded to a fuming Kaoru. "Hitting me with things is Mizuki's job…"

Everyone in the room laughed, glad that for the time being everything was quiet. There was a moment of peace, and it was good.

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Author's Note: Yay, mini-arc concluded.

_Next Time: The sixth Sin at last appears with the year more than half over. This beautiful duelist strikes differently than the other Sins, using her beauty to pit smitten duelists against her chosen opponents. Under her guidance Chizuma moves to battle Mizuki once again. Unable to understand the other girl's feelings Mizuki must struggle against her deadly Dance Deck for the second time._

_See it all in, Lust for One's Enemy!_


	73. Lust for One's Enemy

Author's Note: At long last the last Sin appears! Sorry about the long wait.

**Chapter Seventy-Three: Lust for One's Enemy**

Although most of a week had passed and the four True Sins had taken Paradise with them not everything had returned to normal. With the True Sins gone things returned to the vague form of normalcy that had been present before Paradise appeared. In other words, Saint's plotting continued without overt action.

"So it appears that I am running low on Sins. Gluttony was destroyed by Miss Nightmare. Greed was bested by Miss Mitsuhiro and then again by Miss Frost as Midas. Wrath was felled by Miss Takashi and Miss Kaoru. Sloth was surprisingly defeated by Mister Akugi. Envy has disappeared to parts unknown. That leaves only the two of you." Saint smiled up at his two subordinates.

Pride brushed a few stray strands of purple hair out of his eyes and smirked. "If I go on the attack not a single one of those fools will last against me. Perhaps you should just lift our bar on attacking Mizuki so that we can get that out of the way."

Saint shook his head. "No, Greed taught us a valuable lesson that Miss Mitsuhiro is more dangerous and powerful than she appears. Defeating Greed is no simple feat. Perhaps we should take a different tact and test her emotional control."

With that thought in mind he looked over at the shadowed woman standing by Pride. "Lust, be a dear and have a nice little chat with Miss Takashi would you?"

A sultry voice responded. "Of course Saint, it would be my delighted pleasure."

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The beeping of monitoring equipment in the room was starting to get on Chizuma's nerves. That and Shiro's snoring. She would be released soon, but he was going to be in a little longer. And they both still had to do the homework that was brought to them.

Chizuma sighed a little, a healthy blush spreading across her cheeks as she thought about the homework and what it meant. Every day after classes let out Mizuki would come in and help her and Shiro out with their work, explaining things to them from the classes they missed. _'At least now that Kaoru's been released I get more one on one time with Mizuki-sama, even if that guy is here too.'_

She held her hands to her chest and sighed even louder, imaging the bright smile on Mizuki's face as she explained problems to them. She even didn't push too much after Sanzo explained that they had dueled some of the Sins. _'She's such an amazing girl, taking time to help us out even though she's already busy between her own classes and that class she teaches. She really is so much like Nioko…'_

Her memory drifted back to when she had first met Mizuki and how she had felt that familiar flush build up at seeing the pretty girl dancing at her side. Then when they dueled Mizuki had shown a fiery spirit and Chizuma had known that she was perfect. "Mizuki-sama…if only you could see me like I see you…"

"Is that what you want dear girl? I can make that possible…" Chizuma's grey eyes widened and she looked up at the entryway. Standing there shadowed in the darkness was a tall and willowy woman.

"Who are you? What do you mean by that?" The woman walked towards her, practically gliding with each step. Chizuma felt her cheeks heat when the woman's figure was illuminated by the hospital machinery. The woman leaned in so that her lips were centimeters from Chizuma's ear and whispered in silky tones.

"Dear girl…I'm a person who makes wishes like yours come true. The goddess of passion, the Aphrodite of the modern day. They call me Lust…and I can make your precious beautiful Mizuki-sama all yours. All you have to do…is take my advice. Would you like that?" With Lust's voice tickling in Chizuma's ear she could barely think straight, and the blush on her cheeks grew. Through her fogged brain she heard herself respond.

"Yes, absolutely yes."

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Mizuki yawned for what seemed like the fifth or sixth time on her little walk, rubbing sleepily at her eyes. "I feel like they should be calling _me_ Sloth at this point. What's so important that Chizuma had to wake me up at one in the morning? Doesn't anybody sleep anymore?"

Her sleep quickly began to fade when she realized that nobody was at the desk to the hospital wing, even though it was open twenty four hours a day. She looked around and saw not a soul. "This doesn't bode well. Why do PDA messages in the middle of the night always end badly? Technology sucks…"

"This time it's a good thing Mizuki-sama, trust me!" Mizuki spun around and found Chizuma, dressed only in a hospital gown, standing in the middle of a poorly lit hallway.

"Chizuma, you shouldn't be out of bed yet, the doctors said so. What's going on here anyways?" Chizuma smiled brightly and lifted her left arm, revealing her duel disk already in place. Mizuki gulped and took a step back.

"We're going to have a rematch Mizuki-sama. I want to dance with you again, and this is the best way! If I win…well then I'll get something special to help me out. If you win…well I guess you don't get anything if you win. But please…don't you dare hold back on me!" She flicked open her duel disk and let it hum to life. (CLP: 4000)

Mizuki shook her head and planted her hands on her hips. "Chizuma, you're acting crazy. You're too injured to duel using disks. The Solid Visions system is too dangerous injured as you are. I refuse to duel you."

The doll-faced girl pointed at the counter and Mizuki followed her finger. Sitting on the counter-top was Mizuki's DD2 with her deck sitting beside it. "I had someone bring that knowing you wouldn't have thought of it. And she gave me a way to make sure you duel me as well, since it's what I want."

She closed her eyes and shivered as if she didn't want to keep speaking. But when she opened her eyes she appeared as determined as ever. "If you don't duel me I'll tell Principal Tantei about your trips to the off-limits abandoned dorm and your sneaking around after hours. Its harsh…but you'll probably have to give up teaching your class."

Mizuki gulped. "This isn't like you at all Chizuma. What's gotten into you, why are you going to these lengths to get me to duel you?"

Chizuma swung her left arm to the side, leaning forward in the vehemence of her speaking. "Because it's important to me! Because you don't understand how important it is to me, and I have to make sure you do understand! Since that's the case I'll do that if I have to! And if you play to lose I'll tell Tantei as well!"

The genius girl looked back and forth between Chizuma and her duel disk, pondering the situation. _'If she tells Principal Tantei I'll get in serious trouble and might even get expelled. But if I duel Chizuma she might get hurt in her state. The only choice is to accept the duel but make sure I avoid direct attacks unless necessary.'_

"Alright Chizuma, I'll take your duel. Now let's get this craziness over with!" She picked up her deck and slammed it into her duel disk. Then she pressed the activation button and it whined briefly before starting up. (MLP: 4000)

Chizuma drew, her grey eyes burning up. "Alright Mizuki-sama, let's get dance number two off to the right kind of start! I'll summon Tango Beauty (1500/1300) in attack mode!"

A beautiful Hispanic woman with long flowing hair black as pitch spun out onto the field, her long dress low cut enough to reveal a healthy amount of cleavage. "When this monster is summoned she generates a Tango Dancer Token (300/300) to the field who comes in attack mode."

A replica of Chizuma's often seen Tango Dancer appeared next to Tango Beauty and winked at her. "I'll finish it up by setting two cards face down. Now let's get this going Mizuki-sama! Show me what you can do!"

Mizuki drew and examined her hand. _'Okay…I have to figure out what sort of strategy to adopt so that I can both finish this duel quickly and avoid too many direct attacks. Thank goodness she didn't go completely crazy and challenge me to a Darkness Game.'_

Across from her Chizuma was having similar thoughts, only they were on her hopeful victory. _'If I win…if I can do it…then Lust will give me that dust she has. That amazing pheromone powder…'_

An image of that beauty holding out that little bag of glittering powder appeared in Chizuma's head and she blushed bright red. _'Mizuki-sama is beautiful but she's just a girl. That…that's a woman…just wow…'_

The sound of Mizuki sneezing shook Chizuma out of her reverie. It was lucky for them both that Mizuki sneezed at that moment, because at the exact same time another person in the hospital sneezed.

From her position hiding right behind a nearby door Lust patted her nose with a cloth, glad that neither of them had noticed. _'This should prove quite interesting. How far is Mizuki willing to go in order to protect herself if it means potentially hurting a friend? And just how hard will Chizuma play with my incentive dangling in front of her?'_

"I start with Rune Soldier (1800/1800) who's more than a match for your Tango Beauty!" Her familiar soldier appeared in a swirl of holographic lights and unsheathed his sword. The runes on his white clothing pulsed briefly as he readied for an attack.

_'This should work. Rune Soldier's trap defense effect should let him attack that token with impunity and deal a significant amount of damage without any direct damage. This is an opportunity I really can't pass up if I want to win without hurting her.' _Nodding to herself Mizuki raised her left arm and pointed at the token that copied Tango Dancer.

"Rune Soldier, attack Tango Dancer token!" Rune Soldier bellowed his challenge and rushed Tango Dancer, swinging his sword down with incredible speed. At the last moment Tango Beauty stepped up next to the dancer and together they kicked Rune Soldier in the stomach, but not before the blade slashed the dancer.

Chizuma grinned and motioned to her feminine monster. "When Tango Beauty or Tango Dancer token is engaged in battle they combine their points together. And since Tango Dancer token had eighteen hundred attack during that battle…both are destroyed!"

The two monsters exploded simultaneously, leaving only Tango Beauty unharmed. Mizuki frowned and looked back at her hand briefly. "I set two cards down and end."

As soon as Chizuma drew another Tango Dancer appeared on the field in front of her. "During my standby phase if there isn't a Tango Dancer token in play my Tango Beauty creates one. But don't worry; he won't be around for long."

The token was engulfed in a pillar of light, fading from view. When the light faded there was a tall Latin man wearing a sexy black set of pants and a long silk shirt with ruffles. The shirt was open at the chest, exposing tanned skin. "By offering my token as a tribute I was able to bring out the deadly Tango Lover (1750/1600) to join the party!"

She glanced at her Tango Beauty and nodded to it. "Go ahead Tango Beauty, attack Mizuki-sama directly!"

The beautiful Latin woman flipped into the air and came down, one high-heel crashing into Mizuki's right shoulder. The dark haired girl winced and her legs almost buckled, but she remained upright. "Nice shot." (MLP: 2500)

"That's not all that's a nice shot! Tango Lover is going for a direct attack as well!" Tango Lover blew her a kiss, and to Mizuki's surprise a giant red heart shot out. It splatted against her chest wetly, embarrassing her more than hurting her. (MLP: 750)

Chizuma pumped one fist into the air and smiled triumphantly as her body was engulfed in a pleasing red light. "Whatever life point damage Lover does is given to my life points! And I get to add a 'tango' monster from my deck to my hand, though he can't be normal summoned this turn." (CLP: 5750)

It didn't look like she was finished either as one of her set cards was already lifting up. "Dance Imagination activates when I deal you life point damage with a monster with 'tango' in its name. I now get to add a 'tango' monster from my deck to my hand!"

Another card shot out of her deck and she gave it a brief glance before reaching for a different card. "I now enter my second main phase and activate Dance Step Summon! By sacrificing one monster on my field I can special summon Tango Dancer (1700/1000) and Tango Dance Partner (1400/1300) at a cost of their battle phase this turn!"

Tango Beauty shattered and the particles revolved in the air for several seconds before pulling together in the familiar forms of Tango Dancer and Tango Dance Partner. "Alright, now that my happy duo is in play the pace of the game is going to change even more! Of course for now I can't do anything, so my turn ends."

Chizuma stared in shocked horror as the air around them seemed to shatter like so much glass. However, when the destruction was finished nothing seemed to have changed. "What in the world was that?"

Mizuki smirked and hefted her duel disk, spinning her cards through her fingers. "Its simple, take a look at my life points." (MLP: 4000)

The doll-faced girl stuttered at the sight of Mizuki's perfectly intact life points, not quite sure if she was seeing reality. "Can't figure it out? All I did was place a counter on Rune Charm-Illusion which counted my life points at 4000. And by discarding it I was able to remove that counter and restore my life points to that amount. In other words, all that damage you did to me might as well have been an illusion."

She reached for her deck and drew powerfully, ignoring Chizuma's pouting. "I activate from my hand Rune Symbol-Nauthiz bringing back a monster from my cemetery to my hand. And now I'll summon Rune Soldier (1800/1800)."

Chizuma pouted even more at the sight of Mizuki's revived soldier. "I thought I had gotten rid of that guy too."

"Not quite! And now Rune Soldier is going to attack Tango Dance Partner! Runic Slash!" Determined to avenge himself Rune Soldier dashed forwards and swung his sword at high speed. To both his and Mizuki's surprise his blade cleaved through Tango Lover…the wrong monster. (CLP: 5700)

"When you attack a 'Tango' monster on the field I can redirect that attack to Tango Lover once per turn. Sadly he was still destroyed, but I kept my duo and reduced damage. And now that he's been destroyed I can add a 'tango' monster to my hand from my deck!" Yet again she added a card from her deck to her hand, upping her hand size to three cards.

Mizuki raised her cards in front of her face before snapping them together into one solid form. "I end my turn."

Chizuma slash-drew and then pointed at her two monsters which were both engulfed in light. "Just like the previous token I'll sacrifice these two monsters. Only this time I'm summoning a monster that needs these two as tribute cost. Let's give a warm welcoming hand to Legendary Tango Dancer Solbero (2800/2400)!"

Her newest monster had a golden version of Tango Dancer's salsa outfit and his hat was extremely wide-brimmed with little jewels and bangles hanging from it. He held up twin shakers and swung his hips. "Solbero, salsa over there and give Rune Soldier a taste of your power!"

He spun around and then hurled one of his shakers, striking Rune Soldier in the chest. It exploded…but the soldier did not. "Rune Soldier isn't gone yet! My continuous trap card Swaying Prophecy prevents monsters with 'rune' in their name from being destroyed in battle!" (MLP: 3200)

Chizuma shook her head, her braid swaying behind her. "It doesn't matter! I activate the quick-play magic card Dancing in the Moment, which lets me deal you direct damage equal to the damage a tango monster has just dealt! So here comes eight hundred more!"

Mizuki winced as her life points dropped further, putting her significantly behind Chizuma in terms of what she had to work with. _'This isn't good. Her life points have gotten higher and that's going to make it even harder to beat her without a direct attack.' _(MLP: 2400)

Lust carefully adjusted a compact mirror, giving her a close-up sneaky view of her target's hand. _'Well you've got some possibilities in those two cards. What will you do Rising Star?'_

"Alright Mizuki-sama, it's your turn! I hope you aren't holding back on me, because that's not something I could bear. I'm going to earn your respect no matter what!" Mizuki grimaced even as she drew, not quite sure how to feel about the situation.

She held up the card and then reached for her deck. "Rune Symbol-Sowilo lets me draw one card and gain five hundred life points." (MLP: 2900)

Not only did Lust gasp but Mizuki mentally gasped at the sight of her newly drawn card. She looked at it and then at the two other cards in her hand and bit her bottom lip. _'No…with these three cards and Rune Soldier…I can win the duel this turn. But should I? It would mean powerful direct damage…'_

Lust rubbed her hands together gleefully. _'Yes, that's what you have to experience Rising Star! The uncertainty that comes with walking the edge of a blade! If you move too fast you might reach your destination only to hurt yourself and others in the process. Too slow and you might reach your goal, but you'll be bloodied from the experience. What will you do? Where does your heart lie?'_

Somehow Chizuma made the decision for her. "If you hold back on me Mizuki-sama I'll never forgive you! No matter how much I respect you and no matter how much I care about you nothing can take back the pain of being looked down upon by someone you admire! So don't hold back!"

Mizuki locked eyes with Chizuma…and then the tension faded from her face. "You're right Chizuma…I was holding back. But not anymore! From now on I'll fight with all my heart! I activate Rune Symbol-Thurisaz!"

From her hidden location Lust snapped her compact mirror shut, hissing in irritation. _'All it took were a few inspirational words and she's willing to do it like this? Clearly Saint and I chose the wrong target. I'll need someone who is more willing to go to the extreme…'_

Solbero exploded, raining tiny pieces down on Chizuma's field. She glanced down at her set card and then up at the soldier. _'Her monster…it's immune to targeting trap cards which this is. And my trap won't work anyways without a tango monster.'_

"Chizuma, I'm sorry about this but if you want all my strength then here I come! Next up I activate Rune Mark-Power! For this turn the power of my soldier doubles reaching thirty-six hundred!" A mighty red aura sprang up around Rune Soldier quickly shooting its attack power up.

Chizuma winced at the thought of the direct attack she was about to take and then shook her head. _'It's going to hurt but I can recover next turn. I'll still have twenty-one hundred life points left.'_

"No Chizuma…this is the final move! I activate Rune Symbol-Eiwhaz which grants Rune Soldier the power to attack twice during the battle phase! So Rune Soldier (3600) will finish it with Twin Runic Slash!" Chizuma screamed as the soldier swung his blade in an x-pattern, striking her in the chest twice in a row. As her life points dropped she crumpled to the floor. (CLP: 0)

Mizuki immediately rushed over to Chizuma and pulled the younger girl into her arms, supporting her. "Are you alright Chizuma? Please be okay…"

Chizuma looked up at her through heavy-lidded eyes and sighed happily, her cheeks turning red. "I'm alright as long as you hold me in your arms…"

The younger girl's eyes drifted shut and her breathing soon steadied. Mizuki breathed in relief at last as she realized that Chizuma was asleep. "Let's get you back to bed Chizuma. I don't know what prompted this crazy stunt but I'm glad its over."

Upon picking the other girl up Mizuki found that Chizuma was much lighter than she expected. "You're really crazy Chizuma, to pull something like that just to prove yourself to me. But next time we duel let's duel the normal way okay, where nobody can get hurt. I'm really tired of these kinds of duels…"

It took her longer than normal to get the girl back to the hospital room and into bed. Once she managed to hook Chizuma back up she collapsed into the chair between beds, feeling exhausted. "Too little sleep, a stressful duel, and carrying her all the way added together make for one tired girl…"

After gazing upon Chizuma's sleeping countenance for a few minutes she turned her gaze to the sleeping Shiro. She smiled slightly even as he snored loudly. "Even when you're sleeping you're annoying. I guess that's to be expected from the school's number one prankster…"

She stood up and brushed a hand against her cheek, smiling softly as his snoring stopped and he shifted in his bed. "The biggest prank of all that you ever pulled was somehow going from a guy who pissed me off and had me in tears to the guy I count as my best friend."

Her hand lowered to his waist and clasped his hand in hers, squeezing tightly. "You can't keep getting hurt like this, you're the closest person to me left. Aya is gone…Janice is gone…you're the one I count on most. So please…don't get hurt again. I couldn't take it."

Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes as she gazed down upon his sleeping form. "It's a promise, okay? And you don't go back on your promises ever right?"

She released his hand and stood up, walking to the door. "Good night Shiro, good night Chizuma. Both of you…get better and stay that way. For my sake."

Just a moment after she walked out the door Shiro muttered in his sleep, rolling into a more comfortable position. "A promise…"

Mere seconds later another figure appeared in the doorway, this one taller than the previous. Lust gracefully crossed the room and stood over Shiro's bed. "A man of his word are you? A man of his word is always the easiest to manipulate. I wonder…how far are you willing to go to make that girl love you?"

She flipped open her cell phone and pressed a single button. After a few rings a warm masculine voice picked up. "Ah, Lust, how pleasant that you're calling at this hour. It seems things didn't go as you predicted."

"No, not as I predicted. You were right that Chizuma was the perfect warm-up test for me to get a measure of what kind of woman that Rising Star girl is. But now I've got a brand new target in mind to push her beyond her limits. And I know just how to do it as well." Saint chuckled on the other end of the line and she could see his smile in her mind's eye.

"I suspected you would reach the conclusion I had. It was quite kind of Miss Frost to point out Miss Mitsuhiro's glaring weakness for Mister Akugi. Perhaps he shall show us just what her emotional limits are. Do be a dear and find out for me." Lust smiled wickedly and clicked the cell phone shut plans already stewing in her head.

"Shiro Akugi…how ironic that you'd be the Virtue that Saint would label as Faith. Since now you're going to rock the faith your precious Mizuki Mitsuhiro has in you. Let's see what she's like when her hands and feet are bloodied at the edge of that blade. I'm going to love seeing her at the precipice. And then I'm going to love taking her over that precipice and seeing what becomes of her then."

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"A waste of time!" A concussive boom echoed through the forest. When the dust settled Pride was revealed with his right hand straight out to his side. Ruined pieces of a tree were scattered all around him.

He released his fist and then squeezed it tight again. "All Saint is doing is wasting time trying to learn more about this girl's emotional and spiritual limits. If he's going to use her for his plan he should just do it the direct way instead of all of this. I'm growing tired of the indirect method!"

His fist shook and in his rage he swung it again, blowing apart the trunk of the next tree his fist came in contact with. "If he really wants his perfect world then he's going to have to start using a little bit of force. If he had used force then he could have almost instantly gotten Paradise for his plan, but instead we're without her."

Brushing a long lock of purple hair out of his eyes Pride released his breath, trying to calm himself. "That's fine; Saint's plan is meaningless anyways. But perhaps the time has come to upset the balance a little bit, no more playing the wait and see game. What happens when we take a piece off the chess board before Saint Beatrix has a chance to position it?"

He tilted his head back and stared at the starry night sky, his eyes shimmering in the bright light. "So many pieces on our side have been disturbed and we've lost several allies whilst their side has grown stronger. And all the while Saint doesn't care if his pieces are damaged as destroyed since he has his purer pieces to move about as his whims take him."

A cold chuckle escaped his lips and he closed his eyes, imagining that smiling bastard's face in his mind. "However, there's one piece of this equation that Saint has yet to lay his hands upon and begin to move. If we remove it from the board before his touch can reach it then we could have the advantage. That's why you're here, that's what you can do. You can move freely on the board, unopposed in any direction. You're the queen on the chess board, so versatile and so powerful."

He held his left hand up over his head and opened it, revealing a white chess piece. "So as the black queen your next move is going to eliminate one of the white board's knights. How would you like to eliminate this white knight first…Envy?"

The beautiful brunette smiled enigmatically at him, a glittering emerald colored dress hugging her impressive form tightly. "I think I'd love that absolutely. I am getting a little bit hungry. Did you have someone tasty in mind for me?"

Pride tossed her the chess piece, which she caught without looking. "Of course. Your target is the final Virtue. I've finally found Prudence…and now you're going to destroy Prudence for me. Does that sound like a nice meal?"

She traced her tongue across her ruby red lips and shuddered in anticipation. "It sounds positively delicious. But after that, who do I get to eat then?"

"If you wait just a little bit patiently you'll get that succulent meal and lusciously sweet wine you've been waiting for. Eliminate Prudence for me and soon, very soon, I'll let you eat Fortitude." Envy's eyes practically rolled into the back of her head as she shivered at the thought of it.

"And after that?" Pride smirked and opened his right fist, revealing another chess piece, this one white with a cross position at the top of it.

"Then we go after the white king." The chess piece shuddered in his hand and then dissolved into a fine white powder. He held his hand into the air and smiled darkly as the wind caught it and blew it away.

"And after that…I become the chess master."

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Author's Note: Plotting aside I'd like to apologize. I'm not necessarily sorry its been so long (nearly 3 weeks) since I updated, but I do feel like you all deserve something since its been so long. I've had a lot of things happening, both in terms of school and exciting and fun stuff happening in my social life. I'm only apologizing because there were times when it was laziness that stopped me. But now here it is, and I hope to do better in the future.

_Next Time: Pride has grown tired of waiting and unleashed the strength of Envy upon the final Virtue. Can this mysterious Virtue stand up to the increased strength and dueling prowess of Envy's more powerful self? However, one question is one everyone's mind that will at last be answered. Who is Prudence?_

_See it all in, The Last Virtue!_


	74. The Last Virtue

Author's Note: And now for the reveal of the final Virtue.

**Chapter Seventy-Four: The Last Virtue**

"I activate the magic card Bury the Dead which lets me send up to three monsters from my deck to the cemetery!" The duelist was a dark haired boy, whose hair was spiked up in individual locks, giving him a porcupine look. He held up three cards and dumped them into his cemetery. He wore an Obelisk Blue uniform and couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen.

Grasping another card from his hand he held it out, smirking with his brown eyes twinkling. "Prepare for my power foreigner! I activate Renewal of Triplets which lets me special summon three monsters from my cemetery that share the same name. My choice is my three Fusilier Dragons (2800/2000 X3)!"

Three identical mechanical dragons roared as they dropped onto the field, smoke pouring out of their mouths. As soon as his monsters were in play he slipped another card into his disk. "War Factory Release allows me to special summon one fusion machine from my fusion deck that has a lower level than that of half the combined level of all monsters on my field. That means I can special summon up to a level twelve machine fusion!"

Another huge shape appeared on his field, this one having three heads and a silvery sheen. "And here's Cyber End Dragon (4000/2800) another of my beautiful machines! But he won't be alone! I activate War Machine Duplication! When I successfully special summon a machine I can special summon as many copies of that monster as I can. So from my fusion deck I special summon another Cyber End Dragon!"

A second Cyber End Dragon formed giving him a full set of monsters, each with an incredible degree of power. "After the effect of War Machine Duplication resolves I have to pay eight hundred life points per summoned monster." (NLP: 3200)

Natori Yusumi smirked and looked down at the two remaining cards in his hand. _'My machine rush deck has gotten even stronger since last time, there's no way I'm going to this guy.'_

A single card appeared behind his five monsters and he gave his opponent a nod of the head. "That ends my turn."

Natori waited semi-patiently for his opponent to make a move, but so far nothing was happening. "Well, are you going to duel or just stand there with your head in the clouds the whole time?"

Slowly his opponent lowered his head, purple hair drifting in front of his violet eyes. "Sorry, all I was hearing was the buzzing of a lowly fly who doesn't know his place. I was thinking I would kill time waiting for word from an ally…but if this is all you can manage I can't even make this last two more turns."

The second year Obelisk Blue student growled deep in his chest and pointed one finger at his opponent, specifically his middle finger. "And now I know why they call you Pride! How can you possibly call such an impressive rush not worth your time?"

Pride smiled lazily and put two fingers on top of his deck. "Impressive rush? Sorry boy, but I don't pay much heed to duelists who think that throwing around a couple of powerful attackers is impressive."

He drew casually and barely glanced at his card. "I was thinking that I should still let you have one more turn after mine and finish you on my next turn, but after that I don't feel like letting you wait. I'm going to end this duel right now."

Natori's eyes widened and then he burst out laughing. "You can't back that up! There's no way you can defeat me in one turn when this is my field!"

"No way? Hmph, in case you didn't pay attention to the pro league I am Kyo Okiayu the duelist known as Pride! The champion undefeated duelist with one hundred straight pro league tournament victories under my belt! The man they call the Perfect Duelist, the man they call God of the Pro League!" Natori gulped as the ground began to shake and wind suddenly picked up, whipping about them harshly.

Pride thrust one of his hand cards into the air above his head and his violet eyes narrowed. "Compared to me you're nothing but a waste of air nobody! Now stop buzzing little insect! God Slash activates!"

The Sin swung his arm down in a cutting motion and an arc of pitch-black energy exploded from it, swinging like a scythe across the field and cleaving each of Natori's five monsters in half. The Obelisk Blue screamed as it struck him in the chest and ripped his blazer clean off. (NLP: 0)

Natori collapsed face-first into the ground, the force of the attack having knocked him unconscious. Pride sighed and shuffled his deck together, then looked towards the forest. "Don't take too long Envy, if this is what even Obelisk Blue has to offer then I can't be distracted for long."

"Perhaps you'd prefer an opponent of caliber rather than such lowly nothings like that." Pride turned, his sleeveless black leather coat whipping in the wind. He smirked at the sight in front of him. A tall man with white hair whose own blue trench coat was similarly captured by the wind.

"Kaiser…what a pleasant sight to see. You may just be the most worthy duelist on this island of my skill, but I'm afraid that I can't fight you quite yet. Let's save it for another time, shall we?" They locked eyes and time seemed to stand still.

When the spell was broken Pride turned and walked away, waving his hand as a way of saying farewell. "Don't get too cocky Kaiser, against the God of the Pro League you're still nothing but a child."

When Pride was out of sight Harrison looked down at his glove right hand and scowled. He clenched it into a fist and looked back up to the forest. "I was actually nervous…how long has it been since I've been unable to feel confident about my prospects in a duel? The last time I can remember is…my first Darkness Game."

Harrison held his hand up in front of him and unclenched it, staring at the brown leather. "I'm not confident…yet at the same time I'm excited. I look forward to when we get a chance to duel God of the Pro League."

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The Obelisk Blue male dormitory number one, a veritable mansion with enough room to house two hundred students, each in individual rooms. Generally the highest ranking Obelisks were placed into this original dorm, just as the highest ranking female Obelisks were placed in the original women's dorm overlooking the sea.

At eleven fifteen in the night, past curfew, the Obelisk Blue male dormitory number one was covered in darkness. Normally the darkness was merely that of night since after curfew all lights were turned off. However, this time the darkness was far deeper than normal.

Sanzo Uzumaki frowned deeply from his spot perched on a tree limb right outside the dorm. "This danger is tremendous…and it's different from any aura I've ever felt before. One part Sin…one part something else. And that something is oddly familiar, as if I've sensed something similar before. And this Darkness Game reflects it. Whatever generated this Darkness Game, for it to take up such a large area…has a lot of power."

Had he not taken to his habit tonight of napping in a tree branch because of a tingling sensation between his shoulder blades he'd be trapped inside as well. "And there's no entering once it's begun, not unless the person who started it wants you in. That murky darkness will just swallow everything."

His eyes widened as a memory returned to him. _"A reflection of darkness left from the powers sealed here."_

_"All those True Sins together, even the one in the cave."_ Sanzo turned away from the dormitory and looked into the distance where he knew the entrance to The Vault was located.

"Somebody was lying…and its time to get some answers. Let's find out why you and this one and her all feel similar shall we?" He leapt from the tree and into another branch, and then sprang from it to the next. It was time to discover the truth.

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Within the confines of the Obelisk Blue dorm every single student but one was frozen, unable to move. They were either in their beds or up and about, but they were still stopped. All save for one. And he shuddered at the cold feeling around him. "So this is what a Darkness Game is like I see."

"That's right, it's absolutely luscious isn't it white knight?" The teen spun around, swinging his flashlight to try and pinpoint the source of the voice in the darkness. However, as soon as the light settled on a figure it blinked out.

"Who's there? What do you want?" A feminine giggle washed through the darkness to reach his ears. He shivered again, feeling a tinge of unbalance to that laugh. Whoever was there wasn't entirely stable.

Green flames roared up in a giant circle around the two of them, illuminating both figures in the shadows. The teen jumped forwards, trying to get a little bit farther away from the flames. "I'm hungry…you look too tasty to pass up. Call me Envy…and I'll call you dinner."

Clothed in a skin-tight emerald dress was a gorgeous woman with shimmering eyes that were a light blue in color with a spinning circle of green around the iris. "I am no one's meal. If it's a battle you wish, then I shall face you with all of my strength. And if you are one of the Seven Sins and I must fight you…then I shall do so with the honor my family carries! I shall defeat you if I must."

She giggled, brining her left hand up to her mouth to cover it. "He was right; you're too stuffy not to be Prudence. I bet you taste just like mint tea…" (ELP: 4000)

When he saw her emerald duel disk activate he turned to look for his, only to find that it was already on his arm. "I should have expected that. I don't know precisely what this is about, but if you're so eager to eat me then I won't hold back. I'll counter you with all the strength carried by this name of mine. I am not your meal; I am Alec Masters of Obelisk Blue, your opponent!" (ALP: 4000)

He drew from his deck and narrowed his eyes, taking in his opponent. _'Having never been in a Darkness Game I don't know what to expect. From what I understand attacks are more dangerous, so I'll begin cautiously. Since her strategy is also a mystery I'll have to behave accordingly. As one of the Seven Sins I cannot take her lightly.'_

"I begin by summoning Mortal Soldier (700/500) in defense mode. Then I continue by placing two cards face down. End turn!" He nodded to her and lowered his hand, waiting for her to make his move.

Envy drew smiling oddly, one corner of her mouth quirked up higher than the other. She passed her gaze over his older grizzled man wearing simple beat-up armor and smiled wider. "This should be interesting shouldn't it? And to be nice since a meal is best worth being earned…I won't eat any of you until I earn it!"

She slapped one of her hand cards onto her duel disk and licked her lips as her monster formed. Alec frowned at the sight of the creature. "Hideous…"

Far removed from the exotic beauty of Kara York's Geisha monsters Envy's newly summoned creature appeared to be a wooden woman wearing a ratty blue dress. Poking out from rotted holes in the creature's wooden surface were worms flailing about. "She's a real beauty yes isn't she? She wants to be at least, but she's so envious of those that are better than she is. That's why she's Envious Spirit-Worm Doll (800/300)!"

Snickering she pointed at Alec's face-up monster and Worm Doll opened its wooden jaws, revealing hundreds of worms moving about inside. "Worm Doll will attack your monster!"

The worms shot out of the mouth at high speed plowing into Mortal Soldier. The man screamed and then his flesh was engulfed by the worms and he shattered. Alec grimaced and slid his monster into his cemetery. "When Mortal Soldier is destroyed as a result of battle and goes to the cemetery I can special summon a level four or lower mortal aspect from my hand or deck to the field!"

A grey armored dark haired male knight wielding a spear and buckler formed on Alec's side of the field in a crouched position, buckler at the ready. "I special summon Angel Knight Bertrand-Mortal Aspect (1000/1000) in defense mode!"

The Obelisk Blue snapped his left arm out to the side towards his left most set card, immediately it flipped up. "Eternal Will is a continuous trap card that grants me five hundred life points whenever an Angel Knight is summoned." (ALP: 4500)

Envy clapped her hands together in delight and then reached for one of the cards she was holding. "That's great, that'll make this even more satisfying once I eat you. I love it when they fight back!"

She licked her lips as a card appeared face-down behind her creepy doll monster. "Struggling only makes you tastier…"

Alec snapped a card off his deck and pointed at his face-up monster which immediately went up in a blaze of light. "I sacrifice Angel Knight Bertrand to summon Angel Knight Beowulf-Mortal Aspect (2200/1800)!" (ALP: 5000)

His new grey armored warrior had a tremendous buster sword slung over his right shoulder, held casually in a one-handed grip even though it was as long as he was and about as thick. "Beowulf's commanding ability is second to none and with that inspiration he can bring his soldiers to redouble their efforts. Let me show you first hand his abilities! Attack!"

Beowulf swung his buster sword off his shoulder and down the field in a massive arc, cleaving through the doll in a single stroke. Envy cackled as her face-down card lifted up. "Dark Emotion Field is a continuous trap card that reduces all damage I receive from battle with Envious Spirits by half." (ELP: 3300)

Her smirk was turned to surprise when a blast of light leapt from Alec's field and slammed into her chest. "What in the world was that?" (ELP: 3000)

"My own continuous trap card Eternal Vendetta deals you 300 life points of damage every time an Angel Knight attacks. But it doesn't end there. While Beowulf is in play whenever a Mortal Aspect defeats a monster in battle they can attack a second time!" Envy shrieked as the blade changed directions and slashed her across the shoulder. But to her surprise it didn't draw blood or hurt.

Alec smirked just as a blast of light hit her again. "In all honesty though the second attack does no life point damage. However, thanks to Eternal Vendetta I was still able to inflict damage." (ELP: 2700)

Folding his arms over his chest Alec let out a calming breath and nodded to her. _'This is going well so far but I can't get overconfident. She's not weak, I can already tell that.'_

Her face-up trap card glowed purple for a second and then Worm Doll pulled itself out of the pitch-black ground. "During my end phase Dark Emotion Field lets me pay five hundred life points to special summon one Envious Spirit from my grave to the field that was defeated in battle this turn." (ELP: 2200)

She drew and nibbled on her bottom lip as she examined her choices. "So many beautiful options…and I know exactly what I'd like to do next!"

Another monster appeared on her field, this one a wooden puppet in the shape of a dog, only its four legs were different lengths and it had patches of black fur. Some of the patches appeared to be stained with blood. "This is Envious Spirit-Beast Doll (1000/500) once loved by a pretty girl but then cast aside in favor of other, prettier dolls. In response Beast Doll grew angry and ripped her throat out as vengeance!"

Alec had to force himself not to shudder at the image that came to mind. "You're a monster."

"That's so true! Of course that doesn't matter does it? Oh, but wait! I forgot it was time to show you what makes my monsters so dangerous. Worm Doll, I activate your special ability, Doll Strings!" Alec was shocked to see lines of thread shoot out of the monster's body and latch onto his Beowulf. Then it was dragged over to his field and strapped tight to Beowulf's armored chest.

"What are you doing? What's it done to my Beowulf?" Envy giggled as Beowulf's attack points began to rapidly dwindle, falling down to sixteen hundred.

"Every Envious Spirit can change itself into an equip card on one of your monsters. Worm Doll drains the equipped monster's attack points by six hundred, that's all." Alec reached up and rubbed his chin, contemplating this type of effect. Finally after a few moments he smiled.

"So it appears your monsters are a unique type of union monster. However, therein lays their weakness. Because they turn into equip cards that means they go into your magic and trap zone. The more you equip to my monsters the fewer spaces you have for other cards. It also might tend to leave you vulnerable to attack when your monsters vanish by equipping to mine. An interesting concept, but not without flaws." Envy cocked her head to the side, and then a manic grin appeared on her face.

"You're pretty smart and that's a wonderful thing to behold! But your brains aren't without flaws either. Deck card activate, Reserved Space!" A card was spat out of her deck and into her hand. She held it up for him to see, revealing a magic card showing a parking garage with a sign over an empty parking space labeled 'reserved'.

"Reserved Space can be activated from my deck when I have at least two continuous magic or trap cards face-up on my field. It then goes to my graveyard and as long as it exists there permanent cards no longer take up zones for either of us. One weakness eliminated!" She clapped her hands together with delight even as she discarded Reserved Space to the cemetery.

Once it was in the grave she lifted one finger and pointed it at Beowulf. To Alec's surprise Beowulf suddenly groaned and exploded. "Oh, and when Worm Doll equips to a level five or higher monster I can instantly detonate that monster."

Alec closed his eyes for a moment, realizing that left him vulnerable to an attack. "Sacrificing one monster to defeat mine, a one to one ratio. However, its limit of five or higher would mean you'd be better off with a card like Exiled Force."

A sucking sound made him open his eyes, and coming together on Envy's field was none other than Worm Doll. "Sorry white knight, but my Envious Spirits are actually special summoned back to my field when the monster they're equipped to is destroyed. So that means…a delicious double direct attack!"

He threw up an arm in front of him to guard against the sudden storm of worms that bombarded him. However, it wasn't enough to stop Beast Doll from jumping and latching onto his arm, drawing blood. "Damn…" (ALP: 3200)

She giggled and placed a card down onto her field. "Turn End white knight."

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Murk frowned as he found himself between the proverbial rock and a hard place. **"Alright then, what do you want Sanzo? I prefer my solitude."**

Sanzo nodded and planted his hands on his hips. "I want an answer to a question. When Harrison was close to killing you at that time you said you were just born as a reflection of darkness from the evil cards sealed here. But then Frost, Inferno, and Saint all referred to you as a True Sin. So which is it? Reflection or True Sin?"

The masked individual paused for a moment and then pulled back his hood, revealing a head of black hair. Then he reached behind his head and began to undo the clasps on his gas mask. **"I suppose I can answer that question. The truth is that I lied the first time, and that the second isn't accurate either, at least not entirely."**

When the mask came off Sanzo couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Murk chuckled and let the mask go limp in his left hand dropping to his side. **"That's been everyone's reaction, save for Saint Beatrix. He just smiled and said it was the only thing pure about me, and that was a beautiful thing."**

Sanzo had never seen anything like it. He was looking at Murk…but it wasn't like looking at a human face. It was flat, not rounded like a normal person's face, and had a waxy look to it. But the primary thing that distinguished Murk's face was that there were no facial features whatsoever. No eyes, no ears, no nose, no mouth. "What…what are you?"

**"What I am is a masked man, a True Sin only because that's the power that gave birth to me. I am a failed experiment, a child-like test by the one that they called Innocent Zero Zero, or sometimes Innocent Alpha."** He strapped the mask back on, obviously feeling more comfortable with it.

Considering it was a familiar term Sanzo was easily able to bring it back to the forefront of his mind. "Zero Zero…so you're saying that whoever created you was the very first True Sin?"

Murk laughed his laughter a sad and despairing sound. **"If ones like Frost and Inferno are True Sins then no, she's no True Sin. Compared to her, those two might as well not exist. You see, she has a power that steps past the boundaries between heaven and earth. Compared to those of us who dwell in the dark earth she is the Right Hand of God himself."**

He paused for a moment and placed his gloved hand over his masked face. **"She is called The Mother."**

Sanzo's eyes narrowed and he bit his lip. _'Power that stands at the side of God…even without knowing what that means I think I understand why Murk feels similar to Nightmare and why those two both feel similar to whatever created that Darkness Game.'_

_'If Murk is created by the imagination and power of another True Sin, and this creature that began the Darkness Game is of a similar nature then that brings me to one conclusion from what I've felt about Nightmare.'_ He looked up at the entrance to cavern and frowned, not liking his train of thought.

_'Mizuki Mitsuhiro…is a True Sin.'_

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Alec drew fiercely from his deck and then fanned out his four cards. _'Her strategy is impressive, however her two monsters are fairly weak, and the only threat is that face-down card. If I can surpass that then I can inflict severe damage.'_

After looking over his cards thoroughly he saw a combo beginning to form. _'I just need one more card to make this work. If I draw it now then I'll gain an advantage.'_

Nodding once to himself in confidence he held up his drawn card. "I activate Gathered Resolve which allows me to draw one card from my deck for each level of one monster on the field. Afterwards I must discard one card from the top of my deck for each of those levels. I choose your level three Beast Doll!"

He picked up the top three cards and placed them into his hand, and then slid the next three cards into the graveyard. He smiled at what he had drawn. _'Excellent.'_

"I begin by playing the field magic card Fortress of the Divine! In this place each 'Mortal Aspect' gains five hundred attack and each 'Divine Aspect' gains five hundred defense." A glowing fortress of light formed behind him, angelic archers set at the ramparts with their sights set on Envy. Floating in the air above it were monsters like Happy Lover and Shining Friendship.

Alec placed a second card into his duel disk and a familiar ankh appeared in front of him. "Monster Reborn will recall Angel Knight Beowulf-Mortal Aspect (2200/1800) to the field!"

His monster smirked as soon as it was back, hefting its giant blade above its head. "The second effect of Fortress of the Divine activates at this time. Whenever an Angel Knight is special summoned its controller draws one card."

He drew again, and then his face-up Eternal Will card sent particles of light into his duel disk. "Also the effect of Eternal Will grants me five hundred life points." (ALP: 3700)

Tossing a new card onto his deck caused a kindly-looking male angel with white skin and golden hair wearing a golden robe and carrying a short, golden staff to descend from the fortress. "Once more Eternal Will grants me life points since I summoned Angel Knight Vlad-Divine Aspect (900/1700 +500)." (ALP: 4200)

Envy smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "It's just a pity that monster doesn't get any benefits from Beowulf's effect otherwise I might just be in trouble."

Alec was the one to smirk this time as he reached down and picked up Vlad off his duel disk. "Apparently you know little about the Angel Knights. You see each one can be shuffled into my deck in order to special summon the other aspect from my deck. Of course if I do so its other aspect can't use that effect during this turn. So I trade in Divine Aspect for Angel Knight Vlad-Mortal Aspect (1700 +500/900)!"

Vlad screamed and his body shifting, transforming him into a gaunt knight in gray armor with white hair wielding a hooked sword. As soon as he was on the field Alec reached for his deck. "Now the dual effects of Eternal Will and Fortress of the Divine activate! One more card and five hundred more life points!" (ALP: 4700)

Taking one of his five cards he held it above his head. "Now to make good use of those gained life points I play Divine Judgment! At a cost of one thousand life points I can destroy any card on your field and I choose your face-down card!" (ALP: 3700)

Envy pouted as her set card was blown apart, leaving her with no defenses against his coming assault. "Well that's just a pity isn't it?"

"If you're hungry, perhaps you should try eating this? Vlad (2200) attack Beast Doll!" Vlad screamed bloody murder as he jumped forward, swinging his hooked blade repeatedly. It hacked Beast Doll into pieces, leaving nothing but wood chips. (ELP: 1600)

Alec snapped his hand out towards his Eternal Vendetta card which spat a blob of white light at Envy. "Eternal Vendetta deals you three hundred damage at this time!" (ELP: 1300)

Vlad screamed in rage again and slashed his hook across Envy's chest, drawing a jagged line of blood. Alec's eyes widened at the dreadful damage but his surprise only increased when it healed in mere seconds. "What…what was that?"

Envy shrugged and patted her stomach. "Not sure really, but I guess my body isn't really that easy to hurt is it? Oh…but why did he attack me like that? And why did I take damage?" (ELP: 700)

The British duelist frowned but shook his head and got back to business. "Quite simple really. As long as Vlad is on my field whenever a Mortal Aspect destroys a monster in battle you take two hundred damage per its level."

He thrust out his hand and Vlad began his run towards Worm Doll. "Like before Beowulf allows a Mortal Aspect an additional attack at no damage if it defeats a monster in battle! So I'll take out Worm Doll!"

Worm Doll's head went flying through the air after one stroke of Vlad's deadly sword. Immediately afterwards a blast of white light hit Envy. "Eternal Vendetta damages your life points!" (ELP: 400)

Vlad raised his sword above his head in front of the defenseless Envy. "Now for the exact kill Vlad's special ability activates once again. And for both levels of your Worm Doll you take four hundred damage!"

Alec looked away, refusing to watch as Vlad's sword swung directly down towards her skull. But instead of hearing a sickening scream like he was expecting all he heard as delighted laughter. "That tickles!"

He whipped his head up and found that she had caught the blade, at least in part. It had pierced through her palm, splattering blood across her pale beautiful face. However, she didn't seem to be in pain. "Guess I'm not finished quite yet." (ELP: 4900)

"How…how did you get those life points? That shouldn't be possible!" Envy snickered and held up a single card. It was a trap that showed a man in a fetal position, surrounded by a dark aura.

"The card you destroyed earlier is called Aura of Envy and once during the duel while it's in the cemetery I can remove it to gain life points equal to the total attack of each monster on your field. Of course I can't have any monsters either, but it was quite the life boost." Alec grimaced and looked to his Beowulf.

"We're not quite finished here yet! Beowulf (2700) still gets a direct attack for this turn! Show her your strength!" Laughing she pulled her hand out from the blade and held up her arm, causing the sword to strike it. The steel penetrated the layers of flesh and stopped at the bone. (ELP: 2200)

Beowulf pulled his sword back and returned to Alec's field. Envy licked her arm, lapping up the blood even as her wound healed. Alec scowled as he realized how ineffective his attacks had been. _'Even with the damage from Eternal Vendetta I barely did any real damage this turn.'_ (ELP: 1900)

Placing a single card into his duel disk Alec ended his turn, knowing he would have to be prepared for whatever attempts she made in this next turn. _'She's no slouch, so I can't allow her to recover the advantage this turn. Not in a duel that's this dangerous.'_

Even as his turn ended Worm Doll returned to the field, Envy's life points dropping in the process thanks to her Dark Emotion Field. "It's my turn white knight…" (ELP: 1400)

Envy examined the four cards in her hand, but she seemed almost as interested in the way her fingers moved as she was with the actual cards. "The human body is so delightfully intriguing…I just wish I had gotten one sooner. It's so much fun, all these new sensations!"

"Envy…there's something I've been wondering about. Earlier you called me Prudence. Why did you call me that? And why did you really target me? What's the purpose behind all of this?" The Sin cocked her head to the side and smiled that odd smile of hers, reminding him of a bird as she blinked her bright eyes.

"It's all a matter of Pride really…" Alec raised an eyebrow and Envy giggled in response.

"Not the feeling, the person. Pride told me to take you out before Saint Beatrix could put any influence on you. As for me, I'm just in it to get a tasty meal. You're the first person I've gotten to eat on this island since Pride told me to keep my head low. I don't really even care about what part you play in his plans or in Saint's plans. All I care about is the sensation and the meal!" She snapped her fingers and grinned brightly as if remembering something.

"Oh that's right! Speaking of that I am pretty hungry so I guess I'll just defeat you now." Alec frowned and clenched his right hand into a fist.

"You're willing to take the life of another for such simplistic reasons? You're willing to listen to someone who would do the same without even knowing what you were doing it for? You…I cannot forgive you for this, nor will I forgive Pride! I may not know or understand what's going on but I know what is wrong and what is right! I will defeat you with all that I am!" Envy leaned forwards and her smile twisted into something warped, a strange mix of eager delight and dark fury.

"That sort of the emotion is the kind of thing that tastes the best! Nothing is more delicious than righteous feelings! The more you gather your resolve and steel yourself the tastier you become! There's no way I'll let this meal pass me up!" A card appeared on her field, forming into the ever familiar greening green pot.

Alec motioned to his face-down card and it flipped up immediately. "There will be no recovering resources! Holy Counterstrike allows me to send my Angel Knight Claire-Divine Aspect (1000/1500) from my hand to the grave to negate and destroy Pot of Greed!"

The green pot shattered, dropping Envy's number of cards in hand to three without her even getting her card's effect. "I will not be defeated by a monster who does violent deeds for such a nothing reason."

"Actually…you will! I activate Pandemonium Call! At a cost of a thousand life points I can special summon a level four or lower undead or demon monster from my deck to the field!" A new doll burst onto her field in a flash of fire. It had curved horns on its head and a mouth filled with wooden fangs. (ELP: 400)

Snickering she slammed her next card into her duel disk. "Inferno Reckless Summon activates when I special summon a monster of fifteen hundred attack points or less! Now I get to summon all copies of that monster from my deck to the field while you can do the same with a monster on your field!"

Alec frowned and looked at both of his monsters. _'Even though the aspects are similar they aren't considered the same monster. So I only have on copy of each of my monsters. Keeping copies would be like having spares of family…'_

A pair of identical dolls appeared on the field, giving her a frightening looking trio. "Meet my three Envious Spirit-Hell Dolls (650/450)! And meet them more personally, because they'll be equipping to your two monsters!"

One each flew forwards and latched on to his Angel Knights, sinking their fangs into his knight's vulnerable neck flesh. "Leeching off of others, is that really the only thing you can do Envy?"

Each of his monsters lost two hundred attack points as the effect of her Hell Dolls kicked in. "Something like that…yes. But white knight…I'm going to eat you now! This one card changes everything and its such an old card that it was one of the very first ever released! It's more than thirty years old!"

Her card appeared on the field and Alec felt his will almost completely shatter. "No…impossible…"

"The look on your face…it's glorious! Eternal Rest destroys all monsters on the field with cards equipped to them!" Each of the Angel Knights shattered, leaving Alec's field empty save for his continuous traps and his field card.

Alec screamed as fire erupted around him, forcing him backwards nearly into the emerald flames. "This…can't be…" (ALP: 2700)

"When the monster equipped with Hell Doll is destroyed its controller takes five hundred damage. And when the monster an Envious Spirit is equipped to is blown away the Envious Spirit is special summoned back to my field!" The two Hell Dolls dropped back down onto her field, giving her a swarmed field of four monsters.

Thrusting her right hand forwards Envy's mouth opened wider than should have been possible, her terrible joy evident. "Here's the final blow! Go my Envious Spirits, drain him dry!"

His screams increased when the three Hell Dolls clamped their teeth onto him while worms bombarded his face and body, some of them even trying to crawl into his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. (ALP: 0)

Envy tilted her head up and her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she shuddered in ecstasy. "Your pain is…beautifully delicious. Let me eat all of your intense feelings! Sate my hunger white knight, for just a moment longer!"

She drank in his screams until they died down, his body collapsing face-down. The darkness around the Obelisk Blue dormitory lifted, leaving Alec Masters unconscious in his own room. "Caught in a world devoid of any positive feelings you'll float around in that despair for as long as your emotions are in my belly. Enjoy that world, like all my victims do."

Turning on her heel she leapt out the window alighting on the ground with surprising ease. "It's just a pity that none of my victims can seem to still have anything left over afterwards. All except for one…the other white knight. The perfect meal…"

Giggling to herself Envy spun in a circle, her wide eyes regarding the whole of the academy. "All of this academy and the whole world just seems to be the perfect place to live, a miracle world! I like this place…billions of people wandering around without a care in the world with all those amazing emotions floating around inside of them."

She shuddered again and stopped her spin, licking her lips at the thought. "Billions of people like happy meals on legs. I'm hungry just at the thought…"

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Saint sighed and leaned his head into his palm. "Truly a pity, but sacrifices must be made to maintain the status quo. If Pride is to be retained as an ally for the time being I must have him believe himself to be a free agent. Even so, I wasn't the one most interested in Mister Masters."

A blonde haired Obelisk Blue stood behind him, jade eyes shimmering in the darkened room. "You spend your Heralds unwisely Saint Beatrix. I will conserve my own unless necessary to use them. Yes, Alec Masters would have made an excellent ally and still may. You can't expect this Envy to last forever."

The German duelist smiled even though he wasn't looking at his companion. "Yes, her appetite will be her undoing. That's a feeling you would understand Mister Shadow."

When his companion didn't respond Saint smiled slightly wider and continued. "I do admit to being curious why you haven't reported my actions to our friends. I'm certain with your knowledge of my overall plans they'd be most upset with me."

Mister Shadow didn't blink as he spoke. "It's simple. The truth of the matter is that I don't mind one way or another. If your plan succeeds I'll live a new life in your new world. If it fails, I shall take up the reigns and let our friends take the world into its new direction. Whichever world it is I'll live in it. This world or the next, they're all the same to me."

The mysterious duelist faded away as if he had never been, leaving Saint alone in his room. Saint closed his eyes and smiled to himself appearing amused. "Yes, we do differ. To me, the nature of the world is the most important thing. When my paradise has been born, I'll be certain to keep a warm place for you my friend. I'll cull that negligence out of you and purify you in the light."

He leaned forward and smiled, an image of Shiro Akugi appearing in front of him, the boy lying in his hospital bed. "I wonder just how Miss Mitsuhiro will react when she sees the light in Mister Akugi's eyes."

At that moment Shiro's eyes snapped open.

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Author's Note: Was hopping to have it done Wednesday but again my social life jumped out and surprised me. Really, honestly, I hadn't expected it. I got a surprise phone call and talked for two hours, and then was invited to a friend's house where I watched Get Shorty. Since I worked Thursday and Friday I only managed to finish it at about 2:24 in the morning of Saturday. Hope you enjoyed.

_Next Time: Despite Chizuma's defeat Lust isn't ready to quit quite yet. This time she sends none other than Shiro against a weakened Mizuki. Finally awakened to Shiro's feelings for her the Rising Star of Duelist Academy must decide exactly what her feelings are for him. Unless she can discover this she can't continue her duel against Shiro, and that is exactly Lust's intent._

_See it all in, All's Fair in Love and War!_


	75. All's Fair in Love and War

Author's Note: The long awaited (possibly) rematch between Mizuki and Shiro!

**Chapter Seventy-Five: All's Fair in Love and War**

"So I'm getting out today? That's great!" Shiro practically jumped out of his bed, ecstatic at the thought of being released. Poor Chizuma was stuck in for another couple of days, but now he got to enjoy the sunshine again!

The doctor smiled and lowered his notepad. "That's right Mister Akugi. You should be more careful about exploring caves next time so that you and your friends don't get hurt."

Shiro chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, trying to stop the blush rising to his cheeks. "Yeah…that crazy dangerous cave…hehehehe…."

His doctor eyed him askance and then sighed and shook his head, knowing how eccentric the boy could be. "Just imagine how excited and happy your friends will be to hear you're all better."

Shiro titled his head up and imagined it, just like the doctor said.

_Mizuki waited for him at the top of a hill, her blazer half-way unbuttoned to show a healthy amount of cleavage. She seemed to be breathing heavily and had a seductive look in her eyes. "Shiro you stud you, take me now!"_

A bit of drool appeared at the corner of Shiro's mouth and the doctor tilted his head, sweat-dropping at the sight. Off to the side Chizuma just sighed and shook her head. "Pervert…"

_Sanzo waved brightly at Shiro, his teeth glinting and locks of his hair blowing in the wind. "Welcome back Shiro, we're glad to have you return to us safely! Come let me show you the ways of the hero so that never again are you injured!"_

Now Shiro's head dropped a little and he sighed. Both the doctor and Chizuma matched eyes and then shrugged.

_Enzeru stood with his arms folded at the entrance to the Obelisk Blue dorm, his confidence coming off of him in waves. "Now that you're better join me in the ranks of Obelisk Blue where you truly belong. And teach me your glorious methods of dueling so that I to can be a supreme duelist."_

Shiro snickered quietly at this thought and the other two's confusion grew.

_Standing with trench coat fluttering in the wind and icy eyes staring down at Shiro was Harrison, his glower prominent as ever. "Just die."_

Suddenly Shiro jumped to his feet on top of the bed and shook his fist at the ceiling, startling both Chizuma and the doctor. "Say that to my face you arrogant jackass! I'll kick your ass!"

As Shiro growled more obscenities at a non-existent Harrison Chizuma looked over at the doctor and tapped her chin. "Did you check for brain damage?"

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To Shiro's annoyance there was no Sanzo wishing to teach him the ways of the hero, no Enzeru begging for his tutelage, and most sadly no Mizuki begging for his macho touch. "How come I had to get released while everybody else was still in class? I'm supposed to walk back into my dorm and find streamers and 'welcome back' posters and stuff!"

The Ra Yellow dorm was surprisingly barren, which of course wasn't surprising as, like he had noted before, it was class time. "So…I've got a couple options. Two of them involve popcorn, the third involves that nice little 'playgirl' program for the Ra Yellow duel arena."

He paused and then burst out laughing. "Who the heck am I kidding? I've got time to kill; I'm so going for number three!"

As he rummaged through his personal belongings for the program he had downloaded off the internet he began to imagine the results of his prank. "I wonder what Shadow Tamer looks like without that white outfit of hers…"

"Probably pretty sexy is my guess. Then again she's already sexy as is, so it's just a step up." Shiro yelped and jumped, his head banging against the inside of his drawer. Groaning he pulled his head out, rubbing the bruised spot.

"That freaking hurt, don't sneak up on…a…guy….like….that?" He trailed off, not quite sure if he believed what he was seeing. Standing at the entrance to his room with one arm against the doorframe was a gorgeous woman.

The thing about her that really had him goggling was that she had to be at least twenty and had bright blue hair tied into giant pigtails on the side of her head. And she was wearing a middle school sailor fuku with a skirt that was borderline criminal short. She smiled seductively at him, her emerald eyes heatedly meeting his as she leaned forward, letting him see down the top of her sailor fuku.

"I like the way you think Shiro-sama, you've got a sneaky naughty brain on your, just the way I like it. I've always wondered…why not apply that to your love life as well?" Shiro had some experience with women, he had on and off success with them…but he had never had someone actively being seductive. His face turned bright red and he started to lose his train of thought.

Before he knew it the woman had crossed the distance between the two and leaned in close, placing one hand on his cheek and drawing herself in close. Now their faces were mere inches apart. "It'd be sooo much easier if you cleaned up dirty boy."

Shiro's brain twitched, searching for a response as his face started to heat up. "Umm…it's…organized…something…"

She smiled in a way that heated his blood and leaned in further so that her lips were centimeters away from his ear. "I'm going to help you. If you want Mizuki Mitsuhiro all you have to do…is listen to my advice."

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Mizuki yawned and stretched her arms over her head, trying to get the kinks out of her back after a long day. She stopped in her tracks outside the building with her arms still above her head, staring in horror at what she saw. Everyone else was either laughing loudly or hooting. "That guy…he wouldn't have…"

Stretched between two trees was a giant banner with bright red letters making a proud declaration. **Grand Love Duel: Mizuki Mitsuhiro versus Shiro Akugi.** **Confession of a Life Time!**

Dropping her arms Mizuki started to slink away through the crowd, hoping nobody would recognize her. All of a sudden a giant spotlight lit directly on her, singling her out of the crowd. "Hold it right there Mizuki! There's no escaping the pull of my love gravity!"

Sheepishly she stopped her slinking and looked around to find the source of that very familiar voice. _'Where did he even get a spotlight?'_

At the Obelisk Blue main dormitory one German duelist was scowling as he flicked his light switch on and off again to no gain. "Where did all of my lights go?"

Back at Mizuki's humiliation cherry blossom petals began to flutter down across the entire clearing, showering down over all the students. _"Mizuki Mitsuhiro, I Shiro Akugi challenge you to a rematch! The stakes of the duel are simple: your love!"_

Mizuki found herself transfixed into her position even as all the students backed up, revealing the man approaching. It was Shiro, but he had discarded his Ra Yellow blazer in favor of a bright pink kimono worn open over his black shirt. A band was around his forehead with the kanji for 'love' written on it. However, as usual the most unusual thing about Shiro was his hair. It was…pink.

"Why…why in the world would you dye your hair that color?" Shiro smirked and thrust his right arm into the air, snapping open a fan as he did so. Twin spotlights slashed across his position, forming an x-pattern around him.

"Because I am the lord of love, the Prankster of Duelist Academy, this hair symbolizes the bright love I hold for you! Mizuki, duel me and let me win your heart!" He lowered the fan so that it covered the bottom half of his face. Behind it he was grinning like a maniac.

_'In this method I can win her heart for sure, just like that lady said! Without a doubt the best way to get Mizuki to understand my feelings is during a duel!'_ He giggled, wiggling his hips back and forth in his eagerness. A large sweat-drop formed on the back of Mizuki's head at the sight.

From her seat perched on top of the nearby building Lust sighed and shook her head, the pigtails bobbing from the action. "I told him to duel her for her love to make her understand, this other stuff is weird even to my senses…"

Mizuki closed her eyes, taking in the laughter and jeers of the audience. They all seemed to be encouraging the duel. "Shiro…you're being weirder than normal, but I guess I can understand that. But if you want me to take any sort of declaration seriously you're going to have to be a bit more serious about it as well. Who could take this sort of 'love declaration' seriously when it's the first time?"

Shiro grinned and tossed the fan to the side, bringing up his left arm to reveal that he had his duel disk ready to go. "That's what the duel is for, to make you understand my true feelings! The rest of this is just for show, it's just the way I express myself! With great showmanship comes great power and great courage, that's the way to go!"

Setting her back-pack down Mizuki opened it up and pulled her duel disk and deck out. She approached Shiro who met her half-way, exchanging decks with him. "Shiro, I'm not the best at understanding people's feelings, but I still think this is a weird way to express yourself. Even so…just like you always say, regardless of the circumstances let's make this a fun duel."

The prankster grinned and handed her back her shuffled deck, getting his own in return. He brought up his right arm and gave her a thumbs up. "Of course! This will be a lot different from our last duel Mizuki, since this time I'm going to win!"

They parted ways and returned to their original positions, putting about twenty feet between them. Mizuki looked down at her father's old duel disk and then up at Shiro who was grinning like a maniac at her. _'This is so much different from our last duel. That time it was a duel out of anger to try and make him prove a point and to get my aggression out. Then we were enemies. But now…'_

Images of a smiling Shiro flashed through her mind along with images of him running in terror and her hitting him on the head. _'Now he's my best friend who's trying to say things to me that I just…I…but we're opponents, not enemies. Out of respect for that…I have to take this duel seriously!'_

Their eyes met, chocolate brown against emerald, and at once they shoved their decks into their duel disks. The dueling devices whirred into activity and they slash-drew their opening hands. "Duel!" (SLP: 4000) (MLP: 4000)

Mizuki drew first and slapped the card down. "I begin with Rune Lancer (1600/1200) in attack mode! I cover two cards and end my turn!"

Shiro grinned and grabbed the top card of his deck. "Going for a fast move because you're eager to see what I've got in store? Well don't worry Mizuki; I'm going to show you just how much I've improved since we first dueled!"

He looked at the card he had drawn and then at all the cards in his hand, smiling the whole time. _'Mizuki…I can never forget the day we met. Back then I was an idiot who did stupid things all for the chance of some cool cards. I'm still an idiot now…but at least I'm an idiot who can admit his feelings!'_

The prankster grabbed one of his cards and pulled it away from the rest, holding it out to the side. "Mizuki, you may not understand how I feel but I'm going to tell you now that in my heart I'm just a hopeless romantic. I'm the kind of guy who can't give up on a feeling I have no matter how tough things get!"

Immediately after finishing his sentence he slapped his card down onto his duel disk and a spot in front of him began to glow. A handsome young man wearing a sport coat and corduroy pants appeared on his field. The man had a box of chocolates under one arm and flowers in the other and he was staring at Mizuki with a hopeful look in his eyes. "This monster is just like me, a monster torn by his hopeless love! Mizuki, meet the first of the monsters of the deck I've chosen to show you my love!"

The monster got down on one knee and offered up the flowers and the chocolate to Mizuki, who stared at it almost in fear. "What…what kind of Action Warrior is this? He doesn't seem very action prone…"

"That's because he's not an Action Warrior! This is Romance Warrior-Hopeless Romantic (0/1000)!" The audience sweat dropped at the declaration. Even Mizuki seemed stunned to discover that he was using a deck of 'romance warriors', a 'love deck' as it were.

Up on top of the building Lust jumped to her feet and raised a sign with a '5' written on it. "Excellent deck choice, it shows the true depths of love conviction! Five love points!"

Mizuki rubbed her neck, not quite sure what to make of it. "Umm…you're using an entirely different deck to duel me with just because the monsters have 'romance' in their name? Aren't you just being stupidly sentimental? How can you expect to win with a deck other than your own?"

Shiro grinned and thumbed his nose. "You've got it wrong Mizuki! This deck may be chosen for sentimental reasons but it's as much my real deck as my Action Warriors are! It's one of the movie sets that were released by Industrial Illusions, and though Action Warriors are my favorites I'm as skilled with this one as I am with that! And against a deck you don't know a thing about, do you think you can win?"

Snapping out one of his other hand cards revealed a magic card depicting two monsters with arrows between them. "I activate the magic card Creature Swap! And as a gift of my love I'll give you my Hopeless Romantic in exchange for your Rune Lancer! Now our chosen monsters will become like threads between us!"

Their two monsters flickered, vanished, and then appeared on opposite sides of the field. Mizuki frowned as she looked at her new monster. "What's the point of that? Just giving me a monster with zero attack points can't be worth that."

She yelped when Hopeless Romantic turned and whacked her over the head with his flowers. "What the heck did it do that for?"

She was further surprised when the monster knelt down and offered his chocolates to Shiro. Her opponent chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Hopeless Romantic may be determined but he's a bit flighty. His object of love changes easily. So when he changes control the new controller loses half of their life points while the new object of love has their life points doubled."

The crowd whispered in shock as their life point values began to fluctuate in accordance with the effect of Hopeless Romantic. Mizuki bit her bottom lip in realization. _'Incredible…with just two cards he gave himself a huge lead.'_ (MLP: 2000) (SLP: 8000)

Shiro grinned further and pointed at the professing Hopeless Romantic. "Although I'm a hopeless romantic I'm also a hopeful one, so here's my way of saying I don't think it's hopeless between you and I! Rune Lancer attack Hopeless Romantic!"

Mizuki grimaced and motioned to one of her two face-down cards. "I'm not going to let it go perfectly like you're hoping! Rune Symbol-Mannaz's merkstave effect destroys all monsters on the field!"

A bright flash of light covered the field, shattering Rune Lancer and Hopeless Romantic. Shiro paused for a moment and then closed his eyes, still smiling. "Just as to be expected of you Mizuki. Nobody ever gets the best of you easily, that's you as a duelist and a person! Strong even through your doubts!"

A single card appeared in front of him face-down and he opened his eyes, nodding to Mizuki. "We're just getting started Mizuki, so come on and show me your feelings in this duel. I know I love you, but I don't know how you feel at all."

Mizuki drew and looked away from Shiro's piercing gaze. "I don't understand how you can so easily toss around words like 'I love you' when we're just sixteen. This isn't some manga or a movie, its real life. Love isn't such a casual thing, not the way I understand it."

"That's just it Mizuki, this isn't casual for me! That's why I'm putting everything I am into this duel. I've grown to love you. Its more than just the fact that you're beautiful…it's hard to understand, but I'll try to make you understand it anyways. If you want to get how I feel, just come at me with all you can manage! That's the way the Mizuki I know and love would do it!" He flashed her a thumbs up once again and grinned. To her surprise the crowd cheered his name, rooting for him.

_'They all knew…didn't they? Everybody saw it already but me. Shiro loves me…or likes me…or something. But they all knew something was there. The only one who was blind to it was me.' _She looked over the four cards in her hand and frowned, shaking her head.

_'No, that's not true either. I knew, I was just deliberately blinding myself to it. If I didn't acknowledge that Shiro had feelings for me I could just keep thinking of him as my goofy idiot friend. I didn't have to answer any questions, didn't have to change the dynamic that I enjoyed. But that's unfair to Shiro…'_ She shuddered internally, her body shaking on the outside in response.

"I can't just internalize everything because that's just not the right thing to do! I may be a person who internalizes my problems but you're a person who puts everything right out into the open for everyone to see! You're the most honest person I know, so in thanks for your honesty and openness I'll duel my toughest!" She slammed her drawn card into her duel disk and watched as it appeared on her field, another rune symbol.

"Rune Symbol-Wunjo lets me special summon one level four or lower monster from my deck to the field at this time! My choice is Rune Ninja (1700/1400)!" A white-clothed ninja appeared on her field and held up shuriken that glowed with runic magic.

"From my hand I normal summon Rune Guardian (1000/2000) in attack mode! Together these monsters make a formidable duo!" Her next monster was one that was rarely seen face-up on her field as its usual focus was on getting to the graveyard. It was a blonde man in the traditional runic white robes. In place of a bladed weapon it had a massive shield inscribed with runes.

Shiro glanced at his set card and then looked back up at her, grinning all the same. "Alright, bring it on Mizuki!"

"Fine by me! Rune Ninja will attack directly!" Her monster threw a barrage of shuriken sending at least four directly at Shiro. She looked down to his face down card, ready for it to trigger.

Her friend snickered and wagged a finger at her. "Sorry Mizuki but you've got your eyes on the wrong target! Instead of focusing on my field you should have watched my hand! I activate the special ability of the second of my Romance Warriors!"

A blast of light appeared on his field creating a handsome blonde man wearing khakis with a sweat tied around his waist and a polo shirt. "Meet the nice guy of the Romance Warriors, the friendly and welcoming Heart Warming Fellow (1200/1300)!"

The monster smiled and the field turned a faint red color, giving it all a pleasant glow. The shuriken slowed in mid-air as both of Mizuki's monsters gained a relaxed look. "What's happening to them? Why do they look like that?"

"Heh, that's just Heart Warming Fellow's power. He's such a nice guy that as long as he's on the field every monster on _your_ field gains five hundred attack points!" Everyone in the audience began to mutter in confusion at this play. Rune Ninja's attack increased to twenty-two hundred and Rune Guardian's to fifteen hundred thanks to the effect.

Shiro winked at her as Heart Warming Fellow waved eagerly at her monsters. "But since he inspires such nice feelings in others he gets a kindness from them in return. In terms of the game that means for each monster that gets his boost he gains five hundred attack points, making him my anti-rush monster!"

Heart Warming Fellow's attack score settled at twenty-two hundred, making it even with Rune Ninja. Mizuki bit her lip and then thrust out her hand anyways. "I choose not to use the right of recall! Rune Ninja is going to suicide himself with Heart Warming Fellow and take that guy out before he becomes a threat!"

The prankster clapped his hands together and then extended his hand out over his set card. "Since that's technically the beginning of a new battle a new chain can begin, so I'm going to activate my trap card! Romantic Scene-Destined Meeting!"

The trap card showed an image of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl bumping into each other. "This trap card…it's just like us! We met only because Tobias was an asshole, and only then because you beat him in a duel. It was all a chain of seemingly random events that led to our meeting, and now look at us. Friends to the end, inseparable companions who defend each other even in the toughest of situations! If that's not destiny…I don't know what is!"

Rune Ninja groaned and blew apart, leaving only Rune Guardian and Heart Warming Fellow on the field. Since there was one less monster Heart Warming Fellow's attack points reduced to seventeen hundred. "Destined Meeting destroys all monsters on our fields except for one on each field that I choose. I've chosen Heart Warming Fellow and Rune Guardian."

He smiled and shook his head even as light gathered around the two monsters, encircling them. "Funny isn't it that those two monsters were the ones that caused my defeat last duel. Rune Guardian's defense effect saved you from my damage combo and Rune Ninja beat me with its double attack ability. Now here in our second duel they're amongst the first monsters I face. Can you deny the destiny of our meeting Mizuki?"

Mizuki winced and looked around, seeing all of the eager looks on the faces of their audience. Up on top of the building Lust leaned forward, looking intrigued as well. "Come on Rising Star, I'm getting curious myself! This is like a soap opera, it's great!"

The Rising Star calmed herself with one deep breath and then looked into Shiro's eyes, her mind filled with images of their meeting. "I can't deny that it was unusual the way we met, but I don't believe in destiny. We make our own fates, nobody chooses for us. We've become great friends yes…but that doesn't mean it was destiny for us to meet. It doesn't create some magical bond between the two of us."

"Maybe that's the way you see it Mizuki, but I can't get the feeling out of my heart and head that it was meant to be! A hopeless guy like me meeting a beautiful and amazing girl like you? That's the sort of thing that only happens in stories! It's a destined meeting, and a meeting of hearts meant to connect!" He grinned as he leaned in, slashing his arm out to indicate the ring of light surrounding their two monsters.

"After the monsters have been reduced down to just two those monsters battle though neither can be destroyed. And any life point damage dealt is given to the other player as life points." Rune Guardian's shield slammed into Heart Warming Fellow's open palm and the happy monster shoved the defender backwards. (MLP: 1800) (SLP: 8200)

Mizuki held up her hand of cards so that she could look at them, and then snapped them together into one shape. "End turn."

Shiro drew and breathed in deeply as a warm healing light surrounded him. "During my turn I gain three hundred life points per monster boosted by Heart Warming Fellow's effect." (SLP: 8500)

Sliding his drawn card into his duel disk caused a face-up card to appear on his field. The magic card depicted a man offering a heart-shaped box to a happy looking woman. "The continuous magic card White Day is going to be a lot of fun to use. But I'm going to have to wait before I use its effect."

With a cocky grin he pointed at Rune Guardian, who readied his shield in preparation. "Since I can't do anything about that quite yet I'm going to attack Rune Guardian with my Heart Warming Fellow! Heart Warming Gift!"

Heart Warming Fellow walked calmly over to Mizuki's field and wrapped an arm around Rune Guardian's shoulders, poking the monster in his chest. Slowly Rune Guardian smiled, and then he began to laugh. "Heart Warming Fellow isn't much for actual battle, but you get the idea right?" (MLP: 1600)

Rune Guardian faded from view and a slightly saddened looking Heart Warming Fellow went back to Shiro. Since there weren't any monsters on Mizuki's field he also returned to his original attack score. "So what do you think of my deck so far? The Romance Warriors up to snuff?"

Mizuki smirked and depressed a button on her disk. "They're so up to snuff I think I'll borrow one of them! Rune Curse-Shadow of Life now creates a copy of Heart Warming Fellow (1200/1300) on my field!"

The two fellows smiled at each other and the red aura intensified. "And since our monsters each boost each other and then gain a bonus from the other's boost both of them gain a thousand attack points total!"

Their monsters reached twenty-two hundred attack points quickly, keeping them even and giving them the power of lower-class level five monsters. Shiro chuckled and tapped the top of his deck. "Guess I end my turn there."

Mizuki drew and placed the card in her hand. Then she folded up her hand of cards again and smiled slightly. "End." (MLP: 1900)

Now it was Shiro's draw and he found himself getting worried about that look. _'Alright, I drew another monster! Now I can….oh crap…'_ (SLP: 8800)

It made sense now that he was looking at the monster in his hand. _'Damn, I forgot how clever Mizuki can be in duels. If I summon another monster sure it'll get a boost, but that means her Heart Warming Fellow will reach twenty-seven hundred and I won't be able to beat it. And if she does the same my Heart Warming Fellow gets a bonus. It's a stalemate! She's forcibly stalling me!'_

"Clever as always Mizuki. That's one of the things I love about you. Guess I'll just end my turn." The audience groaned as another turn went without action. Mizuki picked up the slack by drawing, putting a fourth card in her hand. (MLP: 2200)

_'More than you know Shiro. Stalling isn't a tactic I normally get to use with this deck, but it can be effective as it forces us to the tenth turn quickly, giving me a chance to start using Rune Lay-Outs. Once those are available the pace of the duel completely changes.'_ So far she only had two Rune Symbols in the graveyard, but she could easily change that in the next three turns.

"I think I'll just call it a turn by playing Rune Symbol-Kenaz to gain twelve hundred life points. That should be enough from me." Shiro grimaced as her life points increased again, nearly undoing all the damage he had managed to do with his Hopeless Romantic combo. (MLP: 3400)

Shiro reached for his deck and drew harshly, feeling like his being forced to stagnate. _'Damn it…this is just like how things have gotten with Mizuki. Our relationship is sitting still just like this duel. And I've got to force this duel to move forward just like I'm using this duel to force our relationship forward!' _(SLP: 9100)

"Alright Mizuki, I'm going to force this duel into the action phase! No more waiting, my strike is coming right now! I summon Romance Warrior-Flirtatious Devil (1300/1000)!" His newest monster looked like an attractive man in his early thirties dressed in a red-suit, save for the stubby red horns jutting out of his slicked back dark hair.

He pointed to his face-up magic card and grinned as Flirtatious Devil walked over to it and leaned on it, winking at Mizuki. "This guy's a lot like me in how much he just loves to flirt. He's a little bit more evil than the other Romance Warriors, but that's just fine by me since he gets the job done! I activate his special effect!"

Flirtatious Devil sneered and snapped his fingers. Instantly Shiro's continuous magic card vanished from the field. "Once per turn Flirtatious Devil can return one magic or trap card on the field to its owner's hand per monster on your field. For each card returned I take three hundred damage!" (SLP: 8800)

Flipping around the White Day card he had returned to his hand Shiro began to explain its effect. "When White Day is returned from my field to my hand I can discard it to increase the attack points of all monsters on my field by a thousand. In exchange you gain five hundred life points per monster on your field." (MLP: 3900)

Shiro's own Heart Warming Fellow powered up to thirty-two hundred whilst his Flirtatious Devil went to twenty-three hundred. "Since you've been focused on your shielding I'm going to take command of the field right now! Heart Warming Fellow, battle with your clone!"

His Heart Warming Fellow unwrapped his jacket and whipped the other Heart Warming Fellow in the butt with it. Mizuki rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance as her monster yelped and then shattered. "What an embarrassing attack method…" (MLP: 3400)

"Better pay attention Mizuki because your field is now completely empty! Flirtatious Devil, attack her directly with Flirting Evil Energy!" Flirtatious Devil winked at her and a pitch-black heart floated out, splattering against her chest. She gulped and tried wiping it away, but it seemed to stick no matter what she tried. (MLP: 1100)

Shiro closed his cards together and then thrust his right arm into the air. "That's the power of romance at its greatest! Mizuki, I've told you my feelings! I've said how I feel; I've told you that I've grown to love you in a way I never expected to. But I want to…no need to know how you feel about me!"

Her eyes widened and he continued his speech, the crowd hushed into silence. "Let me know Mizuki. Am I just your best friend, or is there more to it? Is there a chance of there being more?"

She lowered her head, hair falling over her eyes as she answered, trying to avoid his gaze. "I…I don't know."

Shiro lowered his hand from the air and pointed at her, his eyes burning with his determination. "Not good enough Mizuki! I've been clear about how I feel, so I need to hear it from you! You can't just stand back and say words like 'I don't know' and expect me to accept that. I've waited too long to now and I'm not backing down until I get an answer. The person who should know your feelings is you, so there's no way you don't know!"

He dropped his head and then thumbed at his chest, no smiles and all seriousness. "Look at me Mizuki. I'm not the brightest guy ever. I'm an idiot in terms of common sense and some of the things I do are just really dumb, but at least I'm willing to admit to myself and others how I feel. Is it really that you don't know, or is it that you do know and just can't admit it to yourself or anyone else?"

She shivered under his intense gaze, her hands shaking, the cards barely held in her grip. "I…I…"

"Which is it Mizuki? I'm willing to put everything into this duel, my heart and soul, just to get that answer. So maybe you'd be willing to at least put forth a little bit of yourself for my sake. Which is it? You don't know, or you aren't willing to say?" Mizuki snapped her head up, tears at the corners of her green eyes and Shiro was taken aback by the intense look in her eyes.

"Shiro I…please don't make me…" Shiro's serious look faded at the sight and he smiled in a calming manner.

Slowly he tilted his head up to look at the sky above, enjoying the way the clouds moved in the clear air up over their heads. "Wouldn't it be nice…a cloudless sky. Where nothing blocked the sunlight and we could all just enjoy that warm feeling? I think that's kind of what love is like…a cloudless sky; it's warm with nothing to stop that warmth from covering our skin."

He spread his arms out, enjoying the warm feeling that pattered over his skin. Suddenly he snapped his neck back down and extended his arm, giving her another thumbs up. "I know exactly what to do Mizuki, the only way I can absolutely get an answer!"

Across the island Sanzo Uzumaki lifted his head up and turned, staring in the direction of the class buildings. "My hero senses are tingling! Somebody is going to make a heroic declaration!"

Shiro grinned broadly and his teeth glinted in the bright sun. "With the power of My Rules and the Nice Guy Pose I'll get an answer from you! If I win this duel, you give me an answer!"

Lust leaned over the edge, eyes wide as she eagerly awaited it. "Yes…this is why I chose him! The willingness to put everything at risk for love! This should push Mizuki Mitsuhiro to her limits!"

From his room Saint smiled and leaned back in his chair, enjoying the image he was seeing rotating in front of him. "Mister Akugi, you certainly are the perfect candidate. Let us rock Miss Mitsuhiro's hope together, you and I. Show me the determination that makes you Faith and show Miss Mitsuhiro as well. I'm sure she'll show us an interesting response."

"And if I lose the duel…."

What Mizuki heard next shocked her more than anything else she could possibly have heard.

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Author's Note: My thanksgiving break begins after work tonight, so I figured this was a good time to finish this. I should be able to write more, even though I'm working every day this week save for Saturday. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

_Next Time: As Mizuki and Shiro's duel moves on Mizuki continues to struggle with her feelings. What is Shiro to her? Does she even know? Frustrated by her lack of understanding Shiro makes a fateful declaration and declares his rules. Its all or nothing as it suddenly becomes a grand love duel! Who will win the rematch: Shiro or Mizuki?_

_See it all in, My Rules! Shiro's Love Love Gambit!_


	76. My Rules! Shiro' Love Love Gambit!

Author's Note: Here we go, Shiro versus Mizuki part two!

**Chapter Seventy-Six: My Rules! Shiro's Love Love Gambit!**

_Shiro grinned broadly and his teeth glinted in the bright sun. "With the power of My Rules and the Nice Guy Pose I'll get an answer from you! If I win this duel, you give me an answer!"_

_Lust leaned over the edge, eyes wide as she eagerly awaited it. "Yes…this is why I chose him! The willingness to put everything at risk for love! This should push Mizuki Mitsuhiro to her limits!"_

_From his room Saint smiled and leaned back in his chair, enjoying the image he was seeing rotating in front of him. "Mister Akugi, you certainly are the perfect candidate. Let us rock Miss Mitsuhiro's hope together, you and I. Show me the determination that makes you Faith and show Miss Mitsuhiro as well. I'm sure she'll show us an interesting response."_

_"And if I lose the duel…."_

_What Mizuki heard next shocked her more than anything else she could possibly have heard._

"If I lose…I'll give up on you forever!" Shocked silence fell over the audience watching their duel, including Lust and Saint. A chill fell over the entire academy and the wind died down, forcing the academy into utter quiet for just a single moment.

"Sh…Shiro…you…" Shiro grinned at her and kept his thumb and arm extended, maintaining the nice guy pose.

"That's the word of a man Mizuki, the unbreakable promise of My Rules! I won't go back on my words, that's my way of the duelist!" The audience went from shocked silence to face-faulting in the space of a second.

The first one to right himself shook a fist at Shiro and shouted. "That's too much, think up original material!"

Shiro spun on his heel and glared at the offending Osiris Red student, shaking his fist. "You shut the heck up! That was one of my dramatic moments, you don't go ruining a guy's dramatic moments, and it's like illegal or something! Do you see me ruining any of your dramatic life determining moments?"

His verbal opponent glared right back at him, not backing down an inch. "That's because I'm not a big drama queen…"

"King! King damn it!" Mizuki sweat-dropped at the fact that he wasn't denying being overly dramatic.

Lust sighed and shook her head, looking away in embarrassment. "I've changed my mind; he's too stupid to accomplish anything."

Saint chuckled and leaned forwards, enjoying the show. "What an interesting fellow…"

Sanzo blinked as his hero sense stopped tingling. "It's like all of a sudden all dramatic tension of a hero's moment was drained away. Such a travesty…"

"Shiro…you can't do this." Mizuki's quiet voice was enough to shake Shiro out of his ongoing argument with the nameless and unimportant Osiris Red. He turned back to her and smiled a cock-eyed and quirky smile.

"The only reason you should be worried is if my giving up on you matters to you. If I'm just a friend to you then it should be a weight off your shoulders and you should want to win. If I'm more than that then it matters. So have you got an answer?" Mizuki opened her mouth partially and then closed it, not certain what to say. Words had never been her strong suit.

**_'Interesting, so very interesting. It looks like little Mizuki isn't quite sure herself. Doesn't that just make you ache inside, not knowing your own self well enough to give an answer to such a simple but important question?'_ **That cold and almost melodic voice touched Mizuki's brain like dark fingers and she shuddered.

_'I won't deal with you, not right now! I've got to find this answer for myself in this duel, no matter even if it means winning or not! So leave me alone!' _Her eyes burned bright blue for the briefest of moments and then returned to their normal emerald shade.

Shiro grinned and tapped the top of his deck. "End turn. Show me what you've got Mizuki!"

Mizuki looked at her dueling deck that she had crafted so carefully and then at her grinning best friend. Her best friend who had declared his love for her and said he would leave it up to this one duel to determine what became of any relationship they might have. "You're crazy…but that's why…that's why I'm not going to be a coward and take the easy way out!"

She drew fiercely and at the same time pushed with all her mind on the beating force of Nightmare in her mind. From his seat Saint's eyes widened at the blast of power he felt. "This level of power…it's similar to when she was dueling Inferno."

Slamming her card down caused a white cloaked old man to appear, rune symbols floating in the air around him. "Rune Caster (800/1200) in attack mode! He now gains five hundred attack points thanks to Heart Warming Fellow!"

A card ejected from her cemetery and she plucked it free with two fingers. "Once per turn Rune Caster brings a Rune Symbol from my grave back to my hand! I'll retrieve and activate Rune Symbol-Kenaz to gain twelve hundred life points!" (MLP: 2300)

In quick succession three cards appeared behind her rune monster. "I defend myself with these three cards and call my turn there! Shiro, if you're so determined to get an answer you'd better defeat me!"

He grinned and drew just as fiercely as she had, matching her pull for pull. "That's what I had in mind all along Mizuki! Don't make it too easy on me or it won't be any fun at all!" (SLP: 9100)

Another monster appeared on his field in the form of a man who quite literally was sparkling. Little sparkles filled the air around him and every few seconds he would smile, his white teeth flashing blindingly brightly. "Romance Warrior-Amazingly Sexy Man (1500/1000) is almost as sexy as I am, but I won't hold that against him thanks to his effect!"

Flirtatious Devil thrust his hands into the air and Shiro pointed at Mizuki's set cards. "Sorry Mizuki but my Flirtatious Devil's effect applies to your cards as well! So since I've got three Romance Warriors I'll bounce all three of your cards back to your hand at a cost of nine hundred life points!" (SLP: 8200)

Mizuki's set cards began to shake and with a determined look in her eyes she pointed at the middle one. "Rune Charm-Path of Destiny allows me to activate magic and trap cards from my hand during this turn!"

The other two cards flew upwards and shattered as they were returned to her hand. Shiro blinked and then rubbed the back of his head. "That was really clever…"

Most of the gathered duelists were whispering amongst themselves, not quite following what was clever. However, from her spot watching the duel Lust could only nod in agreement. "By setting that card and making it a total of three she tricked Shiro into dealing himself nine hundred damage in order to essentially accomplish nothing. She's no slouch."

"Alright, well if it isn't going to be that easy then I'll just go at it with everything I've got! Amazingly Sexy Man attacks, and when he attacks magic and trap cards can't be chained just like my Action Warrior-Cyclist!" Amazingly Sexy Man smiled and his teeth glowed so brightly that Rune Caster was destroyed by the bright light. (MLP: 2100)

Next he pointed at Flirtatious Devil who winked at Mizuki and gathered a bit of fire in his hands. "Flirtatious Devil, go for the finish! Direct Attack with Flirtatious Flame!"

She held up one of the cards she was holding and a giant rune symbol flashed in front of her. "Rune Symbol-Algiz prevents me from taking life point damage during this turn!"

The attack faltered against the barrier created by the giant rune, becoming utterly useless. Shiro sighed as he realized his chance at immediate victory had been ruined. "Oh well, at least I got rid of the threat of Rune Caster."

Mizuki flipped around the remaining card in her hand. "Don't be so sure. Rune Symbol-Jera lets me pick up one magic, trap, or monster card from my cemetery and add it to my hand. So I think I'll take back Rune Caster."

The prankster pouted as she took back her repetitive monster from the graveyard. _'Dang it, that thing's a pain. And…hey wait…now she's got…five Rune Symbols in the graveyard. What turn is it anyways?'_

The confident look he saw in Mizuki's eyes made him gulp in sudden realization. _'Oh dang…it's the tenth turn isn't it? That means next turn she'll have a Rune Lay-Out! And I have no idea what to expect from it!'_

"Alright Mizuki I'm going to set one card face down on my field. Then I activate the magic card A Bouquet of Roses! This lets me set either it or another card on my field face-down on yours, so I'll give you my own set card." His card flashed and materialized on her field, giving her only one card in play as compared to his three.

He looked at the last card in his hand and frowned slightly, and then he nodded to Mizuki. "I'm going to end my turn now."

Mizuki placed two fingers on the top of her deck and began to examine what she had seen so far. _'I've already got the basic understanding of his deck and I see the critical weaknesses. It's very combo reliant, without special combos the cards aren't very effective on their own. In addition because it requires so many combos to be effective it's rather lacking in terms of defensive capabilities. Hmm…'_

Giving herself a mental pat she drew and tossed out Rune Caster (800/1200), bringing it back into play. "Before I do anything else I'm going to use his effect to recover a rune symbol from the grave."

Shiro sighed and nodded, looking annoyed. "Yeah, and then you play Rune Symbol-Kenaz to regain some life points."

"Actually, I think I'm going to return Rune Symbol-Mannaz. And now that I've got it back I'll use its standard effect! The two of us total up our life points, cut them in half, and then we share! Isn't that what friends do? Share?" Shiro gulped as his life points shifted, adjusting to reach a level that fit exactly with hers. There went his impressive lead. (SLP: 5150) (MLP: 5150)

Shiro gulped even more as Mizuki began to hum, five cards appearing floating over her field face-down. "And here comes the Rune Lay-Out…"

"The first symbol, Mannaz in standard position. The representation of the self and the self's outlook on others in their life such as friends and enemies. The outcome of this duel determining the answer to your question. This symbol deems that aid will soon be granted." Her card lifted up and started glowing, creating the first link in her lay-out.

Another card lifted, linking the two in glowing blue light. It was revealed to be upside down. "Wunjo in mersktave indicates an impractical enthusiasm that may lead to sorrow or strife. One of us will be hurt by the outcome of this duel regardless of who wins."

The third car was revealed and Shiro began to fear what she would say next. _'Why does she always have to relate her Rune Lay-Outs to the current situation? It freaks me out…'_

Saint smiled and tapped his fingers together in thought. "Ah, more devious than I ever would have thought of you. By appearing to actually use the Rune Lay-Out as a potential prediction of the future it acts as a psychological attack on the opponent. Of course even you don't understand the rest of it…"

"Jera, the third link, cannot be reversed. However, it currently lies in opposition to Wunjo. This means that there will be a sudden setback, a reversal of fate perhaps. The result of this duel may cause a poor turn in our relationship." Shiro lowered his head, grimacing at the thought that this duel would have the exact opposite effect of what he wanted.

Another one flipped up, once again being face-up. Yet still Shiro didn't relax since with these cards the upright and reversed positions weren't necessarily less dangerous than the opposite. "Algiz, the protective shield against others. Possible feelings buried beneath a mound of uncertainties. This symbol tells us to follow our instincts. Even if we are afraid of the outcome, we have to follow the path this duel has set out for us."

Now was the conclusion, and Shiro knew exactly what card was going to come next. The problem was he didn't know how it would come out or what the ultimate effect would be. _'Please be something mild…'_

Kenaz formed…face-up. "The final link in the chain, the torch symbol Kenaz in standard position! It is the vital fire of life that brings change and energy to us. It grants us the power to create our own reality. So the winner of this duel will bend the fate of the other with that strength to change reality!"

The five of them were now gathered together by a link of red light instead of blue and they flew into the air, surrounding them in that red glow. "Each player may now special summon monsters from their deck to the field until they have an exact equal amount of levels that the opponent has. If they cannot reach the exact amount no monsters are summoned."

Shiro scratched his head and looked at his three monsters as eleven points of light now floated above his field. Three lights were over Mizuki's. "Okay…so the difference is eight levels. Since I have more levels than you that mean I can't summon?"

Mizuki nodded and then fanned out her deck, grasping two cards and throwing them onto her field. "To match the two level four monsters on your field I choose to special summon Rune Berserker (2000/1200) and Rune Spearholder (1900/1200)!"

Again he grimaced, realizing that she now had out her two strongest level four monsters. In fact, they were amongst the best level fours in the game. _'Her Spearholder has a trample effect, making it the strongest non-drawback level four trampler in the game except for my Action Warrior-Brawler.'_

The red light suddenly shot down from the sky and into her two monsters, infusing them with burning power. Shiro gulped at the sight, not liking what he saw. Mizuki thrust out her hand and intoned the next part of the effect. "The player who is successful in their summon can allow those monsters to attack directly during their turn, just once! So now, with their bonuses from Heart Warming Fellow, my two monsters attack you directly!"

Berserker blew past Shiro's monsters and slammed a fist into his cheek, smashing him straight into the ground. Then Spearholder appeared standing above him and drove the blunt end of its spear into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. "Good…shot…" (SLP: 250)

A single card appeared behind Mizuki's two monsters and she sighed, lifting up five cards. "After resolution all the cards used in the Rune Lay-Out are shuffled back into my deck. Turn end."

Shiro drew and breathed more readily in relief as light flowed into his duel disk from his Heart Warming Fellow. "Since three of your monsters have gained attack points from Heart Warming Fellow's effect I gain nine hundred life points." (SLP: 1150)

He nodded once to Flirtatious Devil and Mizuki's cards were blown backwards off the field. "By taking six hundred damage I'll bounce those face down cards back to their original owner's hands. In this case Hidden Affection returns to my hand while your set card goes back to yours." (SLP: 550)

Smirking he twisted around the card that had returned to his hand. "Oh and by the way, when Hidden Affection returns to my hand from your field you take a thousand points of damage." (MLP: 4150)

Grasping another card he held it aloft to activate its effect. "Romantic Scene-First Kiss lets me select one monster on your field and one on mine. I choose Heart Warming Fellow and Rune Caster. Then I gain the difference between their attack points as life points. So if you subtract thirteen hundred from thirty-seven hundred I gain twenty-four hundred life points!" (SLP: 2950)

The crowd cheered and even Mizuki couldn't help but smile. "Looks like you're not kept down easily."

"Of course not! Alright Heart Warming Fellow (3700) attack and destroy that dangerous Rune Berserker of hers!" Mizuki rolled her eyes as the Romance Warrior snapped Rune Berserker in the ass with his sweat, sending the embarrassed berserker slinking away. (MLP: 2950)

Shiro grinned and thumbed his nose, looking quite pleased with himself. "Looks like we're even now. But wait, there's more! Amazing Sexy Man will destroy Rune Caster!"

Again the monster's teeth shined beyond bright and obliterated the defense mode caster, removing the threat it posed to Shiro. The Ra Yellow sighed dramatically and shook his head. "Sadly your Rune Spearholder is one hundred attack points stronger than my Flirtatious Devil so I'll just end my turn by setting a card face down."

Mizuki drew casually and slid two cards into her duel disk. "Previously I've been letting that monster stay since it was helping damage you, however I can't keep that threat around. Spearholder, destroy Flirtatious Devil!"

Her monster stabbed his spear through the devil, which gasped and fell to the ground in complete in utter shock. Shiro wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "And thus, with a spear, he dies." (SLP: 2850)

She rolled her eyes at him and planted her hands on her hips. "Enough bad misquoting. Take your turn."

Shiro nodded and drew his life points rising thanks to his Heart Warming Fellow. "That little boost helps, but next I'll get another boost with Graceful Charity!" (SLP: 3150)

He picked up three cards from his deck and then slipped two of them into the graveyard, one of them noticeable as his Hidden Affection card. "Alright, this is perfect! I summon Romance Warrior-Passionate Soldier (1800/1000)!"

A knight strode out onto the field dressed in…pink armor. Long flowing locks of blonde hair went down his back and a bright red rose was clutched between his teeth. Mizuki sweat-dropped at the sight. "He's more ridiculous looking than you…"

"Yes, and with that ridiculous appearance comes great power! His embracing love has granted him a unique ability. Let me demonstrate by activating Upstart Goblin! You gain one thousand life points and I draw one card!" He placed a new card into his hand while Mizuki tried to figure out exactly why he played that card. (MLP: 3950)

"In case you were curious, whenever we gain life points my Passionate Soldier gains an equal number of attack points! And now that he's got that boost I'll have Heart Warming Fellow attack and destroy your Rune Spearholder!" Mizuki looked away as the sweater snapped her monster, destroying him instantly. (MLP: 3650)

As soon as the particles were floating in the air Mizuki pointed to her rightmost set card. "Rune Charm-Past Memories activates, letting me use one card with 'rune' in its name from my graveyard! I'll use Rune Curse-Shadow of Life to create a Heart Warming Fellow!"

Her own duplicate returned, its attack power quickly shooting up to thirty-two hundred. Shiro chuckled at the sight as his own monsters increased in power. "That's a pretty good defense but not good enough! Thanks to the boost your guy gives mine my Passionate Soldier (3300) will destroy your Heart Warming Fellow!"

Still with the rose in his mouth Passionate Soldier drew his sword and charged forwards, slashing it once through Heart Warming Fellow. Mizuki braced herself as her monster exploded excessively as was the style of Solid Vision. "I knew that was only a temporary shield." (MLP: 3550)

"Now with his boost gone my Amazingly Sexy Man (1500) attacks you directly without chain!" Mizuki was forced to close her eyes and squeeze them tightly shut in order to avoid being blinded by the sheer brightness of Sexy Man's smile. (MLP: 2050)

Shiro smirked and depressed a button on his disk. "When I succeed in attacking you directly I can activate my trap card Romantic Scene-Touching Moment! This revives a Romance Warrior from my grave and gives me its attack as life points! So here's Flirtatious Devil (1300/1000)!" (SLP: 4450)

Passionate Soldier wiggled his brows suggestively at Mizuki as his attack points shot up. Meanwhile Flirtatious Devil was winking at her and Heart Warming Fellow was smiling kindly. She didn't even want to look at Amazingly Sexy Man. "Okay…can you make them stop being like you for maybe three seconds?" (PS: 4100)

"You ask the impossible! To stop my incredible persona from leaking into others is a task beyond mortal comprehension!" He threw his head back and laughed, his pink hair fluttering in the wind. Everyone watching, Mizuki, Lust, and Saint included sweat-dropped at the sight.

Mizuki rubbed her temples as he continued to laugh. "He just called himself a disease…beyond stupid…"

Shiro stopped laughing at last and motioned to his Flirtatious Devil. "Because I get his attack as life points I can't attack with him this turn. So I'll just end it there."

The moment he made that declaration Mizuki's set card flipped itself up. "Hold it right there! During your end phase I use the merkstave effect of my Rune Symbol-Ehwaz, forcing you to pay six hundred life points to draw a card." (SLP: 3850)

He pouted even though he got to draw an additional card. "Nice timing. Since you did it during my end phase I can't even use this card yet."

Mizuki nodded and grasped her next card, the card she was going to be forced to top deck against his superior forces. "Shiro…sorry, but there's nothing that's going to stop me from winning this duel!"

She slashed it off and held it out to the side. With complete focus in her eyes she spoke, her voice calmer than Shiro had expected. "I've drawn Rune Symbol-Fehu."

Saint leaned in forwards, clasping his hands together in front of his face. "Ah, there it is again. Let's see how accurate you are Miss Mitsuhiro."

When the card was lifted up it was revealed to be…Rune Symbol-Fehu. "I activate my card to draw two more!"

Quickly she intoned her next card. "Rune Symbol-Othala! It goes to the graveyard and then I shuffle the cemetery and draw two cards from the top."

Two cards popped out of her graveyard and she slid them next to the other card she had gained from Fehu. Then she held up one of them over her head. "Once more, Rune Symbol-Fehu!"

Shiro grimaced and took a step backwards, recognizing the pace. _'She's deep into her groove now; this is her at her most dangerous. I've got to be careful or I'll really lose this duel!'_

"Now for a familiar one! I activate Rune Symbol-Jera, adding Rune Symbol-Fehu from my grave to my hand! Now I activate Rune Symbol-Fehu once again!" She drew two more times, putting her at five cards in hand. And yet she didn't seem like she was going to be slowing down.

"I activate Blank Rune, copying the effect of the Fehu in my cemetery! One last time I draw two cards!" The audience fell into an awed hush as she pulled two more cards free, having jumped from zero cards in hand to six.

Shaking off his worries Shiro beckoned to her with one hand, motioning for her to come. "Bring it on, I'll take everything you send at me and defeat it with the power of my love!"

"It's that kind of talk…that makes you weird! Rune Symbol-Thurisaz will destroy Passionate Soldier!" The knight groaned as light poured from the inside of his face and outwards, popping him. Fragments rained down on Shiro's field, depriving him of his strongest monster.

It was evident though that Mizuki wasn't finished yet. "Rune Charm-Historic Legacy lets me create two Rune Stone tokens (300/300) on my field!"

Two grey stones rose out of the ground in front of her, their faces inscribed with numerous runes. Mizuki pointed at the two stones and they were pulled apart as if by a divine force, their energy floating into the air. "I offer these two tokens as a sacrifice for Rune Paladin (2600/2400)!"

Her most powerful monster formed out of the released energy of those two rune stones. His white armor shone in the sun and his blade blinded Shiro with the reflections it made. "Uh-oh.."

With only one monster on Mizuki's field Shiro's Heart Warming Fellow had just twenty-seven hundred attack points. However, thanks to the bonus from Heart Warming Fellow the Rune Paladin now had thirty-one hundred points. "This won't end well."

"You have no idea how right you are. I activate Rune Symbol-Eiwhaz, giving my Rune Paladin the ability to attack twice during the battle phase! And there's my target, Amazingly Sexy Man!" Shiro's eyes widened as he realized he was in worse trouble than he had thought. He hadn't even remembered his other monsters were defenseless!

A wave of blinding light erupted from the tip of Rune Paladin's blade as he swung it down. The energy collided with Amazingly Sexy Man and obliterated the warrior before his bright smile could damage anyone else's retinas. "And that's just the first one!" (SLP: 2250)

She pointed at Flirtatious Devil and the devilish warrior stopped smirking at her long enough to back up in fear of Rune Paladin. "Okay, here's the second! Finish off Flirtatious Devil!"

The next blast of power struck Flirtatious Devil in the back as he tried to turn and run. It picked him up and tossed him into the air before blowing him into nothingness, leaving Heart Warming Fellow as the only monster on Shiro's field. "Damn…" (SLP: 450)

Almost immediately afterwards two cards appeared face down on Mizuki's field behind Rune Paladin, leaving her hand empty. She had managed to draw six cards and use six cards in the space of a single turn. "Not even conserving? Well I know one of those cards you got from Othala…it's the other I've got to worry about. And now…it's my draw!"

Before he even had a chance to register his draw Heart Warming Fellow gave him his life point boost. "It's not much, but every bit helps." (SLP: 750)

Laughing in delight he showed her his drawn card. "Even though this isn't my Action Warrior Deck some things are the same, so I activate Jar of Avarice! I'll shuffle the four monsters you saw plus one I ditched from Graceful Charity all back into my deck. And then, two more draws for me!"

He stared at the four cards in his hand for several seconds, and then lifted his head to look at her field, then back to his hand, and finally he lifted his head and smirked. "Mizuki, I'm going to get that answer right now! I've got a winning combo right here!"

As soon as he put the first card into his disk Heart Warming Fellow lifted his left hand and a shining band of light wrapped around his ring finger. "Fate's Ring grants the equipped monster the special effect of one monster in the cemetery, and I've chosen Amazingly Sexy Man's no-chain ability!"

Giggling to himself he placed one card next to Heart Warming Fellow. The monster that took the field next was much different than previous ones, as he was dressed in a nice suit with the sleeves ripped off, was shaved bald, and had tattoos all over his arms. He was also large and muscular. "Any man can change for the woman they love, and I'm willing to change for you. Just like Romantic Warrior-Reformed Tough Guy (2000/500) has!"

Lust raised and eyebrow and paced on the rooftop. "You're not exactly the tough guy type…you're more the goofy sidekick type."

Turning around the second to last card in his hand Shiro shook his hips; his eyes alight with excitement at the prospect of winning. "But don't worry your pretty little head about Reformed Tough Guy's effect quite yet since I'm going to send him to the graveyard with Gift of Martyr! This adds his attack points to Heart Warming Fellow's for the full turn!"

Reformed Tough Guy turned to silver energy and flowed into the ring on Heart Warming Fellow's hand, pumping his attack points all the way up to forty-seven hundred. "And now it's time to worry about Reformed Tough Guy's effect! While he's in the cemetery all face-up Romance Warriors gain five hundred attack points!"

The ring glowed slightly brighter and Heart Warming Fellow's attack points settled at an impressive fifty-two hundred. "It's all over now Mizuki. Heart Warming Fellow can now attack without chain and he has twenty-one hundred more attack points than Rune Paladin. Which means when he destroys the paladin you'll take that much damage, knocking you out of the duel."

With a grin that split his face in half Shiro punched his right fist into the air and Heart Warming Fellow squeezed his left hand into a fist. "Alright! Heart Warming Fellow, attack Rune Paladin with Heart Warming Fated Fist!"

The power of Fate's Ring covered Heart Warming Fellow's hand in a white sheath of energy and he raced across the field. Mizuki's eyes widened as the fist punched into and out the other end of Rune Paladin's armor, sending a blast of light her way. "No way…"

The crowd was awed as the force of the blow suddenly overtook Rune Paladin, causing him to explode and sending flames shooting into the air around Mizuki. Lust laughed with delight, clapping her hands with the rest of them. "That weird loser actually did it!"

A gust of wind whipped the smoke and holographic fire away, revealing Mizuki standing with one of her set cards face-up in front of her. She seemed calm…and saddened. "No way that I'll lose like that. I'm sorry…but once again he saved me." (MLP: 1000)

Lifting her right hand she revealed a single card clutched between two fingers and its image was one Shiro recognized. "No…I can't believe I completely forgot about Rune Guardian…"

The smoke completely dissipated, now revealing the card Mizuki had activated. "When you destroyed Rune Paladin the card I was able to activate was the one I recovered with Othala. Rune Curse-Shadow of Life!"

Shiro gulped as for the third time in their duel a perfect copy of his Heart Warming Fellow was now on Mizuki's field. They boosted each other by five hundred points, and then Mizuki's gained five hundred from Reformed Tough Guy. "Sorry Shiro, but we're reaching endgame here."

"Yeah? I don't think we're quite there! I activate Lover's Victory Gift! I can activate this quick-play magic card when a Romance Warrior defeats a monster in battle. I gain that monster's base attack as life points!" Light flowed out of Mizuki's graveyard from her Rune Paladin and emptied into Shiro's duel disk, sending his life points shooting up again. (SLP: 3350)

With his hand emptied Shiro swung his arm out to the side, the wind fluttering his pink hair. "I won't let the duel end until I've come out victorious! I won't accept any other result besides the victory that brings me that answer! That's the power of my rules, the power of risking your everything on a simple gambit!"

Mizuki sighed solemnly as she drew her card slowly, barely seeming to register what it was. "I'm sorry that I can't let it work out so well for you Shiro. I didn't want any of this; I didn't want you to make that gambit or anything else. So please, in the end…forgive me for doing this." (MLP: 1300)

When her Heart Warming Fellow walked across the field towards his Shiro began to worry. "Hey now…wait a second…our monsters both have thirty-seven hundred attack points. If they battle they'll both be destroyed!"

Mizuki's warrior clapped a hand onto Shiro's warrior's soldier and the fellow returned the gesture. "I know Shiro, that's exactly what I'm counting on. Battle!"

They touched their foreheads together and light engulfed them, shooting straight into the sky. When the light faded both monsters were gone, leaving the field empty save for one card. "I don't get it…why?"

Suddenly that lone face-down card shot straight up and Shiro had his answer. "Because the token created by Shadow of Life is counted as a rune monster for all effects. Which means I can activate Rune Blessing-Rebirth! And now I can special summon monsters from my graveyard, one for every two level stars of the defeated monster."

Shiro felt his shoulders slump, his pink hair go limp, and the spotlights go dim. "No..."

The monster that appeared was a ninja in white cloth, holding glowing throwing stars. It was one that Shiro distinctly recognized. "Rune Ninja (1700/1400), a monster that has the ability to attack twice in one turn. The monster that defeated me in our first duel. What fateful irony."

"I'm sorry Shiro, but it's over! Rune Ninja, attack him directly twice!" Her monster vanished, appearing again in front of Shiro. He held out both hands and then flicked Shiro in the head with the pointer fingers of each hand. (SLP: 0)

As the holograms faded Shiro let himself fall to his hands and knees, tears gathering in his eyes. "I lost…and just like I said…I'll give up on your forever."

With remorse in her eyes Mizuki approached, hesitantly reached out towards him, and then withdrawing her hand, and reaching out again. "Shiro…you don't have to do that if you don't want to. It's such a ridiculous thing to make that sort of claim."

Without looking up at her Shiro replied, his voice catching in his throat. "No…that victory was the answer I needed. And in all honesty, the last thing I can do to show my feelings is to stand by my word and give up on you. If you don't want me, I don't have the right or the desire to force you to want me."

Finally he lifted his head, his eyes reddened by the tears and he smiled faintly at her. "Before you go, I just wanted to tell you something important since I'm giving up on you now. It's a secret I've been keeping from you for nearly two years."

He shuddered and looked away, but finally looked back up at her having gathered more of his determination. _'No, I have to tell her the truth. I have to tell her that I'm not innocent. She has a right to know that my relationship with Jung-hye went all the way…'_

She gulped, not liking the sad look in his eyes. "Shiro…"

"It all started three years ago…"

Silence reigned over the crowded area…and reigned…and reigned. Mizuki began to sweat-drop as Shiro continued to stare into space for close to five whole minutes.

Finally he sighed and dropped his head a bit, looking as if he had just had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. "And now you know the truth."

Mizuki blinked and then threw her arms in the air. "What are you talking about? What truth? What in the world is wrong with you?"

Shiro titled his head up and glared at her, looking extremely disgruntled. "Look, I know you don't have the kind of feelings about me that I have for you but if I'm going to go through the trouble of having a long very personal flashback that reveals intimate secret details of my life the least you can do is pay attention!"

She had to actually grab her own right wrist to prevent herself from punching the top of his head. "If you have a flashback only you're seeing what you remember! You just said 'it all started three years ago' and then spaced out for like five minutes!"

He stared right back at her…and then rubbed the back of his head with his eyes closed, blushing slightly. "Really? Well that's pretty embarrassing…"

His arm lowered and his blush faded the depressed look returning. "I guess I'll just tell you straight out. I just wish…no…I made my choices…there's no taking that back. Just like I can't take back my decisions with you."

"Truly a noble sentiment. You are wise beyond your years young Mister Akugi." They both froze at the sound of that very familiar and frighteningly pleasant voice.

When they focused about fifteen feet behind Shiro they discovered two things. The first was that they were no longer outside the classroom buildings, and were instead just below the volcano. The second was that Saint Beatrix was standing there, smiling as usual, and finally wearing something different from his Italian suit.

He was clad in a long-sleeved black one-piece robe that dropped all the way to his ankles. From about stomach up the chest had black buttons up the middle, but the most distinctive feature was the white band around the low collar. "After seeing such a display of youthful vigor I felt rather nostalgic. And since I was about to become a father, it seemed natural to return to the past."

Mizuki stepped forward in front of Shiro, but he staggered to his feet and moved to her side. She glared daggers at him, not even wanting him anywhere near her. "Is that your excuse for being blasphemous and dressing like a priest?"

Saint chuckled slightly and shook his head. He placed his hands into the folds of his sleeves and smiled at them. "Actually I was ordained a number of years ago. I did attend seminary school after all, at my father's insistence."

Mizuki narrowed her eyes at him, wishing desperately that she had some sort of power she could actively use to beat the crap out of him with. "Yeah, was that before or after you started your own sponsorship corporation or during your days as a pro duelist? I'd be curious to know what's a lie and what isn't."

The German man calmly walked towards them, seemingly unperturbed by their defensive stances. "Perhaps it's a lie Miss Mitsuhiro, that's honestly not why I came though. You see, I've come to grant a form of relief with my power."

He held up his right hand and examined his open palm, looking over the smooth pale flesh as if it were a work of art. "You see, I possess the power of purification. The power to purge the darkness out of a person. In so doing I eliminate all the corrupt influences of society upon them, carving away all memories and gathered personality save for simple knowledge such as language."

They looked horrified, and Shiro spoke before even Mizuki could, looking ready to deck Saint. "You mean you freaking brainwash them, is that it?"

Instead of looking affronted by the accusation Saint simply smiled more. "Oh no, of course not. Society spends many years ingraining sin into its children, and my power simply liberates them of that ingrained taint. That leaves a path for purity to enter at my careful attention."

Mizuki wasn't sure whether to throw up or attack him violently regardless of lack of fighting skills. "So you just wander around places and turn people into these little so-called pure puppets of yours at a whim?"

"No, it's not quite that simple. You see, part of the person must willingly accept my touch for my power to work. The degree of course is different when the person's internal energies are called into question. Ah…but explanations aside, that is the reason I came." They were forced to blink and adjust their eyes when they realized he was no longer standing where they were staring.

"Mizuki!" The Rising Star spun and time seemed to slow as she found herself looking at the taller Saint smiling down at Shiro. Saint reached out and placed one finger against Shiro's forehead.

"SHIRO!" Her entire body screamed at her to act but there was nothing she could do. Before the first syllable had even finished coming out of her mouth light burned from the inside of Shiro's body, covering him in the eerily holy looking glow.

When the glow faded Shiro didn't look any different, save for the fact that his eyes didn't seem to have the fire that they had before. Saint leaned forward and whispered something in Shiro's ear and he dropped to the ground, sitting and looking confused. "I understand your confusion my dear boy, but that's why I'm here to help."

Mizuki screamed and finally went into action mode, hurling herself at Saint, her fist heading towards his face. Without turning to look at her he caught her by the wrist and used her momentum to send her stumbling past him. She tripped and fell into the dirt. "Shiro…please…you can't be…"

There was no recognition in those eyes. No sign of the person she had grown to know and care about. He didn't even see his own name. "But…there's no way. There's no way Shiro would accept this sort of freak thing! It's impossible, you're lying to me!"

Saint sighed and looked at her, actually appearing to be saddened. "Yes, that's correct; however I said a part of that person must accept. That's why I have my Seven Sins, in order to force those who must be purified into states of emotional and psychological weakness. In that state one quite naturally seeks out any sort of release from the pain, which my power gladly offers."

He placed one pale hand on top of Shiro's head and smiled faintly at the boy, his blues eyes lingering on him for a moment before returning to Mizuki. "You see, all this is possible because you crushed his spirit. So even though it must pain you, I give you my thanks for opening Mister Akugi to the glory of purity and virtue. From now on he will join my path to a pure world as the True Virtue Faith."

Mizuki threw her head back and screamed at the sky, her eyes instantly flashing from green and settling into a bright blue color. The ground trembled and the air around her seemed to be shimmering with great heat. Saint sighed once more. "And here is Miss Nightmare."

Without even using her hands Mizuki's body rose to its feet and she lowered her head to stare at him. His eyes widened a miniscule amount when he saw the raw seething hatred and anger in those eyes. "No…the only nightmare here…is yours! You took my best friend!"

She thrust out her hand and thick black tentacles of shadow appeared out of thin air, shrieking towards Saint. The German man blinked out of existence and appeared several feet to the right. "You destroyed everything that he was, everything that made him good and a wonderful person!"

More tentacles appeared, once again flashing towards Saint. Yet each time they got close he simply appeared elsewhere. But as fast as he could transport himself more appeared, keeping him moving. "How unexpected…this power is impressive and you're not even relying on Miss Nightmare as a conduit."

"You don't get to speak! You stripped him of his soul and turned him into a stupid pointless boring puppet! He'll never be there to cheer me up again! He'll never make me laugh again! He'll never make me want to kick his ass for stupidity again! He'll never make me blush again! He'll never do something perverted again! He's gone forever…and it's all your fault!" Saint's eyes widened as the ground beneath his feet bubbled and then exploded, sending a fountain of fire twenty feet into the air.

He appeared about twenty feet away, his feet sliding against the rock as the force of the blast still moved him. He stared at the area that had exploded, which wasn't even a rough crater. Instead…a few inches of that patch of ground were simply gone. "This power…so unexpected. This is a power that goes beyond the bonds of mortality and invades the sphere of the heavens…"

She screamed, her eyes filling up with that blue until there was no white left. She extended her left arm and squeezed her hand into a fist. The air around Saint thickened and globs of yellow energy formed around him. "Material conversion…truly you are the key to the perfect world!"

"The only place you should be concerned about right now is Hell! I'll make you a space for your sins you heartless monster!" To Saint's shock black metallic cords shot out of the globes of energy and wrapped around his body, ensnaring him from shoulders to ankles.

His smile started to fade as he struggled against the bonds. "My spiritual signature is being bound by the energy…it crosses between energy and matter! Such extraordinary ability!"

The last vestiges of his smile were wiped off his face when Mizuki held out her open right hand, revealing a sphere of pitch black energy in it. And as he watched the ground in front of her turned into motes of light that floated into the energy sphere, giving it more power. "DIE!"

Her eyes widened and the energy in her hand puffed out of existence as she drifted forwards, her eyes returning to their normal color and slowly shutting. "I'll never…forgive you…"

A pair of arms caught her before she fell face first into the dirt. A now released Saint massaged his wrists and looked up at the one who had stopped Mizuki's fall as well as knocked her unconscious. "I'm surprised you didn't let her finish me my dear friend."

Sanzo glared at Saint, never letting his eyes leave the man as he slowly lowered the unconscious girl to the ground. "No matter what horrible sins you may have committed I won't let Mizuki become a murderer because of you. Nobody on this island is going to die as long as I can do something about it."

Saint smiled once again and walked away, stopping at the confused looking Shiro's side. "You are wise beyond your years dear Sanzo. You are a hero, and I do so look forward to the day that you willingly stand by my side in my perfect world."

The Hero Saint glanced down at Mizuki's fallen form and then looked up again. "Saint Beatrix…I'm going to end this now! I challenge you to a duel!"

The Beautiful Saint chuckled and patted Shiro on the head. "Perhaps another time dear Sanzo. Come Faith, let us depart. I have much to tell you about the path to paradise and the role you will have in it."

Grimacing at being brushed aside Sanzo threw one last comment at the two even as they began to disappear. "If emotional trauma is what you need to make a person accept your power, why didn't you just purify Mizuki right then and there? What do you want her for? What's the point of all of these games and tests? What are you trying to accomplish?"

Saint smiled enigmatically and then he was gone, leaving nothing even resembling an answer behind him. "Saint…it's not over. You're not going to have your way. As a hero in honor of my promise I will defeat you!"

Mizuki shivered in her current state and words slipped through her lips. Sanzo felt his heart break as he heard those words. "Shiro…forgive me…"

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Author's Note: Wow, that chapter varied between amusing, exciting, and depressing. I'm not sure which is more prevalent. The next chapter is a little…different, just telling you that.

_Next Time: A documentary on the world's future pro duelists. A news team's rounds in interviews with the up and coming students of Central Duelist Academy. A look at the way our favorite duelists are under the spotlight, and exactly why Shiro should never be near a camera._

_See it all in, Camera Shy; Spotlight on Duelist Academy!_


	77. Camera Shy: Spotlight on Duelist Academy

Author's Note: This chapter takes place a little…well you'll see.

**Chapter Seventy-Seven: Camera Shy; Spotlight on Duelist Academy**

Duel Monsters. Originally entitled Magic and Monsters the game was produced by the exceedingly eccentric billionaire heir Pegasus J. Crawford. An American born man Pegasus inherited his fortune from his family, the Crawfords having been independently wealthy for centuries.

According to interviews with the eccentric man he originally came across the idea for the game that we today call Duel Monsters whilst traveling in Egypt at the age of eighteen. By twenty he had outlined rules for the game and began the production of the game with the aid of his gaming corporation Industrial Illusions.

When the game first saw release in 1990 it was initially only popular amongst children. However, the promotion idea that it was a duel between two wizards brought more and more players into the fold.

By 1996, having now taken the revitalized name of Duel Monsters, the game was highly popular and world wide tournaments were held. In conjunction with Kaiba Corporation it was here that I2 introduced the Duel Platform, expensive and bulky platforms that allowed two duelists to duel with holographic projections.

With the aid of young star players such as the first King of Games Yugi Motou the game's popularity increased. With the mass production of Kaiba Corp's Duel Disk system, which provided portable holographic technology for duels, Duel Monsters became one of the world's most popular games.

The rise of the Pro League, a sponsorship league that acts similar to tennis and golf, promoted dueling as a practical career. Some exceptionally talented duelists could easily make large sums of money in a single year. With dueling now as a potential career two broad thinkers came together to establish something wholly different than anything the world had ever seen. In a rare moment of agreement CEO of Kaiba Corporation Seto Kaiba and I2 owner Pegasus J. Crawford began a revolution.

In the year 2001 it was finally announced, the completion of an island based preparatory school known as Duel Academia. Here duelists could come to learn the rigors of a high class high school level private school as well as advanced dueling techniques.

Other similar academies were established, initially only the four cardinal duel academies. At this point Duel Academia became known as Duelist Academy, Central Duel Academy, or simply Duel Academy. Over the past thirty-two years Duel Monsters and Central Duel Academy have withstood the test of time and flourished.

With an original student body of approximately one hundred and fifty the academy seemed like a very exclusive private school. However, with a current student body of just over nine hundred students the school has evolved into something else entirely. It is training ground for both elite duelists and professionals.

Today, presented through the eyes of Izu Media, you will see the grand place of learning that is Central Duel Academy. You will meet its students, its teachers, and learn what makes it such a wonderful environment for the next generation of excellence.

All proceeds from this publication go to the Make A Wish Foundation.

Sponsors include P&G, Sony Corporation, and the Manjyome Group.

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The wide seemingly unending Pacific Ocean stretches out on every side of the island that houses Central Duel Academy. It is a large island, composed primarily of a barren area that is home to a massive inactive volcano. The rest of the island is forest and cleared out areas for dorms and class buildings.

Steadily the view moves closer, coming to rest on a large mansion-like building that is painted white and blue. "Obelisk Blue, considered to be the elite dorm of the academy. It contains the best of the best."

Again the view moved inward, through a window until it settled on a petite Asian woman with her dark hair tied back in a bob behind her head. In one hand she held a microphone, and behind her was a door marked with the number '15'. "Behind me is the room of the elite of the elite at this academy. Inheriting the rank that has been tradition at this school to represent the perfect duelist, strongest of all with a power like that of an elite pro."

She motioned with her free hand to the door, looking excited. "Inside is the Kaiser of this school, a seventeen year old student from Germany by the name of Harrison Wilhelm the Third. Let's meet this school's legendary 'Dark Kaiser' shall we?"

Quickly she pushed the door open, revealing a large and spacious room with a huge blue bed in the center. The shelves were stacked with what appeared to be a mix of books, manga, and a large number of video games. Above the bed on the wall was a large poster of a white haired man in a red trench coat crossing swords with another white haired man, this one dressed in blue.

Sitting on a chair in front of the bed hands clutching a video game controller was none other than the Dark Kaiser. His hair wasn't slicked back like normally and hung in its old style. In addition glasses were perched on his nose. "Mr. Wilhelm, we're from Izu Media and we're doing a documentary on this academy. We'd like to interview you."

Harrison whipped his head around and reached up to push his glasses against the bridge of his nose. The reporter gulped when she saw the dark glare he was directing at her. It was at that point that she noticed he was wearing a sleeveless blue shirt and black boxers. "You barged into my room…to interview me…for something as worthless as a documentary…and you didn't have the courtesy to even knock?"

"Well…that is…" Harrison scowled and stalked towards the far wall. He pulled something off of it and turned around, revealing to the camera that it was a long katana, nearly as tall as Harrison. He unsheathed it and pointed it at them.

"Get out now or I'll cut you in half. If you want an interview, go find that show boater Sanzo. I'm sure he'll be more than glad to aid you in this frivolous pursuit." The camera bounced as the cameraman and reporter beat a hasty retreat away from the room.

The last bit of audio from the room that the microphone picked up was a snort from Harrison and one sentence. "Idiots can't even tell a decorative sword from a real one."

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"So tell us Uzumaki-san, what are your thoughts on the academy?" In response to the question Sanzo tilted his head up so he could look at the reporter. It was still a rather awkward position as he was doing a handstand.

"Well it's rather different from any other high school experience, even in Japanese society. Things that would be considered delinquent such as divergence at a normal school are easily accepted here. I think its an excellent atmosphere, particularly for Japanese students who are normally taught that homogenization is necessary." The reporter blinked, hardly having expected such an answer.

"I see, do you enjoy this school? You said that some of the students seem like delinquents, and the top student did threaten us with a sword. Is it a violent place that makes studying difficult?" Sanzo chuckled and slowly pulled his right arm up to his side, spreading his legs somewhat to retain balance on that one arm.

"Well considering I spent most of my life right on the border of the Tsugaru Strait that separates Japan from the Hokkaido Demon Reserve I'm rather used to threats of violence. Harrison is simply an anti-social person and has never actually physically hurt anyone. Generally the school isn't a dangerous place, though Solid Vision can be dangerous. As for studying, most students here are actually very bright, and so even tougher classes can be easy." Sanzo lowered his right arm and then lifted his left, switching to balancing on the right.

"Do you believe that normal studies are well integrated with the school's theme of the Duel Monsters game? Or does it perhaps come to dominate the school over studies?" The woman yelped when Sanzo planted his hand down and then pushed off, doing a partial flip so that he landed in a cross-legged position on the ground in front of her.

He smiled and flicked a lock of hair out of his face, his teeth glinting and shining in the camera. "It's no different than any other high school in Japan. All high schools in our society focus on certain aspects and are better at that then others. I'd say that our academy has a greater range of advanced courses than any other high school in the nation. Ignoring Duel Monsters we have one of the most advanced programs of any high school in the world."

Sanzo closed his eyes and held up his right hand, pointer finger up. "In reality some of the students that are in Osiris Red are students that came for the educational purposes rather than dueling and as such are unskilled as duelists. Perhaps my only complaint is the separation of dorms, but it fits the nature of Japanese society very well."

The Asian reporter frowned slightly, and then moved the microphone closer to Sanzo. "From some of what you've said I get the impression you're not a fan of the way Japanese society works. Why is that?"

The Hero Saint opened his eyes and placed both hands in his lap, immediately he adopted a serious expression. "As I said I grew up near demon territory, so I was given examples of very communal societies that promoted diversity for advancement. I've also had a lot of experience around the world, as during my middle school days I went to international gymnastics competitions."

His expression turned more serious and sober as he looked out the window. "In fact, when I was younger my family hosted a foreign exchange student for a while. Saint Beatrix, the professional promoter and president of Saint Corporation who's here for the year."

"Uzumaki-san, we've heard from some of the other students that you're referred to as the 'Hero Saint'. Why is that exactly?" She yelped as Sanzo's hand shot out at blinding speed. Then when he pulled it back he revealed that he had snagged a card off the deck that sat just a few feet away.

"In part it's because I use cards like this one." He held it up, revealing it to be Elemental Hero Sparkman.

"I use Hero Decks. However, the biggest aspect is that I have the unique talent and oddity that I always seem to be at the right place at the right time. Whatever tasks is required of me, from rescuing kittens to saving damsels in distress I'll be there. That's what makes me the Hero Saint, a man with the charm and integrity of a saint and the prowess of a hero!"

He thrust his card into the air, his teeth blindingly bright. His eyes widened and he ran to the window and flung it open. "I apologize ma'am, but I'll have to be going. They're trying to catch me off guard again, and I don't intend to be here when they arrive. Farewell and good luck with your documentary!"

The woman stared as he dove out the window and grabbed onto a tree branch. He used the momentum to do a full swing all the way around it, finally arching his body so he planted his feet on it. Then with his feet firmly planted he jumped to the next branch and then dove into another tree, swinging between one and the next. "How strange…"

Suddenly the door flew open, revealing a crowd of girls in various different uniforms. "Sanzo-sama! Sign my uniform please!"

"Sanzo-sama!" The girls barreled forwards and static reigned as the reporter and cameraman were trampled underfoot.

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Mizuki twiddled her thumbs together nervously as she sat in her chair, trying not to look directly at the camera. "And umm…well I guess the title is deserved, but I've never really gone after it or anything. I just do what I enjoy."

"From what we understand you're also rather popular outside of academics and dueling. Do you have a lot of admirers Miss Mitsuhiro?" Mizuki flushed and dipped her head down.

"Uh…I don't really know, I guess maybe, but it doesn't come up often." The reporter smiled and leaned forward, extending the microphone to the dark haired girl.

"Do you find it easy to be a top ranked student who is female in a game that is primarily dominated by male players? And are you able to balance a love life with your academics? I suppose what I'm asking is if there's anyone special out there for you." Mizuki opened her mouth to respond when the lights suddenly went out.

"In the depths of the darkness comes the greatest hero ever born! He rises up to conquer all foes and sweep up the hearts of the maidens that fall at his feet, begging for a chance to be at his side! The greatest of the great, the elite amongst the elite, the grandest of the grand!" A loud sigh and the sudden return of the lights illuminated the situation. Mizuki scowled at the teen standing on her bed and removed her finger from the light switch.

"Get out of my room Shiro." There, standing on her body with arms lifted to the heavens dramatically was Shiro. However, he was dressed in an Obelisk Blue uniform and his hair was dyed a golden blonde color.

"Ah, but Mizuki you know this is where I belong. Here, in front of the camera and at your side! It calls to me, the glorious power of the broadcast! If my features were never displayed to the world wide audience it would be a shame of epic level proportions!" Mizuki glared up at him and then grabbed his arm, yanking him off the bed.

"I said to get out Shiro. This is supposed to be a serious interview for a documentary, not a really bad anime. And you're ruining it. And get out of that uniform, you're not supposed to wear that." Shiro smiled slyly at her and leaned in, winking at her, his eyebrows waggling exaggeratedly.

"Are you asking me to strip?" The camera shook as something hit violently. When the camera was righted Shiro was staggering back and forth around the room, a book sitting on top of a lump on his head.

"I am Henry the Eighth I am…" Mizuki rolled her eyes and started pushing him towards the door.

"That's nice Henry, now get out and stop singing. Also…you're in the girls dorm, so be lucky I don't report you." Shiro giggled as the book flopped off his head to the floor, revealing a calculus textbook.

_"I am the very model of a modern major general. I've information, vegetable, animal and mineral. I know the kings of England and I quote the fights historical! From marathon to waterloo in order cata_-ouch!" Mizuki had planted her foot in his back and forced him out of the room. Then she grabbed the handle and slammed the door.

She turned her back to the door and breathed in deeply. "Singing in English…going way too far…and he sucks at English…freaking idiot…"

Suddenly she noticed that she was still in front of the camera and she blushed brightly. The reporter chuckled and said the first thing that came to mind. "So apparently you don't have too much trouble dealing with being a woman amongst a male dominated sport."

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The screen flickered in and out and suddenly it cracked, ending the video. Mizuki shuddered and turned away from the broken TV set. "I treated him like that…and he still cared so much…how could he care about me like that?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and then screamed. The walls seemed to shudder under the force of her scream. Finally the scream wore her out and she let herself fall back against her bed, tears streaming. "It's my fault…I don't even know how to deal with other people at all. I don't understand my own feelings…or his…"

**_"Then just take the easy way out and abandon all thoughts about how others feel. If you don't care how others feel then you'll be happier." _**Mizuki rolled over and pushed her face into the pillow, trying to drown out the voice that was in her head. But so far she hadn't been able to successfully block Nightmare again.

"Go away; I'm having a hard enough time dealing with this without you to mess with my head." The older, scarier looking version of herself laughed musically and Mizuki could practically feel a cold hand run down her hair as if petting her.

**_ "You practically created me to mess with your heard. All your fears and insecurities gave birth to me, a fully sentient being capable of free thinking. But still…I'm trapped by your limitations…trapped by my desires. And so are you, you're trapped by desires and feelings you don't even understand, but they're so much more complicated than mine." _**Mizuki gasped in horror when a hand grabbed her wrist and flipped her over. Then another hand shot down and grabbed the other wrist, effectively pinning her to the bed.

Nightmare now loomed over her in all her glory, her living black dress brushing against Mizuki's nightgown clad form. "You…you can't be here!"

**_"Oh I can't normally take physical shape, but when your fears are at their worst and there's enough power flying around I can manifest myself from that power, just like I did when little Sanzo and that little Sin fought each other. And you're leaking power like crazy right now; you have been ever since you fought that Saint bastard." _**Mizuki shivered as Nightmare leaned in closer until their faces were merely inches apart. It terrified Mizuki just how alike their facial features were. It was like looking into a mirror five or six years down the road.

"I don't care about those things…I just want to stop hurting, and to get Shiro back. I can't leave it unresolved like this; I can't let Saint take him away like that, not when I don't even know the answer to his question! But…how do you restore someone's memories? How do I bring him back?" Nightmare leaned in just a little bit more and their foreheads touched. Nightmare's was icy to the touch.

**_"You just have to let go of that boy, take up your power and use it to make yourself happy! Just do whatever comes to mind, ignore the rules, and ignore everything except what you want! If you can do that, then you'll be happy. Isn't that what you want, not to hurt anymore? Just let go…and I can take that pain away."_** Mizuki felt as if her body was growing colder. Her eyes started to drift closed until she saw out of the corner of her eye that Nightmare's hands were sinking into her own.

"NO! GET OFF ME! I won't resort to this…I won't run away, I mustn't run away…for Shiro's sake I won't!" She gulped as Nightmare licked the side of her face and then pulled back slightly, her expression manic and amused.

**"And just what do you think you can do about it? There's no Shiro left! You heard that Saint guy, all that he was is gone and you can't change that! What did you plan on doing? You're powerful but nobody can undo what's already happened! What's past is past, and you should just let go of it."** Mizuki shot straight up, and Nightmare was hurled bodily off of her.

"Past…past! Turn back the clock! Nightmare…you're my own fears…but you've come from my mind and you've just given me the answer! I'll turn it all backwards and stop it from happening!" The darkness erupted around them and even Nightmare seemed startled.

"One of the possible methods for time travel is an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, or a wormhole that folds between one point in space and time to another. The problem is that they can't spontaneously generate and that creating them is possible since it would require bending the universe itself. But while it may not be possible in our universe…this is an entirely different universe! I can do it; I can create a wormhole and go back in time to stop it from ever happening!"

She hacked as a slim hand suddenly wrapped around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Nightmare sneered up at her. "You've pulled me into the world where I'm the queen, just like you. You just made me completely physical and you're thinking of playing god? I don't think I'll let you even try, I'm going to just destroy you now and take your body, does that sound alright?"

Nightmare blinked as the darkness started to fade even as Mizuki went limp in her grasp. "Damn it…I didn't think that one through. When she passes out we get returned and I lose my chance…I should have just stuck to messing with her head…"

The dark haired woman faded and Mizuki was deposited back in her bed, her head swimming from the pain of having been cut off from oxygen.

Once she was able to breath again she pulled her knees up to her chest and dipped her head, tears building again. "I just don't know what to do. It's my fault, and this whole time I didn't know what I would be missing. He's such a great thing in my life."

His smiling face appeared in her mind's eye and she shivered. "He was so confident even when it was unfounded. Like a beacon of light and warmth he was always so caring about everyone and everything. And even though his stupidity annoyed me sometimes it also lightened the mood. He helped give me courage and faith in myself…and I threw it away because I don't even know my own feelings."

Slowly she reached for the cell phone that was on her counter and she flipped through the contacts. Finally she pressed the call button and put it against her ear. The phone rang a few times before picking up. "Momma…I need to talk to you…"

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"Praise the glory of Saint Beatrix who guides us on the path to the forever paradise of tomorrow which is not today and will soon be to come for that is our truth and our light and our virtuous right! Onwards we march to Eden that he shall make for us with his glory and" Saint Beatrix sighed and leaned his face into the palm of his left hand.

A handful of feet behind him the True Virtue known as Faith marched back and forth across the room, ranting and praising the 'glory of Saint' and various other similar things. "Amazingly even when his memories and past personality are gone he retains a foolish and slightly annoying naivety. Also he's the strangest person I've ever met."

In the corner of the room Pride sat against the wall, headphones placed firmly over his ears to drown out the noise Faith was making. The twitching of his left eye proved that it wasn't working completely. "Make him die and make him stop talking or I will."

Saint sighed again and tried to ignore his new companion's voice that grew steadily louder. "Although it was necessary for the next stage for Miss Mitsuhiro I find myself wondering if this was a mistake. Perhaps Mister Akugi's brain was simply to simplistic to be completely purified."

Lust kicked one leg over the other and grinned, somehow enjoying the whole thing. "So you're saying he's an idiot."

"Yes. That is exactly what I'm saying. From what I've seen so far his brain is purely for decoration purposes."

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Enzeru groaned and opened his eyes at the sound of incessant beeping. Rolling over in his bed he reached for his PDA and picked it up. "Message…who sends a message at four in the morning?"

With a loud yawn he pressed the read button and opened the message. His body stiffened as he became alert when he read what it said. "Third Yukio…at midnight three nights from now….meet me at the place of our previous battle. Its time…I grow hungry."

He dropped the PDA to the bed and flopped back down, staring at the ceiling. Thoughts of Aya and Kane flashed through his mind and he felt his fists shake. "Envy…there will be no mercy. For what you have done…this time…I'll end you!"

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Author's Note: Honestly not what I had originally intended but we take it where it goes. Now to the real fun!

_Next Time: Finally the time has come as the true form of Envy moves against the second white knight. Enzeru has prepared for this moment and enters into the battle without the slightest bit of fear. Yet in this battle with the full power of Envy active there is more to experience than dueling. Enzeru faces a memory of loneliness and pain...that doesn't belong to him._

_See it all in, The Painful Memory; Envy VS Fortitude!_


	78. The Painful Memory: Envy VS Fortitude

Author's Note: And so let it begin, Envy versus Fortitude!

**Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Painful Memory; Envy VS Fortitude**

_Enzeru groaned and opened his eyes at the sound of incessant beeping. Rolling over in his bed he reached for his PDA and picked it up. "Message…who sends a message at four in the morning?"_

_With a loud yawn he pressed the read button and opened the message. His body stiffened as he became alert when he read what it said. "Third Yukio…at midnight three nights from now….meet me at the place of our previous battle. Its time…I grow hungry."_

_He dropped the PDA to the bed and flopped back down, staring at the ceiling. Thoughts of Aya and Kane flashed through his mind and he felt his fists shake. "Envy…there will be no mercy. For what you have done…this time…I'll end you!"_

Three days had passed like water through a stream, slipping away faster than Enzeru could have imagined. He was prepared, he was confident, and yet he was almost certain this would be his last duel. _'To defeat the power of the Aura of Envy in physical form…most likely even if I win I'll be too drained to continue.'_

He reached for his Obelisk Blue blazer and before his hand touched it he pulled back. No, he would face this as Enzeru Yukio, not as an Obelisk Blue. "Tonight it ends Envy. You want to face me…I will face you will at that I am. Even if it means embracing that name I didn't want nor care for."

Pulling open his closet he reached for what was floating through his mind. "Tonight Envy I shall face you as Enzeru Yukio, the Virtue Fortitude!"

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Pride leaned back against the wall with his arms folded over his chest and looked to his right, his purple hair partially obscuring his view of Envy. "You're ready aren't you? Take out Fortitude and then we'll move on from there. One by one we'll eliminate Saint's pawns. And if Lust opposes us we'll take her out as well."

Envy smirked and dragged her tongue across her teeth. Her emerald dress glittered in the last rays of sunlight. "Don't worry Pride; I'll defeat this white knight just like I beat the last one. Ooo…and after him I think I'll eat that Kaoru."

The other Sin nodded and stared out into the woods. "Keep in mind though, you can eat every last one of them you want save one. With your power combined with your increased skill not a one could stand against you…except him. Against the power of the Dark Kaiser, even you would lose. Leave him to me."

She giggled and skipped off into the woods, ready to await the coming of Enzeru. "Time to go play now! He'll be arriving in a few hours and I don't want to make him wait!"

Pride wasn't paying any attention to her. Instead he was focusing on the palm of his right hand that he held out in front of his face. His lips furled up into an almost feral grin. "Dark Kaiser…you've got a power I absolutely want to grind into dust! Soon you'll face me and I'll take great pleasure in beating every last bit of your power and potential into the ground!"

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The moment that the clock struck twelve Envy stood in the clearing in the woods. At the same time someone stalked through the trees. She dusted her hands off and clapped her hands together eagerly. "Here we go! This will be great!"

Envy raised her eyebrows at the sight of the teen dressed in something rather different. He wore deep crimson pants buckled by a leather belt at the waist. Tucked into that was a black skin-tight t-shirt. And hanging over that was a long white trench coat with light blue lining that vaguely resembled the longer version of an Obelisk Blue blazer, save the color of blue was different and it was worn open. "Are you prepared for defeat Envy? Fortitude shall defeat you!" (Enzeru: 4000)

She giggled and did a little twirl, showing off her emerald dress. When she finished her spin her eyes had changed from grey to blue with circles of green around them. "I'm ready for whatever you've got big guy! I love the outfit…but it's the tasty power underneath that I'm interested in!" (Envy: 4000)

Both duelists thrust their arms into the arm, duel disks clanking into place. Then they lowered their arms and met each other's gazes with their own steady ones. Enzeru reached for his deck and glared at his opponent. "Prepare to be defeated Envy! First turn, draw!"

Envy shivered in delight as she felt the confidence and conviction flow into her body from her opponent. "Just like before you're absolutely delicious!"

"Feed all you want, I will never be defeated by the likes of you! I activate the magic card Tri-Knight Rush! By sending the top six cards of my deck to the grave I can select one tri-knight set and special summon it!" He picked up six cards off his deck and fanned them out.

"However, if even one member of that set is within the six discarded cards my magic card is negated and destroyed, costing me six cards for nothing." There were a number of good cards amongst the ones he had picked up…but amongst them none were what he was trying to summon.

He slammed the cards into his grave and then grabbed the three cards that shot out of his deck. "Thanks to the power of Tri-Knight Rush I summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600), King's Knight (1600/1400), and Jack's Knight (1900/1000) to the field!"

The familiar trio of knights, the blonde woman, the bearded king in blue, and the tall blonde man in green all flashed into existence. "The effect of Tri-Knight Rush removes my battle phase, but since I can't attack this turn that doesn't matter."

Envy whistled, impressed at the move. He had managed to summon three monsters and he still had five cards in his hands. "Nice moves."

"I don't need or want your praise! I activate the continuous magic card The Allied Forces, powering up my warriors by two hundred for each warrior and spellcaster I have. That grants each of them six hundred attack points!" Queen's Knight shot up to twenty-one hundred, King to twenty-two hundred, and finally Jack's Knight to twenty-five hundred.

A single card appeared in the middle of the three monsters, directly behind King's Knight. "I play a single face down card and conclude my turn!"

Envy chuckled, the green wheels around her eyes revolving faster and faster. "Yeah yeah yeah, feed me! Your draw power is so incredible I'm jealous…I think if it comes with your resolve I'll get that power too!"

She drew forcefully and Enzeru frowned, feeling the power behind her draw. "For someone who acts jealous of my draw yours is frighteningly powerful."

"Ha, what a thought for fodder! I start my turn by summoning Envious Spirit-Malicious Doll (900/100) one of the most dangerous of my special brand of monsters!" Enzeru narrowed his eyes as the monster appeared, having expected a geisha. Instead it was a wooden female doll wearing a black gothic dress and holding a whip in one hand and a chain in the other.

"I've never seen or heard of a monster like this…what in the world is it?" Envy licked her lips and pointed at the doll which immediately unleashed its strings, strapping them around Jack's Knight.

"A rare brand of monsters forged from the darkest parts of my soul at my birth! Malicious Doll now equips to Jack's Knight, and uses its ability to once per game drain the attack of the equipped monster and give it to me as life points!" Jack's Knight's flesh turned a pale almost dead color as the doll latched onto his chest. Envy snickered as her life points rose steadily. (Envy: 6500)

Enzeru looked rather unhappy at the state his monster was in, especially since it now had zero attack points. "Just like you I see, attaching yourself to others just so you can eat away at them because of some imagined reason for jealousy. They're as pathetic and disgusting as you are."

A space on Envy's field glowed briefly, turning into a face-down card. "You flatter me Enzeru. But really, I don't have much reason to be envious of anybody I'm clearly superior to all you normal humans. But Kara…she's the source of all those feelings, there's not much I can do to change that since her eating habits gave birth to me!"

Enzeru growled and reached for his deck, drawing swiftly. "Whatever the reason it doesn't matter to me! All that matters is that you are defeated and my family returns to normal! For that purpose I'll destroy everything that you are! Queen's Knight, direct attack!"

The dark sin laughed with delight as her set card triggered. "Unfulfilled Emotion forces your attacking monster to instead attack one monster on your field that has an Envious Spirit equipped to it! So go ahead and destroy your own precious Jack's Knight!"

The virtue winced as the blonde's sword cleaved straight through the normally more powerful monster. Jack's Knight exploded and Enzeru felt his body and resolve weaken as his life points dropped. "What…what's happening to me?" (Enzeru: 1900)

Envy put one hand to her mouth to cover it and giggled at him. "Oh silly, don't you get it? Your damage just makes it easier for me to take your heated emotions? Or hadn't you noticed that this was a Darkness Game as well?"

His eyes widened as he looked to his feet, discovering that a purple fog was up to his ankles. And to his further surprise he discovered that his legs up to about his waist seemed to be translucent. "What is this? What rule is this?"

The Sin tapped the side of her head, grinning somewhat insanely. "Just an aspect of the game! Our emotions are eaten away along with our self-image, and in the darkness that makes all the difference. If your life points drop to zero not only will I eat all of your positive emotions but your own self-image will vanish and you won't know who you are beyond name. Everything you see yourself as will be gone, leaving as you a lonely terrified shell!"

Enzeru looked down at his body and took a deep breath, trying to gain a calm and composure that was slipping. "And does the same happen to you? Will you lose your self-image as you lose life points?"

She pouted and shook her head. "I don't have a self-image to begin with, all I have is constructed emotions eaten from other people. I'm not human enough to think of myself beyond the simplest terms. All I am is a being that hungers and must have that hunger fed, nothing more and nothing less!"

"In other words you're a freak vampire with no heart or soul, or am I wrong?" She shook her head, and then pointed up into the air.

"Not wrong at all! Oh, and since you destroyed Jack's Knight the equipped Malicious Doll is special summoned back to my field. I'll put her in defense mode." The gothic doll descended onto her field and wrapped the chain and whip around itself as a crude form of defense.

Enzeru thrust out his hand and King's Knight charged, cutting through Malicious Doll at the waist. "I'll destroy your little dolls one by one and then cut my way into your life points. Regardless of your lack of self-image I'll destroy you in this duel."

When King's Knight returned to his field Enzeru held out another card. "Triple Force Completion allows me to special summon from my grave any destroyed members of a tri-knight set that were on the field this turn. So during my end phase my Jack's Knight (2500/1000) returns!"

The third knight returned to Enzeru's field, completing his set of tri-knights once again. With a triumphant and confident look in his eyes Enzeru pointed at Envy. What he failed to notice was that his legs were almost completely back to normal. "Your turn monster!"

Envy drew, not failing to notice the change. _'So it looks like what Pride warned me about was right. His power of Fortitude must have to do with regeneration. And it seems to apply to body, mind, and spirit. I wonder what its limitations are…'_

"Let's play a fun game white knight! Let's see…oh I know, I'll play Dusk Reflection! Now for every monster on your field I can special summon a level four or lower dark type monster from my hand, provided it has a thousand or less attack points." She selected two cards from her hand and placed them onto her duel disk.

First to appear was a female doll which looked like termites had been at it. There were rotting portions of the wood and even the dress seemed like it was falling apart. "This is Envious Spirit-Decaying Doll (300/500)!"

Next was a pretty feminine doll…with horns on its head and vicious looking red eyes. Her fingernails were also extended like claws. "And we also get Envious Spirit-Wicked Doll (600/200). I believe I'll now equip Decaying Doll to Jack's Knight!"

The doll strings shot out pulled the decaying doll over the green armored knight, attaching it. Immediately Jack's Knight began to look a little green around the gills and appeared to be barely able to stand. "Decaying Doll decays your monster right now, decreasing its attack points by one hundred points per level. That drops it to two thousand."

She licked her lips and pointed to her remaining doll. "Wicked Doll will equip itself to King's Knight and drain your monster of an additional seven hundred attack points!"

When Wicked Doll latched onto King's Knight its claws buried into his neck, draining blood down his armor. His attack fell quickly to fifteen hundred. Queen's Knight looked back and forth between her two companions, looking worried. "Damn you…"

Envy chuckled and a card shimmered into view in front of her. "I'll toss that card face down. And I'll end my turn with an oddly named card called Envy's Greed. As long as this card is in play during my standby phase I get to draw one card for each Envious Spirit equipped to one of your monsters!"

Enzeru grimaced when he realized that would let her easily replenish her hand despite having emptied it this turn. _'Her skill is greater than it was when she was Kara. She's strong…'_

He drew and grabbed at his chest when a dark purple aura surrounded both him and Jack's Knight. It nearly dropped him to his knees even as his body started to fade a little more. "Damn…"

His opponent giggled again and raised one dainty arm to point at Decaying Doll. "During your standby phase Decaying Doll deals you life point damage equal to the amount of power being drained from your monster." (Enzeru: 1400)

He gasped as one of Wicked Doll's claws shot out like a spear and stabbed into one of the cards in his hand. "I see…and during my standby phase Wicked Doll discards a card from my hand. Or am I wrong?"

When the claw deposited his card into his graveyard slot he knew he had guessed right. He scowled as he lost a monster to the grave. _'That leaves me with three cards to combat her…but I know exactly what I can do. If it had gotten this card then I wouldn't have stood a chance. But with it I can turn the tables!'_

He grabbed the card and thrust it into the air above his head. "I activate the magic card that will turn this duel around! Tri-Pulse Shot costs me eight hundred life points and requires that I have a tri-knight set in play. Since I fit these requirements I can use its effect." (Enzeru: 600)

He lowered his hand so that his fist was thrust towards Envy. The dark sin raised one eyebrow, looking intrigued and amused at the same time. "Oh? And what exactly does this card let you do?"

Enzeru visualized his two siblings and then opened his fist. "It lets me destroy you! During this turn my selected tri-knight set all gain the ability to attack you directly without chain! So Queen's Knight (2100), King's Knight (1500) and Jack's Knight (2000) will each attack you directly!"

Envy's eyes widened as the three monsters appeared surrounding her, each with their swords raised. "This looks like an interesting attack, I can't wait to feel what this strike is like!"

With a look of divine justice in his eyes Enzeru swung his hand down in a chopping motion, as if giving his monsters a signal. "Then they'll gladly let you experience it! Three Point Skewer!"

The sin shrieked as all three swords stabbed into her, coming from three directions at once. Each of the blades shot through her flesh and out the other end. Such was the force that it actually lifted her off her feet, pinning her on the three swords. "Was that pain glorious enough for you Envy? Or should I let you taste a little more?" (Envy: 900)

She shuddered and shook, her blood blackening the sharp edges of those weapons. The green around her blue eyes faded and her eyes turned grey once again. Although she was twitching her body had gone limp, supported by those blades. "That…I don't like what that felt like…"

Enzeru folded his arms over his chest, content to stand and let her enjoy that pain. "Now you understand what my pain is like, though your physical pain only equals a fraction of the pain I have experienced because of what you did to my brother and sister. Now you understand the pain of family retribution!"

He tilted his head back and stared at the stars in the sky, tears in his eyes. "You who don't know human emotion can never experience the pain of failing those you love. You can never understand true pain or true love or anything beyond your petty meaningless hunger. All because you have no bonds, and that is where our joy and suffering comes from. The bonds we share with those around us."

His head lowered and he showed eyes of steel despite his tears to his hated enemy. He reached up and patted his chest, his body restoring itself and the faded parts of his body becoming whole again. "Those bonds are what create the self-image that you seem amused about destroying. And as long as those bonds exist you can never destroy a person's self-image or that person! Let this pain grant you a bond with me who has also experience pain. I want you to have that bond so I can destroy it and destroy the self-image you create because of it!"

Envy lifted her head weakly, her face paler than before because of blood loss. "You…are my natural enemy aren't you? Nobody else could possibly beat me or hurt me…just you."

Enzeru matched her weak gaze with his powerful one, not feeling an ounce of pity for her injured state. "Tell me Envy, when you look deep into that pathetic blackened hunk of flesh inside of you that you call a heart…what do you see?"

She titled her head to the side and blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth. She seemed confused and then saddened. To his surprise a single tear came from the corner of her left eye and rolled down her cheek. "I see…a weak little girl. I see…her."

Enzeru's vision suddenly swam and the world around him seemed to fade. "What…what is this?"

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_"That's so amazing! She has such a beautiful voice!" Clapping immediately followed and a tall dark haired girl on stage bowed repeatedly. _

_"So talented as well! I hear she's also the class president!"_ _There was a chorus of agreement as the gathered people chattered away about the pretty grey-eyed girl on stage, whose willowing figure and beautiful voice had captivated the audience._

_Another adult nodded and leaned in to the woman who had last spoken, whispering to her almost conspiratorially. "From what I heard she got a perfect score on her SATs. She's also been accepted into Yale!"_

_The woman gasped and turned, clapping her hands together in front of her face. "Accepted into Yale? She's really amazing!"_

_Just a few feet away a young girl, perhaps ten or so, sat with her arms crossed over her chest, scowling up at the stage. She was a plain Jane with average features and dull grey eyes, nothing like the beauty on stage. "They all think you're so amazing…I'll show them I'm amazing too, just like you big sister!"_

_The stage and everything else in the room faded away, changing into a small living room. Seated on the couch were a pair of adults, a man and a woman, who were both, chatting with the same beautiful girl from before. "Of course we'll help pay for your schooling, it's a parent's duty after all. And don't you worry about those car payments; we'll take care of that as well."_

_The girl bowed to her parents, smiling brightly as she did so. "Thank you mother, thank you father. I appreciate your graciousness."_

_Suddenly there was the clearing of a throat. They all turned and found the younger plain girl standing near the couch, looking somewhat embarrassed but still hopeful. "Momma, poppa…do you think you could buy me some Duel Monsters cards? My friends have been teaching me the game and I really want to become a pro!"_

_The older woman on the couch frowned and glanced slightly at her daughter. "We're busy right now. This is something important, not silly like a card game. Why can't you find a real interest like your sister?"_

_The little girl glared at her parents and stomped her foot. "Duel Monsters is a real interest! Professional duelists make lots of money and I know I could be great! Why don't you care about what I want?"_

_She stormed out of the room and her father sighed. "That girl really should grow up. Sometimes I wonder why we even had a second child."_

_The little girl's sister stood to her full height and looked at the door, knowing that her sister was hiding directly behind it. "Let me talk to her, can you please leave us alone?"_

_Her mother smiled and rose, giving her a hug. "Of course dear, do whatever you want. But don't baby the girl; she's just being a brat."_

_As soon as the parents had left the little girl came out from behind the door, looking red in the face at having been caught. "Just going to gloat some more Claire?"_

_The now identified Claire smiled and leaned down so that she was face to face with her younger sister. "Oh don't worry, gloating over you would require me to be jealous of you. There's not a thing about you worth making any note of, so why would I be jealous?"_

_Tears and furry shimmered in the younger girl's eyes. "Why do you act like you're better than me? You're just the same as me!"_

_Her head snapped to the side and lights exploded in her eyes. It took her a moment to realize that she had been slapped. Holding back the tears she reached up and gingerly touched her cheek. "Don't ever compare you and me Kara. You're just a little talentless and worthless brat that mom and dad don't even want. Don't you dare forget that I'm your better and so is everyone else."_

_Kara glared at her sister with tears in her eyes and when she opened her mouth to say something defiant her sister slapped her again. She toppled to the ground and didn't stand up. "Hmph, you're not even worth hitting anymore Kara. You'll never accomplish anything in life, and it's pretty pointless to hurt somebody who isn't worth the effort."_

_Her sister glided out of the room, leaving Kara sitting on the floor of the living room alone. She wrapped her arms around herself and curled into a ball, sobbing gently. "I'm not worthless…I'm not worthless…I'm not worthless…"_

_A strange almost twisted look came over her face as green circles slowly appeared around her eyes. "Not worthless…not jealous…Claire…I'm so jealous…"_

_Time seemed to fuzz again, and when it cleared Kara and her parents were standing outside a room in a white building, obviously a hospital. A doctor walked up to them and addressed the parents. "I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. York but your daughter appears to have had a mental breakdown. We believe its stress related however so far nothing we've done for her has had any effect. We're not sure what to do for her other than make her comfortable."_

_Inside the room Claire sat in the hospital bed with her legs drawn up to her chest and her eyes red from crying. "Worthless…I'm worthless…so worthless…"_

_Kara smiled confidently and turned to her parents. "Momma, poppa, would you like to hear me sing? I know I can sing really well now, I just know I can!"_

_Her parents didn't even look at her; they were just focused on their other daughter. They didn't even say a word. "Momma…poppa? Look at me…look at me please."_

_Her mother buried her shoulder into the father's shoulder. "I can't believe this happened to our daughter! I can't believe it…"_

_He nodded, looking saddened as he wrapped his arm around his wife. "Now we have nothing left."_

_Kara stared aghast at her parents and stumbled back as if struck. "You have me! What about me?"_

_Still there was no response and seeing that they weren't even paying her attention she turned and ran out of the way. She went directly past the doctor who didn't even glance as she ran off. She ran until she was out of breath and finally rested. "Even with her gone…even now…I'm worthless aren't I?"_

_She tilted her head up and saw a girl of about six or seven being patted on the head by her parents. They handed her a lollipop, looking proud as if she had just won the World Series. And Kara saw that she had a band-aid on her arm…she had just gotten a shot. _

_Something changed in Kara's expression as she watched those children doting on their daughter. The green circles formed around her eyes and she visibly shook. "Her parents actually care about her….I'm so envious…"_

_"You seem like quite a talented young lady Miss York. Far more talented than your sister." Kara turned at the sound of that gentle voice. She found herself staring up at a tall blonde man with gentle blue eyes wearing simple jeans and a t-shirt. He smiled down at her, his smile lifting her spirits._

_She blinked up at him, her eyes fading back to their normal plain color. "You…don't think I'm worthless? Everybody else says I'm worthless…"_

_The tall man knelt down so he was at her height and continued to smile at her. He put his hand on her head and rubbed her hair. "Truly you're a special girl. So special that your parents have ignored you your whole life because they simply couldn't understand how amazing you are. That's why your classmates ignore you and why your sister hates you. She can't stand that you surpass her."_

_"Mister…you're the first person who ever said that…that I'm worth something. Who are you?" Her stood and extended his hand to her, his smile filling her with a bright and glorious warmth._

_"My name is Saint Beatrix, and I've come to offer you a chance to be truly amazing. How would you like to talk to your parents about becoming sponsored by me?" Kara stared at his extended hand, and then looked down the hall to where she knew her parents were still watching Claire._

_Finally she reached out and put her hand in Saint's. "I'll come with you."_

_Saint raised an eyebrow at her, still smiling. "Oh? Don't you want to speak with your parents first?"_

_Kara glanced back again and then stared blankly into Saint's eyes. "Why bother? They won't even notice I'm gone."_

_Saint smiled even broader than before and wrapped his hand around hers. "Don't worry Miss York, I will always notice you."_

_They walked together through the hall, Kara now ignoring the girl with the lollipop. Yet despite everything she couldn't stop the mantra in her head. "Worthless…worthless…worthless…"_

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The swords withdrew from Envy's body and let her stumble to the ground. Enzeru stared at her in shock, recognizing that figure and that face. "The self-image that Kara built for herself….the figure of utter confidence that couldn't be touched…you're Claire aren't you?"

Envy snapped her head up, fury in her eyes as the green circles spun wildly around her blue eyes. "Shut up! Don't you dare…don't you dare call me that!"

Enzeru narrowed his eyes as he saw, as a faint almost invisible image, Kara standing directly at Envy's side. "I understand…I see it all now…the pain that drove her to jealousy. Kara could never understand the pain of having her family taken…because she never knew that love and comfort."

He raised his arm and pointed at her, his furious and righteous anger bottled up into his eyes. "For the sake of my family and…for the sake of the one who couldn't understand that pain…I'll destroy the one responsible! Prepare yourself for the family's retribution Claire!"

The sin snarled and grabbed at her deck, pulling a card free. "MY NAME IS ENVY!"

She added the card to her hand and dragged her tongue slowly across her teeth, fury evident in her eyes. "And I'm going to eat you."

Enzeru met her gaze and beckoned to her. "Then come and eat me if you can."

"My pleasure!"

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Author's Note: Things are just going to heat up in the next chapter as both duelists go to their full extremes!

_Next Time: The battle continues, but now with the last vestiges of Kara on his side Enzeru takes a final stand against Envy. If he cannot gather up the power to defeat Envy his entire self will be crushed down underneath her heel. This is Enzeru's final strike against Envy carrying all of his family's honor on the line!_

_See it all in, Witness of Pain; Family's Retribution!_


	79. Witness of Pain: Family Retribution

Author's Note: Sorry about the long delay but I've been busy. Here now at last is part two of Envy versus Fortitude, extra length chapter!

**Chapter Seventy-Nine: Witness of Pain; Family Retribution**

_Enzeru narrowed his eyes as he saw, as a faint almost invisible image, Kara standing directly at Envy's side. "I understand…I see it all now…the pain that drove her to jealousy. Kara could never understand the pain of having her family taken…because she never knew that love and comfort."_

_He raised his arm and pointed at her, his furious and righteous anger bottled up into his eyes. "For the sake of my family and…for the sake of the one who couldn't understand that pain…I'll destroy the one responsible! Prepare yourself for the family's retribution Claire!"_

_The sin snarled and grabbed at her deck, pulling a card free. "MY NAME IS ENVY!"_

_She added the card to her hand and dragged her tongue slowly across her teeth, fury evident in her eyes. "And I'm going to eat you."_

_Enzeru met her gaze and beckoned to her. "Then come and eat me if you can."_

_"My pleasure!"_

Her face-up magic card glowed a dark green color and she slashed two more cards off her deck. "During my standby phase since I have two Envious Spirits equipped to your monsters my Envy's Greed lets me draw two cards!"

Enzeru eyed her three card hand carefully and then looked at her Envy's Greed card. _'I need to eliminate that card quickly. It allows her to replenish her resources too quickly. As long as she has that she has a distinct advantage against me.'_

Envy grasped one of the cards and threw it forcefully down onto her disk. "I summon Envious Spirit-Scar Doll (500/400), giving me exactly what I need to finish you off!"

Her monster rose up from the darkness, revealing itself in the form of a wooden puppet with a hideous slash going diagonally across its face. Blood seemed to ooze from the cut despite the fact that it was made of wood. Enzeru frowned at the sight and look over at Kara. "To think that you, who are the embodiment of what Kara thought was beautiful and perfect use such hideous monstrosities."

His opponent ran her tongue around her lips and sneered at him. "I use the hideous creatures that resided in her heart. Hateful cursing of those better than herself. And these monsters will destroy you, just like she would have wanted in her all pathetic envy!"

She raised her arm and pointed at Enzeru and her lips spread into a sadistic snarl. "Scar Doll, puppet strings!"

The wires shot out of Scar Doll's body and wrapped around Queen's Knight, pulling the doll over to it. Queen's Knight looked sick as blood seeped from the wound onto her. Enzeru glanced at his monster looking slightly concerned. "What does this doll do?"

"Not that it matters quite yet, but for starters Scar Doll drains your monster of three hundred points." Enzeru nodded, watching as his monster's attack points were reduced to eighteen hundred.

Envy picked another of the cards she had drawn and pulled it away from the last card in her hand. "This one card was the key card that led to the defeat of the seventh virtue, your little pal Alec Masters! He too resides in my belly now, and with this card I'll defeat you as well!"

Enzeru grimaced as an image of his British rival flowed through his mind. "Another reason for me to destroy you."

"Oh just shove it up your ass! Activate magic card Eternal Rest! Now every monster with an equip card on it is destroyed! Say farewell to your tri-knights!" Enzeru's three knights screamed as the strings dug into their flesh. Mere moments later they burst into dust, letting the dolls drop to the ground.

As soon as the doll's hit the ground Envy lifted her arms above her head and jubilantly made a declaration. "And now each of my dolls is special summoned back to my field, in attack mode! Impressive how I can switch from a slow control style to aggro beat down isn't it?"

The three dolls now stood on Envy's field, facing down Enzeru's field which contained no monsters. And even though each of Envy's monsters attack points was small it added up to a lot. "I'm not done just yet Envy; I won't be defeated so easily. Your effect triggered my trap card, Option Hunter!"

Light flowed from the face-up trap card into his duel disk and Enzeru's form solidified even more. "When a monster on my field is destroyed Option Hunter lets me gain either its attack or defense points as life points. I chose my Jack's Knight's two thousand attack points!" (Enzeru: 2600)

She growled, realizing that she didn't have a clear finish. "I'll still make you hurt! Scar Doll (500), Decaying Doll (300), and Wicked Doll (600) all attack your directly now!"

As their attacks pounded into him Enzeru imagined his family and saw something very strange. His body was flickering. Instead of simply fading out it would fade out and then back in. _'My body…its restoring itself because of my determination to protect my family. My self-image is being solidified!'_ (Enzeru: 1200)

Envy grabbed the last card in her hand and placed it into her duel disk. That gave her two face down cards and three monsters as compared to Enzeru's no monsters, no set cards, and just as Allied Forces card face-up. _'She has the advantage but I can't give up!'_

"My turn is over white knight. And soon you will be as well!" Enzeru responded by pulling a card from his deck as swiftly as he could.

A strange chill ran through his body and he looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened as far as they could go at what he saw. Kara's ghostly image was standing directly behind him, her eyes focused hatefully on Envy. Enzeru looked at her carefully, but she didn't seem to acknowledge his existence. "I see…she truly does hate you. The image of confidence shattering force in her mind was her sister, and that's why the Aura of Envy, that's why you took that image. So even now, though you aren't truly her sister, she still hates you."

He sighed and looked back at Envy, who seemed furious at the sight of Kara on his side. "It doesn't matter; she's just as worthless as always!"

Enzeru narrowed his eyes at her and clenched a fist. "A sibling hating a sibling. That's just something I'm not capable of understanding. My siblings and I have always been close, though not always as close as we should have been. But the absolutely despicable actions between Claire and Kara….it disgusts me!"

The jade circles around Envy's eyes spun faster than ever, but Enzeru seemed unaffected. "It doesn't matter what you think, you'll just be annihilated in the end and consumed by me!"

He smirked and flipped up his drawn card. "Despite what you say the life point totals show that I'm in the lead and I still have a chance to completely turn this duel around!"

A familiar green grinning pot formed on his field. "Pot of Greed activates!"

He drew twice, causing the pot to explode. Then he placed one of his new cards onto his duel disk. "It's time to introduce you to another set of tri-knights! I summon Alpha Knight (1300/1500)!"

His newest monster was slate grey and looked almost identical to Alpha the Magnet Warrior. The primary difference was that its face-plate was open to reveal a rugged looking man with stubble. Envy sneered. "Just another useless monster. What can he do against me?"

"What can he do? Likely very little alone, but with his companions he can accomplish grand things! To accomplish that I select one monster on my field, obviously my only one my Alpha Knight. Its sub-type is warrior, so now at a cost of one thousand life points I can activate Bonds of Brothers!" His life points trickled down as two cards shot out of his deck. (Enzeru: 200)

Two monsters flew down onto his field. The first of them wore yellow armor with tight gauntlets and a spear in one hand. "Come forth, Beta Knight (1400/1400)!"

The second monster had red armor and had a large mace clutched in his grip. He looked to his two fellow knights and they all gave each other a slight dip of the head. "Lastly is Gamma Knight (1500/1300)!"

Envy twitched slightly and her lips stopped from quirking up. Enzeru noted it and then pointed to his continuous magic card. "At this time because I have three warriors on the field each of my three knights gains six hundred attack points thanks to The Allied Forces!"

Enzeru moved his finger to point at his middle knight who raised his spear, the two thousand points of his attack score showing above his head. "I'll begin my assault by having Beta Knight attack Scar Doll!"

The sin laughed with delight as she snapped her hand out towards her set cards, both of which flipped up. "When you attack I trigger my trap card, Forced Union! This lets me automatically equip union monsters onto any appropriate targets! And since my Envious Spirits can equip to any of your monsters I'll equip each of mine to each of yours!"

Her three monsters flew forwards and wrapped their strings around his monsters, somewhat constricting them. Enzeru narrowed his eyes, but didn't seem worried. "Since the target of my attack is no longer there my attack is invalid…however that won't stop my next attack! Nor will it stop Beta Knight's effect!"

Envy shrieked as the spear shot straight through her. Although the wound quickly healed she still shuddered and fell to her knees. "What the hell was that?"

"That was the power of a tri-knight. Normally when Beta Knight enters the battle phase he deals you three hundred points of damage. When one of his companions is in play he deals five hundred, but when both are on the field the damage is seven hundred!" She bit her lip and licked up the blood as her life points fell just shy of zero. (Envy: 200)

Enzeru smirked and looked over at his two remaining monsters. "That damage put us exactly even, but now that's going to change since I still have two remaining attacks and you have no monsters left!"

That was when he noticed the face-up card, her second trap that she had activated. "Not quite white knight. My continuous trap card is called Depression Field, and it prevents any monster with an equip card on it from attacking for as long as it's in play. That means your monsters can't attack me!"

He frowned and looked at the only two cards he had left to use from his hand. One of them he had drawn with Pot of Greed, while the other card he had drawn was Bonds of Brothers. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

The moment he declared the end of his turn a white light surrounded him and Envy saw that it was originating from his Gamma Knight. "In addition Gamma Knight shares a similar ability to Beta Knight. During my end phase he lets me gain 400 life points, but since I have his two partners in play that amount is eight hundred." (Enzeru: 1000)

Envy bared her teeth as she drew and then again reached for her deck. "I don't care what life points you recover, it won't save you. Envy's Greed lets me draw three brand new cards!"

She slid the cards into her hand and then fanned them out, looking quite satisfied. "From nothing to four cards so quickly, don't you think that's rather impressive? Certainly surpasses whatever you can accomplish."

Twisting around one of the cards she had drawn she truly started her turn. "Let's begin this turn with the magic card Envy of Life! This card will increase my life points by the total amount of attack points your monsters are losing because of my Envious Spirits!"

Waves of green energy pumped out of her dolls and into her body. Enzeru didn't react visibly, but it was still obvious he was worried. _'With my monsters trapped I still could have beaten two hundred life points. But this makes things a little more difficult.' _(Envy: 1600)

A monster shimmered into view on Envy's field. This doll was shrouded by a thick layer of darkness that seemed to ripple around it. "This little fellow is rather weak, but he's still quite useful. This is Envious Spirit-Shadow Doll (100/100) who was so rejected he slipped into the shadow to be unseen."

Enzeru narrowed his eyes at the monster and its weak attack points. _'Most likely with attack points like those it has a useful effect. But can she even equip an Envious Spirit to a monster that is already equipped with one?'_

Envy snickered and snapped her fingers, causing the shadows around her monster to roil. "I bet you're wondering what this monster's equip effect is. But that's not why I summoned it. See, this monster has a direct attacking ability, so I think I'll attack now!"

The shadows shot forward, slamming into Enzeru and tossing him heavily to the ground. Despite the impact very little damage had been done, so almost no part of Enzeru faded. "Intending to chip away slowly at my life points?" (Enzeru: 900)

To his surprise a puckered purple mass appeared above his field. And the ooze was coming from Scar Doll's wound. "What's your monster doing?"

"It's simple; Scar Doll is finally getting to activate its effect! When I deal you damage it creates a 'scar counter' on your field. During your standby phase you'll take damage equal to half the amount of damage that originated the counter. In this case that's fifty damage total." Enzeru frowned as he realized that it worked in deadly combination with Decaying Doll.

She laughed darkly as she slid a single card into her duel disk. "End turn white knight!"

Enzeru drew and a card shot out of his cemetery slot. "During my standby phase Alpha Knight lets me add one random card from my cemetery to my hand!"

His opponent raised one arm over her head and a card was instantly slashed out of Enzeru's hand. "But Wicked Doll immediately discards a card from your hand during your standby phase, effectively eliminating your gain!"

The eldest triplet winced as his life points began to fall rapidly as well. Envy snickered and motioned to her Decaying Doll. "And of course thanks to Decaying Doll and the Scar Counter you take a total of four hundred and fifty damage!" (Enzeru: 450)

Puss leaked from Scar Doll and bubbled up into the air, generating another counter even bigger than the first one. "The effect of a Scar Counter can't generate another Scar Counter. But you do get another Scar Counter from Decaying Doll's damage. That means you take an extra two hundred fifty damage each turn!"

Enzeru grimaced at the thought, but shook it off and snapped up the card he had recovered. "From my hand I play the card Alpha Knight gave me, the magical Pot of Greed!"

The card returned to the grave and he drew two cards, making up for the discard he had been forced to make. Envy seemed a little put off by that. "Still kicking despite my best efforts…I'll have to fix that problem!"

"Do your best…but let's see you fix this problem first! I play The Warrior Returning Alive, selecting a warrior sub-type monster in my cemetery and adding it to my hand." Another card slid out of his graveyard and he picked it up, keeping him at three cards in hand. That didn't last long since he immediately threw it down.

The older blonde knight that Enzeru had previously called on appeared on the field, apparently ready to take action. "King's Knight (1600/1400) is my choice of monster!"

His continuous magic card flashed and the knight's attack score began to rise. "The Allied Forces now raises each of my knights' attack points by eight hundred total since I have four warriors in play. That gives me King's Knight twenty-four hundred points!"

King's Knight swished his sword through the air a few times, leaving a slight glowing trail. He smirked, seeming to be satisfied with his new power. "In addition since my monster doesn't have any cards equipped on him Depression Field is useless to stop his attacks! That leaves your Shadow Doll a sitting duck."

Enzeru thrust out his fist toward the small shadowed monster, which didn't even bother to recoil in fear. "King's Knight, attack the Shadow Doll with King of Hearts Slash!"

The knight jumped forward, swinging his blade at full force towards the doll. There was a flash of nearly blinding light and then King's Knight slid backwards, his blade ringing. Enzeru frowned as he saw a burly warrior holding a shield now standing in front of Shadow Doll. "I see…" (Envy: 4000)

The defender with the shield vanished and so did Envy's face-up trap card. "A sitting duck was he? Not even remotely."

"You're right Envy; I walked right into your Draining Shield trap card. However…I won't be caught off guard again. And I won't become a sacrifice for your sick hunger." His eyes widened and he looked down at his hand. Then he looked up at his field and a dangerous smirk appeared on his features.

"Envy…I've got your monsters figured out and I know their weakness! I place two cards face down, and then I end my turn to activate Gamma Knight's effect. I gain eight hundred life points!" Life points flowed into him at the same time as two cards appeared on his field next to the one that was already set. (Enzeru: 1250)

He turned his head and nodded once to Kara's hovering spirit, even though she still didn't seem to acknowledge him. Envy snarled at the sight and drew again. "I don't care if she's on your side, I'll still crush you! Envy's Greed lets me draw three more times!"

Just as quickly as the previous turn she was pumped up to quite a sizeable hand. But to her surprise Enzeru just smirked. "Your deck isn't exactly designed around heavy drawing like Greed's deck. You don't have enough cards to support that level of rapid drawing for very long."

"Long enough to defeat you and that's all I need! I start by summoning Corpse Doll (400/200) in attack mode!" Her newest doll looked like a zombie with its body rotting and it being dressed in funeral garb.

"I'll move Corpse Doll into equipping onto your King's Knight, reducing his attack points by two hundred! Doll Strings!" Just like all the other monsters it wrapped its wires around King's Knight, putting it on the chosen creature. That meant all of Enzeru's monsters were equipped and couldn't attack.

Envy dragged her tongue all the way around her lips as she slowly tilted her next card around to show it to Enzeru. "I'm sure you'll recognize this card. My deadly Eternal Rest!"

She laughed with delight as the effect of her card kicked in, sweeping the field with a deadly force to annihilate every monster on the field with a card equipped to it. "Thanks to my card I'll clear your field of monsters and rush my field with monsters!"

To her surprise Enzeru smirked and pointed at his rightmost set card with two fingers. "Sorry Envy, but like I said I uncovered the weakness to your monsters. While they may be special summoned to your field when the equipped monsters are destroyed they just go to the grave when the equipped monster is sacrificed!"

The sin gulped as she saw his now activated magic card, which depicted a frying pan of some sort. "So…that barely accomplishes anything! Mystik Wok can only tribute one monster for life points!"

Enzeru smirked again and shifted his fingers to point at the leftmost card he had placed on the field. "That's where this quick-play magic card comes into the combo! It's Forked Magic, which lets me spread a targeting effect to all available targets! That means I can now tribute all four of my monsters to gain their attack points as life points!"

A huge wok appeared on the field and Enzeru's monsters were inside of it. They were tossed into the air again and again until finally they burst into pixels in mid-air. "And thanks to that combo effect I gain over seven thousand life points!" (Enzeru: 8750)

She gnashed her teeth, realizing she had just wasted her combo strike. Even though he no longer had any monsters she was down to one. "That was pretty clever…but I'm still not finished yet! I activate the effect of Corpse Doll, removing the monster it was equipped to from the game to special summon it to my field!"

Her Corpse Doll reappeared, giving her two monsters total. Enzeru didn't even flinch as he slid King's Knight out of his graveyard and placed it into his back pocket. "Is that all Envy?"

"Not even close! Corpse Doll and Shadow Doll will both attack you directly! I don't care how many life points you have I'll still win!" Enzeru took the attacks head unflinchingly. In fact he looked quite satisfied since his life points were standing strong. (Enzeru: 8250)

Envy took a shuddering breath and slid a card into her duel disk. That gave her two cards face down and two face-up cards, although her Reserved Space card made it so that her continuous cards didn't take up zones. "Go ahead and take your worthless turn third Yukio!"

Enzeru squeezed his hands together and took another glance back at Kara who continued to glare at the embodiment of her sister. "To imagine such hatred between siblings…like I said, it's impossible for me. You're right, I'm one of three Yukio siblings. We're three parts of a whole, just like you two are opposite sides of the same coin."

She quirked up an eyebrow and for the first time since she had appeared Kara's image now turned to him. Envy spoke out immediately. "What are you talking about? We aren't connected at all!"

Kara nodded vigorously, but Enzeru just smiled sadly. "No, it's exactly the opposite. Both of you, in whatever form you had, needed the other. Yours was like our sibling relationship, it was symbiotic, only yours was painfully so. Family isn't always peaches, sometimes it is struggle. And you two are interconnected no matter how you deny it."

Again Envy made to deny the accusation. "That's bullshit! How could I possibly be connected to that worthless weakling?"

Enzeru sighed and looked between the two. "Kara needed Claire because she never felt good enough, she needed someone to help her maintain that image and drive her to go farther, to make certain she wasn't worthless. And Claire needed Kara because she needed reassurance that she was as incredible as everyone said, and inflicting mental anguish and making her sister feel worthless helped establish that for her. And you two share that same connection!"

He snapped up one hand and pointed at Envy, who jerked back in surprise. "You exist as the Aura of Envy in this form because only with that hateful force in her mind could Kara justify doing the horrible things that she did, hurting so many people. Without you to make her feel worthless and jealous she wouldn't have been able to shrug off the horrors. And you wouldn't exist without her!"

His hand fell to his deck and grasped the top card between two fingers. "I've been forgetting that I can't exist without my siblings and you two helped me remember that. We're aspects of one form, one body, just as Kane reminded me!"

He slashed the card off and then jerked a thumb at himself. "The brain of the Yukio. Aya…the heart. Kane…the shield. Whatever titles we lay on each other we are all the same flesh despite differences in personality and appearance. I forged this deck to remind me of them and fight with their power at my side but…"

His set card immediately flipped up, revealing a cleaver coming down towards a person's hand. "But what I had forgotten was that they were always lending me their power, because my power is theirs and their power is mine! Reveal trap card, Trade Your Left Arm!"

The one card in his hand was dumped into the graveyard and then a card shot out of his deck. "This trap card lets me discard my entire hand to add one card from my deck to my hand. My choice in this case is the card I'll use to unleash my strength! Magic card activate, Phoenix Soul!"

Envy blinked in surprise as a burning bird circled above their heads. "That's the same card Temperance used against Gluttony!"

"That's right, and it lets me shuffle my hand deck and cemetery together to and then trade them out completely for a completely different deck!" He took the deck of cards and placed it into one of the two deck holders that was attached to his right hip. Then he snapped open the other one and shoved it into his duel disk.

Immediately afterwards he drew six cards…and the phoenix slammed down on top of him, engulfing his body in flames. Envy shivered in actual fear and Kara shrank back as the flames parted, revealing a stony but determined looking Enzeru. "After I draw my new hand I receive three thousand points of damage. But…this game has just changed pace Envy!" (Enzeru: 5250)

He followed it up by tossing a card into his disk. "Pure Summoning lets me special summon one monster from my hand at no cost if I have no monsters in the graveyard! For this effect I special summon Pure Land Knight-Rious (2700/2100) to the field!"

His first pure white knight held a massive great sword in one hand, holding it with surprising ease. "I'll continue by using my normal summon for Pure Land Knight-Typhus (1300/1200)!"

This one was smaller than the first and held what looked like a long curved dagger, rather than a sword of some sort. Envy glared at the monsters hatefully. "Those things remind me way to much of the way Saint talks…I'd love to kill them."

Enzeru pointed at Shadow Doll and Rious lifted the great sword directly above its head. "Rious, strike down Shadow Doll!"

The sin laughed darkly and motioned to one of her two set cards. "I activate Sakuretsu Armor, which will destroy your attacking monster!"

To her surprise the card shattered immediately after flipping up. Enzeru shook his head at her. "Sorry Envy, but as long as I have no monsters in my graveyard Rious is immune to trap cards. Great Strike of the Pure!"

Rious brought his great sword directly down onto Shadow Doll, cleaving the depressing looking creature in half. Envy screamed in frustration as the blow cut a huge swath into her life points. "Damn you!" (Envy: 1400)

Enzeru motioned to his other monster who threw the dagger like a boomerang. "Typhus attacks next, targeting your Corpse Doll!"

The thrown dagger cleaved through the monster's head, letting the body crumble. Then it spun directly back into Typhus' hand. "It's not over…not yet!" (Envy: 500)

He nodded and tapped the top of his duel disk. "Of course it isn't, I didn't expect you to be easily defeated. But I'm now in control. Also, since I have no monsters in my grave Typhus adds the attack score of the beaten monster to my life points." (Enzeru: 5650)

A single card shimmered onto the field in front of him and he nodded calmly to Envy. "This duel is coming steadily closer to its ends Envy. With my siblings fighting with me and without the support of your other half you can't possibly defeat me. The family's retribution will be taken."

She practically screamed her lungs out in frustration as she drew a card for her turn. "I'll kill you! Forget eating your personality, I'm going to cook your flesh and eat you whole!"

She slammed her card into her duel disk, revealing a grinning pot. "Jar of Avarice lets me shuffle five monster from my grave into my deck to draw two cards!"

Five cards were inserted into her deck and then after she had shuffled she drew twice. "I activate Emergency Greed which lets me sacrifice magic and trap cards on my field to draw cards. I'll tribute my two face-up cards and my single set card to draw three cards!"

Three more cards left her deck, giving her a total of six cards in hand. It however meant that her field was empty. But Enzeru noted that she seemed quite satisfied. "You wanted your field empty didn't you?"

"You're absolutely right! Since my field is empty I can pay half my life points to activate the magic card Darkest Light of Envy! This lets me special summon as many Envious Spirits as I can from my deck to the field!" She cackled madly as Corpse Doll, Shadow Doll, Wicked Doll, Decaying Doll, and Worm Doll all appeared on her field. (Envy: 250)

Somehow it didn't feel like she was done. And Enzeru found he was proven right as she one by one picked the five monsters up off her deck. "I sacrifice all five of my monsters to summon the ultimate monster of my deck! Descend from the depths of the dark realms, the cast off of cast offs, the Envious Spirit-Tainted God Doll (0/0)!"

The card form warped onto her field and then blew apart as the monster contained within emerged. It appeared to be a small ugly female doll dressed in an old ratty black dress. But as it floated out onto the field it changed. From its mouth and all over the wood surface a swarm of tendrils exploded outwards, creating a living mass of threads surrounding it. Enzeru gulped. "Five tributes for one monster?"

Envy clicked her tongue against her teeth and then motioned blandly to her monster. "Actually my monster is just a level five, so he simply requires one tribute. However, for every 'Envious Spirit' over that amount I tribute I can create one identical token of itself! So let me introduce you to four more Tainted God Dolls!"

The threads pumped out of the original, creating four new monsters that looked exactly like the original one. This didn't bode well for Enzeru. "And what can these monsters do?"

"I'll show you next turn. For the moment, two of them will equip themselves to your monsters!" Instead of threads simply wrapping around his monsters this time the huge amount of threads from the Tainted God Dolls completely covered his creatures and the Tainted God Dolls now hovered over his field. There they kept his monsters ensnared.

"I place two cards face down and end my turn. Now draw third Yukio, draw and let me show you the power of my ultimate monster!" Enzeru growled and drew just as she had said. He wasn't going to back down just because she had monsters with 'god' in their name.

The eyes of the two Tainted God Dolls that had captured his monsters glowed red and the threads squeezed tighter. Enzeru threw up an arm in defense as the threads cut through his monsters, tearing them into shreds. "So your monsters destroy mine during my standby phase?"

"That's not all! When the monster they are equipped to is destroyed you take half of that monster's attack as damage! That's a grand total of two thousand damage!" The threads from the two dolls whipped out and slashed across Enzeru's flesh, forcing him backwards as they cut numerous tiny nicks into his skin. (Enzeru: 3650)

Both of her dolls floated back to her field and then shrieked loudly as their points began to fluctuate. "Like any good Envious Spirit after the equipped monster is destroyed they get special summon to my field! But these are special since they gain the attack points of the monster they were equipped to once it dies."

One of the two dolls shot up to twenty-seven hundred whilst the other settled at a more useful thirteen hundred. Enzeru grimaced since that now gave her another advantage, whilst putting monsters in the graveyard. "I activate Minor Avarice! By shuffling four cards from my cemetery into my deck I can draw one card!"

He held up Pure Summoning, his two monsters, and Phoenix Soul and then shuffled them into his deck, drawing immediately afterwards. Enzeru slapped the card down and a white knight gripping an oversized cleaver took the field. "Pure Land Knight-Taos (1700/1100) attacks one of the weaker Tainted God Dolls!"

Envy snorted and pointed at her left set card. A pathetic whimpering sound filled the air and Taos lowered his cleaver before even attacking. "Coward's Whimper negates your attack and then forces you to discard the top card of your deck."

Enzeru nodded and slid his top card into the cemetery. Then he smirked and jerked his thumb towards Taos. "You fell for it Envy, just like I expected. You see, when there are no monsters in my cemetery and Taos fails to defeat a monster during my battle phase I can automatically destroy one on your field during my second main phase. My choice is the strongest Tainted God Doll!"

Taos swung his massive cleaver down and sliced through the thread master that was Tainted God Doll. The doll blew apart, sending threads flying everywhere. Envy growled, realizing she had lost a powerful attacker. "Bastard, you'll pay for that…"

The triplet slipped a card into his duel disk and a face-up card depicting a pure white bunker took shape. "I conclude my turn by activating the continuous magic card Pure Repository."

Envy licked her lips and drew, her eyes dancing with delight at whatever she had drawn. "How perfect, its time to end you! I start with Envious Spirit-Murk Doll (600/200) in attack mode!"

The newest doll was a depressed look weak thing with thin arms and legs. "Now I equip to Taos with Doll Strings, reducing your monster's attack by five hundred!"

It wrapped itself around Taos, lowering its attack score to twelve hundred. Enzeru winced mentally, realizing her powered up Tainted God Doll was now stronger than it. "And when Murk Doll is turned to an equip monster I can destroy a magic or trap card on the field, so there goes your set card!"

Enzeru's last line of defense crumbled into dust, leaving him with just the weakened Taos. "Try whatever you want Envy, you can't defeat the power my family grants me!"

"I can and I will! A Tainted God Doll equips itself to Taos…and then my boosted Tainted God Doll will crush it with Death Thread!" A pure mass of threads plunged straight through Taos' thread covered chest, blasting him into pixels. (Enzeru: 3550)

The threads continued forwards and slammed into Enzeru's chest, knocking the wind out of him and dropping him to one knee. "Also since your monster was destroyed with Tainted God Doll on it you take half its attack as damage." (Enzeru: 2950)

Her field glowed and suddenly the Tainted God Doll and Murk Doll were back on her field. "Since their equipped monster was destroyed both of my monsters return, and Tainted God Doll rises to seventeen hundred points. You know what that means right? Double direct attack!"

A skinny wooden arm shot out at high speed and caught Enzeru in the jaw, tossing him onto his back. And then threads shot into the air and crashed into his stomach, inflicting further damage and forcing blood from his lips. Envy just laughed hysterically. "That's right, suffer third Yukio! Suffer so I can eat you alive!" (Enzeru: 650)

Enzeru clutched his stomach and rolled on the ground, gasping for air. Envy snickered and licked her lips. "End turn…it's almost over, and then I get my delicious meal!"

Her laughter died slowly as Enzeru rolled to his knees and steadily picked himself off the ground. He looked weakened and the cuts on his face seemed to be in-between healing and scarring over. "It's not over Envy…not until you've been defeated."

He drew weakly and tilted the card up so he could see it. Then he pointed at Pure Repository, which glowed before a card slid out of his cemetery. "During my standby phase Pure Repository lets me shuffle one monster from my grave into my deck. Taos returns."

Once the monster was in his deck he took the card he had just drawn and held it out, revealing an image of food rations. "Emergency Provisions lets me sacrifice my only magic card, Pure Repository, to gain one thousand life points." (Enzeru: 1650)

With one single move he had emptied his field entirely, as compared to Envy's nearly full field of cards. "Envy…there is always a way to turn everything around, even when you start from zero. And this card embodies that! Go, Turnabout Treasure!"

His deck glowed as he reached for it and began drawing cards. "This card can only be activated when my hand and field are empty, but it lets me draw one card for every card-up card on your field. That's five cards!"

He fanned out the five cards and then thrust one over his head. "Pure Land March lets me discard cards from my hand to special summon Pure Land Knights that were shuffled from my cemetery into my deck during this duel, though they cannot attack. So I'll discard three cards to summon my previous trio!"

Rious, Typhus, and Taos all appeared on the field mere moments after he dumped the cards into his graveyard. But the moment they appeared they began to weaken, looking depressed and ill. "What's happening to my monsters?"

Envy snickered and jerked her arm out over her field, revealing that her previously set card was now face-up. "This card is perfect for me; it's the Aura of Envy trap card! And since you special summoned monsters I get to drain their attack points away and add those points to my life point total!" (Envy: 5950)

Enzeru pulled a card off his deck looking perfectly determined. "I discarded Repayment of Losses for the cost, so I draw one card at this time. And now…now I'll show you my power!"

All three of his monsters and one of the cards in his hand glowed brightly and he thrust it up over his head. Light filled the field and Envy and Kara shrunk back from the glow. "For my family's retribution I call upon the power of the magic card Purify the Realm! This will call forth my avatar by shuffling three face-up Pure Land Knights on the field into my deck!"

The three monsters gathered together into a ball of light and the ball began to expand outwards. "After this I can special summon this monster from my fusion deck, the almighty Pure Land Knight-Enzeru (3000/3000)!"

Envy shuddered and stepped back as the light faded, revealing another pure white knight, this one with a broad expansive set of six wings. A sword of light was gripped in his right hand and silver hair flowed back off and away from his handsome face. "Enzeru…why would that card even exist?"

"Because that's the way it is written on the card, not as an 'angel' but as the word 'Enzeru' for angel. But while this monster was my choice and while this monster is my true avatar…it isn't the true power I'm going to call upon. That right belongs to the magic card Pure Family Bonds!" His life points fell drastically as soon as he played the card. (Enzeru: 150)

"At a cost of fifteen hundred life points if I have no monsters in my cemetery I can special summon two monsters without their cost from my fusion or side deck! These monsters cannot attack but…that's not why I've chosen them!" Envy seemed even more shocked when the forms of the two monsters were revealed.

The first one that stood to the Enzeru knight's right side was a female monk in robes of light wielding two curved golden blades. Envy shuddered as she saw an image of Aya overlaid behind the female warrior. "Crescent Swordsman LV10 (3500/1300)!"

The second one wore white robes and a priestly hat, and in his hands was a double blade that was longer than he was tall. His clothing was golden. Overlaid behind this one was an image of Kane. "Mystic Swordsman LV8 (2900/2000)!"

Envy gulped and backed away, feeling the burning stares of Kane, Aya, Enzeru, and even Kara. "No…get away from me! Get away!"

Enzeru sighed and then dropped his arms to his side. "Together with the power of my family you will be destroyed. When there are no monsters in my cemetery Pure Land Knight-Enzeru can add the attack of all other monsters on my field to his attack for the turn."

Crescent Swordsman and Mystic Swordsman placed one hand on each of Enzeru's shoulders, pumping him full of power. His body started glowing even brighter than before and Envy whimpered at the sight. "No…I…I like being me…"

"Farwell Envy…this is the final blow. Feel the power of the family's retribution! Purest Force of Family (9400)!" A massive lance of light erupted from the tip of Enzeru's sword, shooting across the field at incredible speed. Envy screamed as it punched a hole through Tainted God Doll like it wasn't even there. It then continued onwards, striking her and burning a hole through her stomach as well. (Envy: 0)

Envy shuddered and fell to her hands and knees, the green circles around her eyes fading. Tears gathered in her eyes as cracks appeared all over her skin, letting a green glow leak out. "To think…the one whose confidence was crushed…was me. I finally lost third Yukio…you were too strong."

Enzeru stared down at her, looking almost pitying. "Even now you don't understand. It wasn't me who was too strong. It was the bonds of my family that were too strong for you. Now shatter…and let that self-image of yours fall away!"

Her outwards appearance crumbled, revealing Kara's original body. She slumped to the ground unconscious, but Enzeru saw that despite everything for the first time…she looked satisfied. "I can't say that I forgive you Kara. But I do understand, and that's something."

As the darkness faded he knelt down and picked up her fallen form. With her in tow he began to walk back towards the dorms, a sad expression on his face. "You caused me so much trouble and hurt my family so much. Even now I don't know how that has affected you, nor do I know if my brother and sister will ever return to normal. I can only hold their strength in my heart and keep going."

He lilted his head up and looked at the shining moon in the sky above. To his mind's eye Aya and Kane stood in the sky smiling down at him. "For both of you I will remain strong, as always."

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In the Obelisk Blue dorm a pair of eyes snapped open, revealing warm bright blue eyes. "It's time. The bar on battling Miss Mitsuhiro…is lifted."

Lust smirked and stood up from where she was sitting behind Saint and stretched her arms over her head. "I've been looking forward to this. Let's test the desires of that girl."

"Now Rising Star…it's you versus me! Prepare for the call of temptation!"

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Author's Note: That was quite long, but finally after all this time Envy has been truly defeated. Though what becomes of her victims has yet to be seen.

_Next Time: The bar on the Sins has been lifted, making way for Lust to finally stop sending other duelists to do her dirty work. At last it's Mizuki versus Lust, and Mizuki is determined to defeat this Sin. But this Sin seems to be more dangerous than Greed because her ability can actively influence the duel. With this strange power covering the field can Mizuki hope to overcome the sixth Deadly Sin?_

_See it all in, Lust for Thee!_


	80. Lust for Thee

Author's Note: A huge delay I know, but I'm back in the saddle. Enjoy!

**Chapter Eighty: Lust for Thee**

_In the Obelisk Blue dorm a pair of eyes snapped open, revealing warm bright blue eyes. "It's time. The bar on battling Miss Mitsuhiro…is lifted."_

_Lust smirked and stood up from where she was sitting behind Saint and stretched her arms over her head. "I've been looking forward to this. Let's test the desires of that girl."_

_"Now Rising Star…it's you versus me! Prepare for the call of temptation!"_

"Class dismissed." Many of the students cheered or sighed with relief as they packed their books up, finally done with the last class of the day. Mizuki simply put her books into her bag and stood up.

She looked around the classroom, hoping to catch a glimpse of a familiar face. She had shared this class with three of her friends, and since one of them was Aya that number had been reduced. That left only Shiro and Enzeru…and Enzeru was nowhere to be seen.

When she turned to leave the classroom she saw that it was now empty, save for one person standing in the doorway. "Shiro…"

Dressed in that odd white blazer and with his hair dyed white was none other than Shiro Akugi. He smirked up at her and beckoned to her. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro…if you want me…come get me!"

He spun on his heel and bolted out the room. Mizuki gasped and slung her book bag over her shoulder, immediately taking off down the stairs. "Wait Shiro! Slow down, I'm not as fast as you!"

She found herself pounding her heels against the linoleum floors as she raced through the hallway, chasing after her best friend. Other students yelped and shouted curses after her and him as they pushed past. Up ahead of her Shiro just laughed and whipped around a corner, forcing her to follow. "If that's how you run you can't catch up to me Mitsuhiro-san!"

The formal address sent a burning sensation up her abdomen and into her chest. The Shiro he knew would never address anybody as formally as that. He was always goofy and informal, just shy of being considered rude. "Shiro…I'll get you back!"

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as she chased him up a flight of stairs, turning corner by corner as she moved up floor by floor. Finally she burst out through a doorway and into the sunlight. It was the rooftop of the primary school building. "Shiro!"

Her friend tilted his head over his shoulder and looked back at her with a cocky grin on his face. "Don't you know? The name is Faith now."

Mizuki gasped as Shiro's face and body rippled, looking hazy as if caught in a great heat. Before her very eyes his body faded away, leaving a tall willowy dark haired woman with an incredible figure. "Or at least that's what you thought. In actuality, the name is Lust."

Mizuki's surprise turned to fury as she realized that the person she had been chasing all along wasn't Shiro. "How dare you? Why would you do this…why would you take his face and taunt me like that? What kind of person are you?"

Lust giggled and did a little twirl, her skirt flaring out as she did so. She stopped her spin and placed her fingers to her lips in mock embarrassment. "Oh my, don't you know already? I'm a Sin of course."

Slowly she ran her hands down her body and over her hips, looking quite satisfied with herself. "And I didn't take his form anyways. I simply used my power of Temptation's Call and what you saw as a result was Shiro Akugi. Since my power draws out the targets deepest desires, what does that say about you cutie?"

Mizuki scowled and dropped her book bag at her side, wishing she knew exactly how to call upon whatever power she had used against Saint. "What do you want from me Lust? Why did you make me follow you up here?"

The Sin clicked her tongue against her teeth and lifted her left arm, revealing a crimson duel disk. "Just a duel that's all. Our dear friend Saint Beatrix has lifted the limit on us Sins attacking you at last. And since we've been testing your emotional limits, I'm the perfect choice to face you. Against me we'll learn your deepest desires!"

The younger of the two frowned and thought to all the duels she had seen and been in that were because of Saint Beatrix, most particularly her duels against Greed and Shiro. "So you're saying all of the terrible things you Sins have done, and the duel I was forced into against Shiro were all because Saint is testing me?"

"Well, sort of. He's been testing you for the most part but your friends as well. This is the second to last test according to him, although exactly what result he's looking for I don't know. But as for your duel with Shiro, I set that up with the use of my power. Just like I set up your duel with that weakened dancing girl." Mizuki's eyes widened as she flashed back to her duel with Chizuma and her duel with Shiro.

"You're the one…who made me duel them? You're the one who made that happen…who made it possible for Shiro to get stuck in that situation…so that Saint could steal away everything that made him Shiro? You're the one!" Lust did a little bow, exposing quite a bit of cleavage in the process.

"That's it, that's it exactly. Glad to know you've caught on Rising Star. So what do you say? Are you ready to duel me?" Her disk churned and lit up, coming to life. (Lust: 4000)

Mizuki snatched her duel disk out of her bag and slammed her deck into it. Then she slid it onto her arm and clicked it open. Fury was evident in her eyes as she reached for her deck. "Duel you? I'll destroy you!" (Mizuki: 4000)

Lust snatched the first card and then slammed it down. "Ephemeral Succubus (800/800) in defense mode!"

Her monster was a darkly beautiful creature with red skin and dainty black wings extending from her back. It was practically see through, and that wasn't referring to its skimpy tight halter top and chain mini-skirt. "I place three cards face down behind it and end my turn."

Mizuki drew and Lust's eyes widened at the burst of power she felt. "What…that's not normal."

The teen's eyes seemed to rotate and when they finished their complete circle they were no longer green, but an intense blue color. Lust gulped as she realized that she was seeing Mizuki at tip top shape. "What's got you going so heavy handed this soon?"

Her blue eyes narrowed and then she threw back her head and screamed. Lust cast up her hands as a meager form of defense as the rooftop quaked beneath their feet. In the far distance lava spouted out of the top of the volcano. "What's got me like this? Everything! All the pain, all the anguish…I'm tired of it all! You picked the wrong time to mess with me…and I'm going to show you why!"

Suddenly two stones with runes on them appeared in front of Mizuki, flashing stats of five hundred attack and defense points. "My Rune Charm-Mystic Guard lets me special summon to Mystic Guard tokens."

She made a slashing gesture and the two tokens faded away. "And now I offer them as a tribute to summon the second strongest monster this deck can unleash!"

The wind on the rooftop picked up and Lust looked around, trying to find the source of it. "Where's all this wind coming from?"

"Look up Lust, and see the brutal power of Rune Dragon (2900/2100)!" Lust craned her neck up just in time to see a massive shape descend from the sky. It landed heavily, shaking the rooftop, and latched long metallic claws into the concrete.

She gulped, realizing that it had wrapped itself protectively around Mizuki and the entire field, revealing its tremendous size. Its scales were a glittery silver-white color that reflected the sun and its eyes were nowhere to be seen. A crest extended from its skull, giving it a crown-like appearance. And like many other rune creatures runic symbols could be seen flashing over its body. "Rune Dragon…but I thought your strongest was Rune Paladin."

Mizuki just glared at Lust as her dragon roared, fluttering Lust's dress out behind her. "You're thinking of the wrong deck. This deck is one I rarely use. It's not more powerful, but it is more brutal and more dangerous than my other deck. Oh it's still a Rune Deck, but it functions differently, and it runs the Rune beasts rather than the Rune spell casters."

Lust frowned, realizing she was up against a deck entirely other than the other she had been anticipating. "It doesn't matter, I've faced hundreds of duelists whose deck themes I didn't know and I never lost. In the Pro League I'm undefeated, or didn't you know?"

To her surprise Mizuki just laughed. The teenager lifted her right arm and pointed it right at Lust, as if pointing through her. "But I know the truth that most people don't look close enough to see. Saint carefully arranged your tournament schedules, so you seven never dueled each other and some of the other top members of the dueling league. You all have perfect records because you never dueled all of the best. That's why none of you has entered the Pro League World Championship, because you couldn't contend there!"

She shook her head, looking disappointed. "That's not quite it either. It's more like your abilities that give you advantages could never be used in front of such a massive audience for fear of discovery. I bet your primary method of victory is the same as Envy's…you use your special ability to gain the advantage. Well that's not going to get you a win here!"

Mizuki sighed and folded up her hand of cards. "I'm not claiming you seven are weak duelists either, just that you're not as invincible as you seem to be. If you were, how could five of you have lost so far? I bet you're an excellent duelist, but not up to facing the best this academy can offer in a fair duel. And based on order you're what? The second strongest duelist?"

Lust whipped her hair out of her eyes and smiled cheekily. "Actually I'm the fourth strongest in terms of dueling ability. Weakest was Envy, her dueling talent was mediocre and enhanced only by her power."

She lifted up another finger and wagged it at Mizuki. "Then there was Wrath. His deck gave him an advantage in two on one duels, but he wasn't that great a duelist either. At his best he was better than Envy, but not by much."

The next finger pointed up to the sky. "Third place is Sloth. Oh he's deadly, but if you can counter the few killing methods in his deck he's helpless. That's just because he lacks originality and can only play the deck like the great Thunder could, and unlike that guy he can't rethink his strategy in the middle of a game. He only has his tried and true methods, and that weakens him."

Her fourth finger moved to point at herself. "I rank above him; my dueling talent and strategy are better and more dangerous. Not that I brag of course. But with my ability, much like Envy, I'm able to make myself much deadlier an opponent."

The fifth finger raised. "Gluttony was a powerful duelist, but he was only at his best when using that super calorie boost of his. His deck strategy was so effective that even our second strongest couldn't beat him, despite being generally superior."

Now that sixth finger made its way up. "Second strongest amongst us was Greed, whom you faced. As I'm sure you know his strategy thought of everything and his deck could easily crush even the most experienced duelists. But like Sloth his weakness was an inability to think creatively in the middle of a duel."

Mizuki frowned, a face framed by violet hair flashing through her mind. "And that leaves your strongest as Pride. Do you really think he's tough enough to beat us when I've already defeated your second strongest?"

Lust shuddered, sending a shiver running up Mizuki's spine. "Pride is…in a class all to himself. I've seen him duel before and I understand why he is called the God of the Pro League. Saint has held him back from competing in the strongest tournaments, but he's unlike anything I've ever seen. His draw power combined with his strategy can overwhelm any opponent, and that's why no matter whom his opponent is they can't win. Simply put…Pride is invincible."

Mizuki's frown deepened and she shook her head. "We'll see about that, I don't believe anyone can be invincible. Now…I once faced a defense deck that used that monster, so I know it's the ultimate defense. It can't be defeated in battle, by effect, nor can it take damage. So I'll just set a card face down and end my turn, leaving its own effect to deal with it."

As soon as Mizuki declared the end of her turn Lust's cards began to flip up. "I'll be activating my continuous traps now! Parting Gifts and Martyrdom Gifts make two…and that fulfills the need for this card in my deck!"

A card spat out of her deck and she flipped it around. "Reserved Space activates and goes to the cemetery when I have two continuous magic or trap cards face-up on the field. As long as it remains in the cemetery continuous magic and trap cards don't take up zones."

As soon as that was done she drew and her Succubus shattered. "During my standby phase Ephemeral Succubus is destroyed due to her effect. And that activates Parting Gifts and Martyrdom Gifts, giving me two hundred life points and letting me draw one card." (Lust: 4200)

She slid an extra card off her deck whilst her life points increased. Then she snapped out her hand and her set card flipped up. "Now the third continuous trap card, Succubus Charm Curse! When a 'Succubus' is destroyed I can take control of one monster on your field for the duration of the turn. So come to me Rune Dragon!"

Rune Dragon shifted its body so that its long neck now had it resting pointing towards Mizuki. Mizuki frowned but otherwise said nothing. "That's not all; when I gain control of a monster on your field I can add this card to my hand!"

She thrust it into the air as soon as it was in her hand. "Soul of Sin-Lust immediately goes to the cemetery, and as long as it remains in the cemetery monsters that I gain control of can't return to you and you can't take control of my monsters."

Twisting around another card in her hand Lust laughed darkly. "And in case you were hoping to defend yourself my Mystical Space Typhoon will obliterate your set card!"

A bolt of lightning struck her set, shattering it into a thousand different pieces. That left Mizuki's field completely empty. "Next I summon Thorn Succubus (1600/1500)!"

Another red-skinned beauty appeared, this one with a long thorny green whip held tightly between her two dainty but clawed hands. "When Thorn Succubus deals life point damage the top card of your deck is discarded but that doesn't matter. Here's the kill, direct attack!"

The whip lashed against Mizuki, making her wince and take a step back. "Less damage than you were hoping. In case you had forgotten I gained life points from Parting Gifts." (Mizuki: 2600)

Lust shrugged and hefted her duel disk to show the younger duelist. "Yes, but my use of Mystical Space Typhoon also granted me extra life points. And again, it doesn't matter since I've got your monster and it has more attack points than you've got life points." (Lust: 4600)

She laughed and patted the dragon on the head. "Go Rune Dragon, attack her life points directly! Finish it!"

Steam snorted out of the dragon's nostrils but nothing else happened. Lust glowered up at the dragon in response. "What are you doing? I said to attack!"

"You should look more carefully at things you take from others Lust. If you had you would have noticed that Rune Dragon can't attack unless you have a card with 'rune' in its name other than him on your field or in your cemetery. Since he doesn't, you can't attack. In other words, he's dead weight to you." Lust scowled as she realized that Mizuki was right, and she was now effectively holding a powerful paper weight.

Lust frowned and looked over her sparse hand. "Fine, turn end!"

Mizuki nodded and slashed a card off her deck. There was a burst of feathers and a large owl fluttered down onto her field. It flapped its wings, revealing that they were decorated with runic symbols. "Rune Owl (600/500) when summoned lets me draw one card. Then if there are no cards on my field I can draw an additional card!"

She drew twice and flipped around one of the drawn cards. "Lastly because I drew a Rune Symbol its effect lets me draw one additional card!"

Within mere moments she was up to six cards in hand, and based on the determined look in her eyes Lust could tell she planned to take advantage of that. "I activate the Rune Symbol I drew, Wunjo! I can now special summon a level four or lower Rune monster from my hand or deck to the field!"

The rooftop shuddered as a set of hooves slammed down onto the cement. The large creature tossed its head about, displaying rune engraved horns. "Rune Bull (2400/0) is my choice of monster!" (MLP: 2800)

Lust put a finger to her lips and pouted. "Oh dear, whatever shall I do? I'm just so terrified against your weaker monsters. Are you finished?"

Mizuki shook her head and grabbed cards from her deck. "Not yet! By discarding the top three cards of my deck to the cemetery I can special summon Rune Falcon (1700/1100) from my hand to the field!"

Another feather burst flowed across the field as a large bird with hooked talons and a curved beak landed to perch on one of Rune Bull's horns. Lust frowned as she realized that none of them had eyes. "So what? Now you have three weak monsters. Even if you recovered life points it doesn't accomplish anything." (MLP: 3400)

"I said I'm not finished yet! I activate the continuous magic card Rune Mark-Bond of Might! Once per turn this card lets me forfeit the attack of one Rune monster on the field to add its attack to another Rune monster's for the duration of the turn. My choice for forfeit is Rune Owl, so Rune Bull gains its attack strength!" Lust didn't even flinch despite Rune Bull's increase to three thousand attack.

"In order for my Bull to attack I have to sacrifice a Rune monster, so I'll tribute my Owl and let Bull go on the offensive! Horn Gore!" Rune Bull slammed its horns deep into the dragon's chest and then yanked them out, shattering the holographic dragon. (LLP: 4500) (MLP: 3800)

Mizuki pointed to her Falcon which soared into the air and then came down, raking its talons across the demon's body. "Rune Falcon's damage may not be enough to really hurt you, but it does clear your field." (LLP: 4600)

Lust smirked and snapped her fingers. "I think with my curse I'll take control of your Rune Bull now, thanks for that!"

The bull stomped over to her field and then turned around, now facing off against Mizuki. "That's fine with me; I'm done for the moment with this set card."

The Sin drew and flashed the card. "At a cost of eight hundred life points Brain Control lets me take control of one face-up monster on your field. But since Brain Control goes to my cemetery I also gain two hundred life points." (LLP: 4000)

Mizuki didn't even flinch when her only remaining monster moved over to Lust's field. "But wait, just like you I'm not done yet. I summon Rape Succubus (1500/1400) to the field to join them."

Her newest succubus shared the same red skin and leathery wings, but she held rope in one hand and a dagger in the other. "Rape Succubus will attack you directly!"

The rune wielder stood strong as suddenly eight pillars with runes on them rushed up onto the field. The succubus stabbed into one, blowing it apart. Then she slashed another, cracking it. "Runic Wall of Prophecy provides me with an eight thousand point barrier. Since you dealt fifteen hundred that amount is reduced to sixty-five hundred."

Lust scowled and the falcon shot forward, plowing head first through the cracked pillar, then straight through another, and finally denting a third. "Rune Falcon takes out a nice chunk, reducing you to forty-eight hundred points of protection."

She snapped her fingers and the Rune Falcon faded away. "By sacrificing the falcon Rune Bull can attack you directly, further chipping away that protection!"

Two more pillars were blown away, leaving Mizuki with two intact and one damaged. Mizuki held up a single card, revealing Rune Falcon. "Since you sacrificed it Rune Falcon goes to my grave, giving me life points from Parting Gifts." (MLP: 4000)

Lust chuckled and a card shot out of Mizuki's grave and into her hand. "Even though you were protected my Rape Succubus still dealt damage, so its effect now lets me take a monster from your grave and add it to my hand. I've chosen Rune Owl."

Mizuki maintained her determined look as she drew fiercely, not looking like she was going to slow down at all. "During my standby phase I have to discard two cards as upkeep for my barrier or it's destroyed, so I toss these cards. Though it's a loss I also gain life points." (MLP: 4400)

She looked down at the two remaining cards in her hand and narrowed her eyes. "For Shiro...and for Chizuma…I'm going to make you pay!"

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Chizuma skipped down the hallway, peeking around each corner as she went. "Mizuki-sama, where are you Mizuki-sama?"

She stopped skipping when she heard a boom. When she looked around all she saw was an open door that led to a flight of stairs. "Ooo, somebody is having a duel on the roof! And where there's a random duel in a random location history tells me that almost certainly Mizuki-sama is involved!"

Swiftly she entered the stairwell and started up the stairs. When she rounded the first turn to go up a flight she was stopped in her tracks by someone in black leather standing in her path. "Hey…aren't you that guy?"

The teen raised his left arm and a purple and silver DD6 unfolded. "Sorry, you're not going anywhere past this point. Little girl…against Pride you won't even last two turns."

Darkness swept over the stairwell and Chizuma's body went ice cold. "Mizuki-sama…help me…"

"There is no quarter girl, and there is no help!"

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A slim but calloused hand slid a deck into a double holster that hung against the left side of his left leg. Then with equal precision that hand grabbed a blue length of cloth off a bed and slung it over his shoulders.

Finally that hand reached down and picked up a duel disk, casually attaching it to his wrist. "It's time…there's no reason to stand back and wait any longer. All the pieces have fallen together, and I know exactly what he's after. I'm not letting him get away with his pace any longer. Its time I take the fight to him."

With a single push of his hand he sent the windows swinging open, and with one push he leapt into the tree branch outside. A blue cloak fluttered in the chilly wind, making his form look mysterious and impressive. "Saint Beatrix, it's time we face each other! I'm not letting you get away with this any longer!"

Sanzo reached up and flicked silver locks of hair away from his eyes and then jumped to the next tree branch. "I'm going to end it today!"

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Mizuki grabbed one of the last two cards in her hand and thrust it up above her hand. "Go, Rune Mark-Bond of Mirrors! This selects one face-up Rune monster on the field along with one monster on the opponent's field and creates clones of them!"

A shimmering wave of light burned on her field until a duplicate of Rune Bull and Rape Succubus were created. Lust narrowed her eyes at the younger woman. "What are you going to do? Go for a suicide attack?"

"Not quite. The clones are considered to be rune monsters, so I'll activate the effect of Rune Mark-Bond of Might to forfeit the succubus' attack to grant her attack power to Rune Bull!" Lust's eyes widened as the bull's attack strength shot upwards to thirty-nine hundred.

Mizuki's eyes whipped around to Rape Succubus and she leveled her hand at it. "I offer my version of that monster to let Rune Bull (3900) attack the original Rape Succubus! Gore it!"

The bull rampaged forwards and dug its horn into the belly of the succubus. It violently tore it out, ripping the demonic woman apart. Lust snickered even as her life points dropped heavily. "That was a mistake on your part, or have you forgotten my traps?" (LLP: 1800)

She snatched a card off her deck and then pointed at the powered up Rune Bull. "Since you killed a succubus I gain control of your Rune Bull clone! Come to me!"

The younger woman let her hands fall to her side and nodded once to Lust. "End turn."

Lust's eyes widened as both Rune Bulls suddenly exploded, clearing her field of monsters. "What just happened? Why were they destroyed?"

Mizuki closed her eyes and an image of Bond of Mirrors appeared behind her. "During the end phase of the turn Bond of Mirrors is activated if both the clone and the original are in play together, that is on the same side of the field, both of them are destroyed. You were trapped into losing both of your monsters."

Lust scowled and snatched a card off her deck. "Maybe so, but your field is empty except for those walls of yours, and I'm going to break them down this turn! Rune Owl is summoned, letting me draw one card!"

She grabbed a different card than the drawn one and slammed it into her disk. "Necro Seduction requires I sacrifice one monster on my field, Rune Owl is the choice. Now I get to special summon one monster from my opponent's cemetery to my field!"

Owl exploded into feathers and a shriek filled the air. The entire rooftop shook with the explosive force of the return of the largest monster played so far. Its claws clenched into the cement and it let loose a thunderous roar. "Rune Dragon (2900/2100) returns to me!"

Mizuki frowned as she looked up at her mighty beast. "Why revive it? You have no rune cards in your cemetery or on your field now, so you can't attack with it. Its dead weight again."

Lust giggled and threw a card from her hand onto her duel disk. "That's not exactly accurate. For starters when I special summon a monster from the grave during this turn I can special summon Necro Succubus (1300/1600) from my hand!"

This succubus had spectral hands floating all around its body, giving it an eerie appearance. Suddenly the arms shot forwards and reached into Mizuki's graveyard slot. "When summoned Necro Succubus takes the cards of yours that I've previously controlled from your grave and places them in mine. What did you say about not having any rune cards in my grave?"

Mizuki bit her lip as Owl, Bull, and Falcon all entered Lust's graveyard. "Now, Necro Succubus attacks you directly with Necro Hands!"

The hands punched through the broken column and another. Then together they hammered into a fourth, reducing it to merely a pile of rubble that barely counted as intact. "Are you ready little girl? Here he comes, Rune Dragon, direct attack!"

Silver flames roared from the jaws of the dragon and incinerated the final pillar and the remains of the other one. Mizuki screamed as the flames whipped around her, the intense heat nearly making her pass out. "Haha, I love the sound of somebody in pain from an attack by one of their own monsters! It's delicious!" (MLP: 3200)

One card was generated behind the dragon and Lust waved to Mizuki who was busy wiping sweat from her brow. "Go ahead girly, it's your turn. But know this…I've really hurt you with one of your own monsters. That means I'm going to stop playing around. On my next turn I'm going to start using my power to influence this duel. And then you're going to lose."

Mizuki shook her head and reached for her deck. "No, I won't be beaten by somebody as despicable as you! No matter what your power is I'll overcome it and defeat you! It's my turn, draw!"

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The darkness faded and Chizuma thumped face-first against the ground. Pride rolled his eyes and walked over her fallen body, heading down the steps. "That's one small fry out of the way. I suppose the next one to take care of is Charity."

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked back up at Chizuma's body. He sneered and spoke again. "Like I said, two turns was your maximum against somebody like me. There isn't a soul who can defeat me in the world."

His right hand raised in front of his face and he smirked. "And once the small fry are defeated…I'll give you the honor of being my thousandth straight victory…Kaiser!"

His hand squeezed shut and he laughed darkly, already feeling victory within his strong grasp.

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Enzeru squeezed his brother Kane's hand with his own and forced down the tears. "Even now…even now you haven't woken up. And mother and father say that Aya still shuffles around like a zombie with no motivation. I defeated Envy but…why are you two still like this?"

"Oh that's easy, because their wills have retreated elsewhere, trapped deep within someone other than Kara. Sort of like a back-up, a place where all that Envy had eaten would go if she was ever beaten." Enzeru stood up from his seat and spun around. The person facing him was nowhere near who he had been expecting.

"Shiro?" The white haired teen smirked, looking completely unlike himself as he did so. He brushed his hands over the white uniform he was wearing and look down at his body, examining each part.

"Not exactly. See there's a special device called an Image Receptacle in modern vernacular. It's a very rare piece of technology that uses what scientists have learned from the Darkness Games. It can absorb information by people who have used Darkness Games or been in one. Those things leave a special trace after all." Enzeru frowned and moved instinctively in front of his brother.

Shiro held up a hand and looked first at his palm and then the back of the hand. "All it takes to transfer the necessary information is a signal that does it. And then the Image Receptacle can be used to store that information or even transfer it. It's used in rare cases of neurological damage to repair things like memory loss. Most specifically it's used for the super rich in treatment of Alzheimer's disease which damages areas that contain memories."

Enzeru placed his hand on the bed and squeezed it hard, his heart pounding for a reason even he couldn't understand. "Why are you telling me this? Are you saying that their wills have been stored inside such a thing?"

The other teen chuckled and clapped his hands together. "That's exactly it! Of course an Image Receptacle can be used on a blank slate, like somebody with amnesia, to supplant memories and personality, provided a continuous power source of course. So after making a deal Envy set-up the storage of those wills along with full memories and personalities of another should she lose. I can't say that I'm pleased with where I ended up, but it works out all the same."

A cold chill ran through Enzeru's body and he instinctively reached for his duel disk on the nearby chair. He was stopped when Shiro grabbed him by the wrist. The shorter teen wagged a finger at him, still smirking. "What's the point of everything you're saying? And what do you mean by where you ended up?"

Shiro grinned and used his free hand to run through his hair. "All I'm saying is that without destroying the receptacle nobodies will can be restored, and the receptacle is in me. Like I keep telling people: the one who covers all bases in order to get what he wants, is absolutely Greed!"

There was a flash of light and Enzeru's body was frozen solid, transmuted instantly into gold. Shiro smirked and picked up Enzeru's duel disk, sliding it onto his arm. "Turns out that my power travels with my soul and memories, weird huh?"

Cracking his knuckles the new Greed exited the room. "No more games, I'm done having fun. Now I'm going to flat out kill you Saint."

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Saint folded his hands together and leaned back in his chair, smiling at the numerous images he was seeing. "What an interesting day this is turning out to be. And the sun is shining so brightly as well."

His smile warmed and widened when he felt a familiar presence in the room. "How can I help you my dear friend?"

From behind Saint the mysterious Mr. Shadow began to speak, his tone as calm as ever. "For the man without fear a casual warning. If the one you face is Nightmare then you will die. Of that there is no doubt."

Saint smiled and didn't even bother to turn around to address the other man. "There is no reason to fear. I've already seen it in my tests of Miss Mitsuhiro. Without even taking any direct action I've already defeated Nightmare. Lust is weaker than Greed…and yet she was my choice all along to face Miss Mitsuhiro. Why do you think that is my friend?"

Mr. Shadow offered up no answer, so Saint merely smiled and continued. "The answer lies in the power of Temptation's Call. In this duel without a shadow of a doubt…Lust will be defeated. And with her defeat will come the defeat of Nightmare. Against that delightful power not even the darkest of emotions or beings can stand. Even all of the rage fueling Miss Mitsuhiro right now that is making her strong…all of that will crumble and die against Lust's power."

He smiled and kicked his feet up onto a cushion. "Why should I fear anything, when the world is so beautiful? On a day as bright and cheery as this one I can't possibly be worried. All the pieces are falling into place."

Mr. Shadow nodded and turned, pausing only briefly at a small table. Sitting on the table was a chess set, and most of the black pieces were gone, but a large number of the white pieces had been removed as well.

He reached out and picked up the Black Knight and tipped over a white pawn. That put the Black Knight in position to take a White Bishop. Similarly he moved a White Castle and strangely tipped over the remaining White Knight. Meanwhile the White Queen was set against the Black Queen. Lastly he moved a White Bishop in position to check the Black King.

"Out of curiosity…who is the White King?" Saint again didn't look away from the images revolving in the air to answer.

"The answer to that question is obvious my friend. The Black King is, as you may have surmised, set to ironically represent myself. If that is the case, then the key piece that defeats the other side completely is also obvious. Without a doubt the White King that opposes the Black King…" Backs towards each other, one with a smile on his face and the other with a blank face the two seemed to exude power.

Mr. Shadow nodded and began to fade away. "Of course, the one who embraces the darkness. If the pure Saint is set to ironically be the Black King, then irony says the White King can only be that man. Farewell Black King."

His image was gone and Saint smiled, feeling somewhat excited at the prospect of the challenges ahead of him. "Farwell White King…and check."

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Author's Note: Everything is coming together and yet more mysteries are popping up. Look forward to more excitement as things continue to accelerate.

_Next Time: Mizuki is pushed farther into a corner as her own strategy and her own monsters are used against her. Lust reveals her past to the young genius and calls for her to forget everything else she's wanted and to let herself fall into a world where only desire matters. A world free of burdens, free of constraints, a world where physical and emotional desire is all that exists. Can Mizuki resist that world? Can she resist the call of temptation?_

_See it all in, Temptation's Call; Lust's Power!_


	81. Temptation's Call: Lust's Power

Author's Note: And now ladies and gentlemen for the conclusion to the Mizuki/Lust duel.

**Chapter Eighty-One: Temptation's Call; Lust's Power**

_Mizuki bit her lip as Owl, Bull, and Falcon all entered Lust's graveyard. "Now, Necro Succubus attacks you directly with Necro Hands!"_

_The hands punched through the broken column and another. Then together they hammered into a fourth, reducing it to merely a pile of rubble that barely counted as intact. "Are you ready little girl? Here he comes, Rune Dragon, direct attack!"_

_Silver flames roared from the jaws of the dragon and incinerated the final pillar and the remains of the other one. Mizuki screamed as the flames whipped around her, the intense heat nearly making her pass out. "Haha, I love the sound of somebody in pain from an attack by one of their own monsters! It's delicious!" (MLP: 3200)_

_One card was generated behind the dragon and Lust waved to Mizuki who was busy wiping sweat from her brow. "Go ahead girly, it's your turn. But know this…I've really hurt you with one of your own monsters. That means I'm going to stop playing around. On my next turn I'm going to start using my power to influence this duel. And then you're going to lose."_

_Mizuki shook her head and reached for her deck. "No, I won't be beaten by somebody as despicable as you! No matter what your power is I'll overcome it and defeat you! It's my turn, draw!"_

The card slid freely off her deck and her eyes shone in the sunlight as she tilted it up to see a green border. "Okay! Rune Mark-Bond of Renewal lets me special summon one rune monster from the cemetery at a cost of giving you one card."

Lust shrugged and drew languidly. At the same time Rune Owl appeared on Mizuki's field in a burst of feathers. Mizuki reached for her deck immediately. "Thanks to Rune Owl's effect I can now draw two cards!"

While Mizuki drew her cards her life point counter also ticked up thanks to Parting Gifts. Seeing her cards she lifted up it, showing it as depicting an intricate symbol on a green bordered card. "Since I drew a Rune Symbol I can now draw again!" (MLP: 3400)

A beam of light immediately engulfed Rune Owl and it was replaced by a new creature, one much more fearsome in appearance. Its head was that of an older man with a grey beard, but its body was that of a red-furred lion. Most frightening was the long black scorpion stinger extending where its tail should be. "Since I summoned one of my deadlier monsters, Rune Manticore (1800/900), by tributing Rune Owl I gain two hundred life points." (MLP: 3600)

Her opponent giggled and made a shooing gesture to the freakish monster. "Oh please, at one tribute with those attack points your monster can't put up a fight against my Rune Dragon. It can barely beat Necro Succubus."

"You're dead wrong, and I'll prove why. Manticore, attack and destroy that Rune Dragon she stole! Free it from her control!" The manticore's stinger swept out and cut off the beginnings of Lust's laughter by stabbing into the dragon's throat. The mighty dragon wheezed for a few moments and then burst apart. Lust's life points dropped immediately even as Mizuki gained them. (LLP: 1650) (MLP: 3800)

Lust blinked rapidly, not quite sure what had just happened. "Explain to me how your monster beat my stronger one. My Rune Dragon had eleven hundred more attack points!"

Mizuki closed her eyes as she explained with a confident smile on her face. "It's simple. Whenever Rune Manticore attacks a monster half of that monster's attack points are added to its own. So when they battled your dragon had twenty-nine hundred points whilst my manticore had thirty-two hundred fifty points."

The older woman let out a deep sigh and then shrugged, motioning to one of her face-down cards. "Oh well, your monster serves it purpose anyways by giving me a high level monster. You see, when a level seven or higher monster on my field is destroyed I can activate Chain of Seeking, which lets me add one card from my deck to my hand."

A card ejected from her deck and she smirked as she slid it amongst the other three cards. Then she slid her used up trap card into the cemetery, her body lighting up thanks to her continuous card. "Done yet girly?" (LLP: 1850)

With a nod Mizuki played a single card face-down and then planted her hands on her hips. She seemed both calm and somewhat eager to see whatever Lust's power might be. "End turn."

Lust drew and then cast one slender arm into the air, clutching the card she had searched for tightly. "Let's give a warm welcome to a second level of power! You've already experienced the first step; now let me show you the second. Body of Sin-Lust now activates!"

Mizuki could literally feel the increase in power coming off of Lust once the card was played. It wasn't ludicrous, but it was noticeable enough. Lust was definitely building up for something. "I'm ready for whatever you can throw at me." (LLP: 2050)

There was a shriek and another red-skinned busty woman took to the field. This one wore a tight halter and had long extended claws and sharp fangs at the corners of her lips. Blood was dripping from each of her claws and splattered on her bodice. "This is Vicious Succubus (1400/1200), the monster that will make sure you can't stop me."

Lust smirked and glanced at Vicious which bobbed its head and took to the sky. "Vicious will start you on the path to a world of temptation that you can't escape by becoming fodder for the curse!"

With a flick of her wrist Mizuki's set card flipped up, revealing the Rune Symbol she had previously drawn. "Rune Symbol-Raidho activates, negating the attack and ending your battle phase!"

An invisible barrier stopped Vicious in mid-flight and the demonic woman screamed her fury to the world as she beat helplessly against the nothing. "I told you girly, Vicious is my path to making sure I can't be stopped. I activate her effect, removing one card you previously controlled from my graveyard!"

A blue light burst across the field as somehow Vicious pushed through the barrier she hadn't been able to see. She tumbled forwards and barely caught herself in mid-air. Mizuki gazed in shock as her defense was broken. "What…what was that?"

"Simple, by removing one card in my grave that used to be yours Vicious can negate one magic or trap card and destroy it. So I removed Rune Bull from my grave to stop Raidho. Of course now, after resolution, Vicious is destroyed in battle." Manticore's stinger once again shot forwards, punching a gaping hole in the succubus' abdomen. She gasped and collapsed, quickly finished. (LLP: 1650)

Mizuki grimaced as she realized what that now meant. "I gain life points from Parting Gifts…but now you get to draw a card because of Martyrdom Gift. Then Succubus Curse lets you take control of my manticore." (MLP: 4000)

"You said it girly, so now its time for me to punish you severely! Necro Succubus will attack you directly, transferring your cemetery into my own!" The punishing blow of a dark wing forced Mizuki back a few steps and dazed her, also robbing her of a sizeable portion of her life points. (MLP: 2700)

Without warning the manticore's stinger struck Mizuki in the left shoulder, digging in deep. Her eyes went wide as she screamed out in pain from the attack. Her right hand shot up and grabbed onto the stinger that her own monster had launched at her. "Damn it…" (MLP: 900)

Lust smiled darkly, seeing that Mizuki was barely standing. "Your willpower is impressive…or maybe just your power. But it won't save you from my world of temptation. This turn's end will really be your end little girl!"

A card appeared in front of her behind Rune Manticore. Then she inserted another card into her duel disk and it appeared face-up. It was a magic card showing a man being choked by spectral hands from a brain in a jar. "Meet my continuous magic card Brain Theft Curse. During the end phase it will deal you three hundred points of damage per monster on my field that used to be yours. So now…I end!"

Mizuki groaned and sank to her knees as a dark aura sprang up around her, draining her of more of her few remaining life points. So quickly the tide of the duel had been turned against her and with her own monster no less. "Lust…" (MLP: 600)

With Mizuki wavering in and out of conscious thought Lust saw her chance to strike. "Let it begin, the call of temptation! Let me show you a world without worry, without sin, where only pleasure rules! Anything you want, it's yours! Let me show you that beautiful world!"

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The light in Mizuki's eyes began to fade, letting her at last see where she and Lust now were. However, the location was nothing like what Lust had been expecting. She had expected a lavish paradise, or perhaps a technological paradise filled with gorgeous men and people waiting hand and foot on the young girl.

This…this was like nothing Lust had ever seen before. In all the many times she had used this power against others she had never come across anything like it. It was a useful skill that kept an opponent's primary mental focus in their own little world. And a distracted opponent on the dueling field was easy to defeat.

"What in the world is this? I've seen many things, but this doesn't seem right at all. How can this be everything you want? What are you, hardcore Buddhist?" Mizuki didn't say anything in reply. Instead she remained standing in one place where she had been before, looking up at the 'sky'.

Lust shuddered as she looked around. Everywhere she looked, no matter which way it was, there was white. Just…white. Like somebody had blanked out a painting by splashing primer all over it. The only thing with any color to it was the two of them. "Is this your ultimate desire girly? Oblivion and emptiness?"

"Actually…nothing." Lust couldn't stop herself from gasping when Mizuki looked down at her. She had already seen how Mizuki's eyes had been a bright blue, but now they were a deep blue, deeper in color than any Lust had ever seen before.

However, despite that amazing ocean-like color those eyes were empty. Lust gulped, finding herself terrified looking into those eyes. Eyes that didn't seem to care and barely seemed to acknowledge her existence. "You can't be serious. Even the purest monks in the world want something. Nobody can want nothing."

Mizuki shrugged and started walking aimlessly, going away at an angle from Lust. "That was a double negative. And I truly don't want anything."

Lust's confusion turned to anger and she ran up to the younger girl, spinning her around by the shoulders. She got in close and shouted right in the girl's face. "And I'm telling you that's impossible! You have to want something, that's just the way life works! If you didn't want something I couldn't have made you see me as Shiro earlier!"

Mizuki looked Lust straight in the eye and intoned clearly and carefully. "Back then I did care. Unfortunately you like to talk a lot, and I knew the basics of what your power was when you started to use it."

Again the Sin was caught between confusion and anger. She shook Mizuki, trying to wring answers out of her however she could. "So what if you knew what my power could do? That doesn't mean anything! Tell me why you don't want anything!"

The Rising Star's face was still a still frame, not even a care in the world as she gave that answer. "When the Rank-Farming Tournament started I asked Harrison for advice on how to quell Nightmare. He taught me a meditation technique he had learned to force a piece or pieces of himself away to be able to call up at a later time. A technique he called 'partitioning'."

Mizuki brushed Lust's hands off her shoulder and continued to walk away. Lust broke out of her surprised trance and grabbed Mizuki again. "Are you saying you partitioned away all your desires in just a split second to avoid my power? That's ludicrous!"

The girl nodded and again pushed Lust's hands off of her. "That's true. Harrison uses the technique in order to specifically control the part of the mind where the power of Darkness Games seems to reside. That lets him, and after I learned it myself as well, to call up the power of a Darkness Game at will. It also helps strengthen one against the effects of a game."

Mizuki tapped her lips with her right pointer finger almost thoughtfully, but the apathetic look on her face ruined it. "At that time that was all I had been able to do. However, when you invoked your power I was able to grasp the technique. I recall that when I did, it felt like it wasn't the first time. It felt like it was…right."

She nodded her head and continued tapping. "In the same way that a person will become unable to remember details of a traumatic event or even long portions of their life due to trauma I was able to partition my mind. Most likely…yes most likely this isn't the first time."

Lust gulped and backed away. She honestly had no idea how to deal with someone who didn't care about anything, not even herself. Lust was used to dealing with desires, the things that people wanted. This was outside her realm. "So you've become a person of complete apathy…immune to my power."

A cold sensation suddenly shot up Lust's spine and she jerked around. To her horror a huge swath of the emptiness behind her was now darkened like black paint had been splashed haphazardly over it. Crimson lightning laced that darkness and wails of torment emerged from it. "If you're totally apathetic…then what in the world is that?"

Mizuki glanced over at the growing darkness and shrugged again. "Oh, that. That's not mine. Your power, from what I understand, isn't accurately under your control. You create a pseudo-dimension inside a person's mind that feeds off their desires to create the details. In other words, once you start it you can either end it or let it grow and remain based on that person's wants."

Lust nodded, feeling more and more terrified as the darkness rapidly spread. Dead trees grew from the ground, skeletons and rotting corpses everywhere. In the distance she saw people lying on the ground in the fetal position, rocking back and forth jibbering madly. "Th…that's right. Who…who would ever want something like this?"

The darkness advanced beyond them, and dead grass crunched underneath their feet. A trail of fire streaked through the sky overhead, and the lightning continued. A massive beast, half-reptile and half something unidentifiable roamed the land in the distance. "Whose? Hers."

Mizuki raised her left arm to point and at last Lust saw the source of desire that this world was feeding on. Ebony hair flowing out behind her despite the dry atmosphere was a darkly beautiful woman who bore a stunning resemblance to Mizuki. Shrieking with glee she stood on an obsidian platform that floated through the air. "Why aren't you enjoying it? Enjoy the suffering of your nightmares!"

By this point the dark world of nightmares had engulfed everything, leaving the white nothingness behind. Lust wrapped her arms around herself and dropped to her knees, shivering uncontrollably. "I created this place…but just being her is like having daggers poking at my brain. Its like I want to scream and claw my own eyes out and nothing is even happening to me. God…this isn't a world of desires, it's a world of nightmares!"

The younger girl knelt next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking calm despite the pervasive feeling. "You're right, that's because Nightmare isn't like you or me. She's not a complete person…she exists almost entirely as a creature driven by its wants. What she wants is to create a world of nightmares, and this is her dream world…a world where there are no more dreams. Where everyone's life is a nightmare, just like she says hers is."

Lust grabbed her head between her hands and shook it back and forth. "Pricking my skin…its horrifying…it's everywhere! I have to get out! Have to get out! Have to! Have to!"

She screamed and there was a blast of light. As the light engulfed her and Mizuki the younger woman looked up at the dark haired goddess of terror on the pedestal and spoke. "Enjoy this world of your making…and stay as long as you like."

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Lust blinked rapidly to clear the light from her eyes and saw that she was still standing exactly where she had been. She was on the rooftop, her dueling field was the same, and so was Mizuki's, though the young girl was on her knees. "Thank god…I'm safe."

Mizuki's eyes reduced from that deep blue color to a light blue and she pushed herself to her feet. Lust realized just by looking at her that she was back to normal, or at least more normal. "The partition is down Lust…and your power has failed. That means it's my turn, and I'm going to beat you down!"

She drew and slapped the card down. A dark-furred and snarling wolf sprang out of the card in a shimmer of light. It bared its fangs, saliva dripping from them. It had no eyes, and its fur had runes painted on. "Rune Wolf (1850/1500), come out and take down Rune Manticore!"

The wolf lunged forward and clamped down on the manticore's throat, ripping it clean out in one move. The manticore slumped, unable to use its special effect because it had been attacked. Lust however didn't seem bothered. "Girly…you never asked Body of Sin's effect." (MLP: 550)

Mizuki grimaced as she looked down at her duel disk. "I see…so if I kill one of my former monsters in battle I'll take the life point damage from that battle?"

Lust chuckled, finally feeling back to her normal self. "Oh but it gets better than that. You see, Body of Sin also means that cards of yours that I have that go to the grave go to my grave. That means in this case that I gain life points from Parting Gifts." (LLP: 1850)

She smirked and pointed at her set card, looking delighted. "But wait, there's more! Since Necro Succubus isn't necessary anymore I'll activate Incubus Offering, destroying it and letting me special summon a monster with 'Incubus' in its name from my hand." (LLP: 2250)

The demonic woman was swiftly replaced by a handsome man with reddish skin and long flowing black hair. He wore little save for short pants and had a devilish look on his face. In addition he held a trident slung over one shoulder. "Meet Hellion Incubus (2500/2000), a tough cookie if ever there was one."

Even as she drew from her deck because of her other continuous trap Mizuki's wolf was howling. "And now my curse will seize control of your Rune Wolf and make it mine!"

The wolf bounded over to Lust's field, leaving Mizuki empty-handed once again. Mizuki frowned and glanced down at the two cards in her hand. "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."

Lust casually plucked another card off her deck and smirked as a small red-skinned pre-teen demon burst into view on her field from flames. "Oh yeah, during my standby phase Hellion Incubus creates a Succubus token (700/700)."

"Next I activate Lust Overshadowing, a favored card of mine which requires I tribute a monster like my token here." The petite succubus faded away and a dark shadow fell over Mizuki's body.

"I can now select one monster from my opponent's hand and special summon it to my field, like your Rune Fox (1400/1300) for instance!" Although smaller and thinner than the Rune Wolf it shared a similar appearance. Its fur was a reddish brown though, and yet like all the rune beasts so far it had no ideas and runic marks on its body. (LLP: 2450)

Miuzki frowned, seeing as how her hand was now empty. _'She correctly assumed that the last card in my hand was a monster because I didn't play it. So she's not just got a good deck and a special power, she does have a duelist's instincts.'_

"But wait, at the cost of one meager discard I can look at cards on top of your deck equal to twice the level of one incubus or succubus on my field. My Hellion Incubus is a level eight, so I get to pick at the top sixteen cards of your deck." The two duelists walked into the center to meet and Mizuki handed her sixteen cards. (LLP: 2850)

Lust skimmed through them, stopping carefully on each one. With a laugh she finally grabbed one from amongst them. "Now I get to add one monster from amongst those cards to my hand, so I think I'll take this. Afterwards all the other cards are returned to your deck in order."

They parted ways and returned to their appropriate sides of the field. Once they were back Lust spun on her heel and slapped down the card. "Another one from your ranks, the mighty Rune Tiger (1900/1200)!"

That gave Lust three of Mizuki's rune beasts to work with along with her powerful Hellion Succubus. Fearing the impending assault Mizuki pointed at her set card and a flash of light covered the field. "Rune Symbol-Ingwaz, which prevents you from attacking for three turns!"

Lust laughed and raised her right arm, thumb extended up. "You act like that will save you, but even with those two hundred life points you've lost. Or have you forgotten my Brain Theft Curse? As soon as I end my turn you'll take nine hundred damage and lose! So…it ends!"

She twisted her hand down, giving Mizuki a thumbs down. Again the searing light showered Mizuki, causing her to grit her teeth against the pain. "What's it like to lose to the Sin you like the least? Eh girly?"

Mizuki tilted her head up and shot Lust a fierce gaze. "Don't be stupid. You're not the Sin I like the least. You're just the Sin that's the most convenient to take out my anger on!" (MLP: 250)

The Sin jerked back in surprise, not just at Mizuki's response but also at seeing her life points. "How the heck did you survive? You should have had seven hundred and fifty life points, so minus the nine hundred would have meant your loss!"

In reply Mizuki stood to her full height and pointed confidently at Rune Fox, which practically yipped in excitement. "You really need to learn to look at card effects of monsters you steal Lust, it's a bad habit of yours that'll make you lose."

When Lust looked at the card she had taken from the other girl she realized her mistake. "When this monster is special summoned the opponent discards two cards from the top of their deck. But that means…when I summoned it you lost two cards and gained life points!"

"That's right, and of course had you normal summoned it you would have lost the top card of your deck. Of course you realize…you just ended your turn, right?" Lust gulped, feeling the frustration building. If she lost this duel, not that she felt she would, she'd really be looked down on by Pride. That was something she couldn't deal with.

With a single motion Mizuki drew and flipped around her card. Lust sighed, knowing exactly what it was. "Rune Symbol-Fehu's standard effect lets me draw two cards! That's two cards with to use to break down your entire field of stolen monsters!"

She snatched two cards off her deck and Lust scrunched up her brow as she tried to remember what they were. _'Let's see…one was Algiz…but I don't remember its effect. The other was…recharge maybe? Something like that…'_

Lust's question was answered mere seconds later when Mizuki held up the card between two fingers. "Rune Charm-Rebirth lets me special summon one Rune monster from either player's cemetery. Guess who that means is returning? Rune Dragon (2900/2100) is back!" (MLP: 650)

The Sin was beginning to feel frustrated as yet again the behemoth of a blind dragon took dominance over Mizuki's field. "Crap…I remember that thing's effect this time…"

Mentally she had to smirk to herself. _'She thinks she can use that monster to cleave my life points this turn, but if she attacks she'll just obliterate her life points thanks to Body of Sin's effect. It's a win-win situation for me.'_

"I bet you think I've forgotten that if I battle my own former monsters your Body of Sin will deal the damage to me. I haven't…that's why I activate Rune Symbol-Algiz, which for this turn prevents me from taking life point damage!" Lust's train of thought was shattered and she had to take a step back as she realized what was going to happen. (MLP: 850)

A blaze of light erupted from the dragon's mouth, smothering Rune Fox and melting it into nothingness. "Sorry Lust…but that was just Rune Dragon's normal attack. If you remember its effect then you know it can attack additional times, as long as they aren't direct, by the simple payment of the top three cards of my deck. So I toss out three more and attack Rune Wolf!"

Another stream of light annihilated the wolf, leaving only two monsters remaining on Lust's field. However, bursts of energy hit Mizuki and Lust's duel disks. Mizuki kept her gaze focused as she slid three cards into her graveyard. "Of course I now gain six hundred points from those cards while you gain four hundred from those lost monsters." (LLP: 3250) (MLP: 1450)

It was like watching all her hard work vanish in a flash. She knew what was going to come next. Mizuki picked up another three cards off her deck and after looking at them deposited them into the cemetery. "I discard three more and finish off Rune Tiger!" (LLP: 3450) (MLP: 2050)

Lust gritted her teeth, realizing what was coming next after seeing the last of Mizuki's stolen monsters destroyed. "Once more I'll discard three more cards from my deck and take down Hellion Incubus! This time, the damage is on you!" (MLP: 2650)

Another flash of light and this time the destroyed monster was her own Hellion Incubus. "Damn…and since it isn't a succubus my curse doesn't work on your dragon." (LLP: 3250)

Since Mizuki had no way of attacking again she was forced to forfeit her turn to the Sin. "It's almost over for you Lust, take that to heart."

Lust glanced down at her drawn card and snickered. "Heart? I think I will…but I just need to seize control of one last monster. So I activate Stolen Heart to command Rune Dragon at a cost of giving you six hundred life points!" (LLP: 3450) (MLP: 3250)

Mizuki gulped, realizing exactly what that meant. "Even life points…but you're not done yet are you?"

In reply Lust snapped up the card she had just received from her deck. "That's exactly right, and since that was the last monster I needed I get to use this card. Heart of Sin-Lust!" (LLP: 3650)

Again Mizuki felt a burst of power from the Sin, but nothing outwardly happened. "Don't worry girly, that's just back-up. See, I'm pretty sure I know exactly what's going to happen now. Especially because I can now activate Magic Purge, removing your magic card's floating effect!" (LLP: 3850)

All at once Mizuki became aware that her field was clear, with no way of stopping Lust's oncoming assault. It was only the knowledge that Lust had emptied her hand that kept Mizuki from despairing. "You still can't finish me off Lust, and that'll be what finishes you!"

"Tell it to the dragon! Rune Dragon, attack her directly and make her feel your wrath!" Lust shrieked with laughter as the dragon's attack pounded against Mizuki. The force of the blow slammed Mizuki back against the door to the roof. When she rebounded she cried out briefly.

Mizuki hit her hands and knees and wheezed, spitting up a bit of blood onto the cement beneath her. "Not enough Lust…I'm still here." (MLP: 350)

Lust smirked and her gaze focused in on Mizuki's deck. "Yeah, we'll see about that. My turn ends, and you take damage from Brain Theft Curse." (MLP: 50)

Whilst Mizuki was dealing with the pain from that last blast and trying to stand upright Lust was contemplating what would come next. _'What that little girl doesn't know is that I remember her next card because its one of her best. That's Rune Symbol-Thurisaz.'_

_'Rune Symbol-Thurisaz, when activated in the normal way lets her destroy one monster on the field. That could easily destroy my Rune Dragon and force me to top-deck and potentially give Mizuki a chance to recover.'_ As Mizuki managed to her feet and drew Lust's grin widened.

_'What she doesn't realize is that Heart of Sin-Lust gives me an incredibly powerful additional effect. Whenever a monster formerly owned by the opponent is destroyed that player takes half of its original attack as damage. So if she destroys it with Thurisaz she'll take fourteen hundred and fifty damage, ending the duel with me as the victor.'_ Mizuki stared at her card and bit her lip, glancing up at Lust's field and then down at her duel disk.

_'Her second option is to set it first, and then during my turn use its reverse effect to special summon a monster from her the cemetery to the field. Even if that gives a shield against Rune Dragon her life points are low enough that all I have to do is end my turn and despite life points gained from using Thurisaz she'll still lose. In other words…she can't beat me!'_ Mizuki finally nodded her head and placed the card down into her duel disk.

"I set one card face down and end my turn, Lust." Lust cackled and drew, knowing that she had already won. She drew and looked down at the set card before again giving Mizuki thumbs down.

"It's over girly; this turn will be your last! Either by death from my Rune Dragon or through the effect of Brain Theft Curse. You're done and your little set card can't save you!" Mizuki narrowed her eyes and then tapped a button on her duel disk. Instantly her set card flipped, confirming Lust's memory.

"I activate the reverse effect of Rune Symbol-Thurisaz, special summoning Rune Giant (2000/2000) from my cemetery to the field!" A huge hulking hairy man now towered over even Rune Dragon, crouched though he was. (MLP: 250)

Lust tapped the side of her head. "You think I'm dumb don't you? If I attack that monster you won't take damage since it's in defense, but you'll also gain enough life points to survive Brain Theft Curse. But if I end my turn right now you lose the duel. So…that's exactly what I'm going to do! Farwell girly!"

Light surrounded Mizuki and she winced as her life points ticked down. But Lust gulped, seeing the slight smirk in Mizuki's eyes. "You're a duelist who focuses on stealing monsters from the opponent…yet you don't show any respect to the effects of monsters. That's really the biggest weak point you've got Lust! Did you think I wouldn't have guessed you still remembered that Thurisaz was my next card?" (MLP: 150)

The Sin stared blankly, not quite sure how to react. "What…you knew that? Then…I don't understand."

Mizuki jerked her thumb to her defense mode giant as if that explained everything. "If I were in your position I would have memorized the position of each of the fifteen cards left out of the sixteen that were viewed and memorized their effects. Then, knowing that my top decked card would be Thurisaz I would analyze my own combined effects and come to two conclusions."

She lowered her thumb and lifted up her index finger of her left hand, with the back of her hand facing Lust. "First, that I would use the standard effect in hopes that it would stall me time for victory. That path leads to immediate defeat because Heart of Sin-Lust deals the opponent half the original attack of the destroyed stolen monster as damage."

"How did you know that? You didn't know the effect of Body of Sin-Lust, so how could you have known Heart of Sin-Lust's?" Mizuki smiled slightly and used her right hand to point out her eyes.

"Believe it or not but I've got 20/15 vision. You held that card pretty easy out there and didn't cover the text with your finger like you did with Body of Sin-Lust. I just read it and got my answer. Now…option number two." Another finger ticked up and her smirk steadied.

"The other option was to set Thurisaz and wait, then use its reverse effect to summon a monster from my cemetery. Of course as long as you didn't destroy the summoned monster Brain Theft Curse would beat me, right? Those were your theories and they were sound…except you ignored monster effects." Mizuki dropped both hands and then reached for her deck.

"Haven't you noticed that monsters in this deck tend to have discard from the deck effects? When Rune Giant is summoned in any way I have to discard the top card of my deck to the cemetery. That increased my life points to four hundred fifty right before I took three hundred damage. So I survived…and now it's all over!" She drew and Lust raised an eyebrow, caught between confidence in her superiority and worries that Mizuki and so easily analyzed it all.

"That's pretty overconfident considering you're top-decking and your deck is almost empty. You really think one card can get rid of my nearly full life points and still avoid the damage effect of my Heart of Sin?" Mizuki sighed and then threw her card down on her duel disk.

"Actually it didn't matter what I drew this turn, it was already determined after I survived last turn. You see…I'm about to show you the ultimate killing technique of this deck!" A small white-grey blob of matter appeared, slithering around and showing rune symbols on its body.

"Rune Symbiote (?/?)'s attack points are easily determined by the number of cards with 'rune' or 'runic' in the cemetery. Its that amount times one hundred, so for the thirty-one such cards in my grave it achieves thirty-one hundred attack and defense!" The blob massively grew in size until it was roughly the same size as the dragon.

Despite its attack points Lust didn't feel at all worried. "You can kill the dragon but you'd just end yourself. Even at those attack points it doesn't matter!"

"Didn't I just say my draw for this turn didn't matter? You see…there are now thirty cards along with a very special killing card in my grave. So now….I activate the effect of Rune Mark-Bond of the Grave!" The entire rooftop was instantly engulfed in darkness…a darkness that Lust recognized.

"A Darkness Game? Why would you start a Darkness Game now?" Mizuki just reached to her cemetery slot and pulled every last card free.

"Why? Because I'm about to win, that's why! Since there are at least thirty cards in the grave Bond of the Grave removes every card in my cemetery from the play. Then it removes all cards on the field with 'rune' in their name!" All three of the rune monsters on the field burst into purple motes of light along with Mizuki's Bond of Might, whilst Mizuki slid the thirty-one cards in her cemetery into her deck case.

Mizuki extended her right hand, revealing an orb of a deep purple energy floating in front of it. "You see this? This is the gathered energy of all those removed cards, and it's about to hit you for one hundred damage…per rune card in my removed from play pile! Annihilation of the Grave!"

The ball of energy shot off like a bullet and before Lust even had a chance to pull away it exploded directly in front of her, showering her with tiny little pellets of energy. She screamed as they struck her, like thousands of tiny fists hitting her again and again. Finally she slumped to the ground, feeling like one giant bruise. "That was…pretty cruel…but worthless." (LLP: 350)

She took a few heavy breaths and looked up at Mizuki. She seemed weakened and tired, but still confident. "You removed your entire grave and your field from play to almost finish me off. Not to mention you now have no cards in your hand. That was pretty dumb, don't you think? Even if your hope is that I won't draw a monster or damage card when top-decking it's pretty dumb."

Lust mentally congratulated herself on her acting skills. _'What she doesn't know is that regardless of my next draw during my next turn I can just negate the collective effects of my three Sin cards and special summon Embodiment of Sin-Lust from my fusion deck. Its effect will let me end this duel once and for all.'_

Her vision fuzzed from the damage she had taken, and when it cleared she had to rub her eyes with the back of her hand. "Wait a second…that…what the heck is that?"

Mizuki closed her eyes finally looking completely calm for the first time in the duel. "I've gotten my aggression out on you Lust, so now I can think properly. I don't know how I'm going to fix everything, but I know that tip-toeing around isn't the answer. I'm just so tired of being reactionary and waiting for things to happen. From now on I'll never take that stance again. This is your final moment as Lust."

She raised her right arm and copied Lust's earlier motions, giving the Sin thumbs up. "When removed from the game I can special summon Rune Dimension Beast (1200/1200) to the field."

Lust's arms dropped to her sides, her body losing all its strength at the sight of that monster. Its reddish skin and hunched frame made it look sickly and weak, and its bulging eyes didn't help either. "I'm going to lose…to a little girl? But…Saint said my purpose was to incapacitate his most threatening challenge…"

"Whatever he said…that doesn't matter at all. Rune Dimension Beast, attack her directly for game! Dimension Claw!" Mizuki tipped her thumb down and the monster launched itself. The weak little monster bum-rushed Lust and backhanded her, sending her slamming painfully into the ground. Mizuki briefly wondered if the ground remained cement beneath them, even though it was now the darkness. (LLP: 0)

Mizuki sighed and turned away from the fallen Sin. "Lust…as punishment…I strip you of your powers completely."

The darkness burst, returning them to the rooftop. She stared out into the distance and as she stared her eyes returned to their normal green. "Saint Beatrix…I'm tired. So tired. Physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. I can't take any more of the things you've put me through…I just can't deal with it anymore. That's why…I'm going to end it one way or the other."

In his room, watching the image of the victorious Mizuki Mitsuhiro the strange Saint Beatrix smiled enigmatically. "Check mate."

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Author's Note: Next time its Pride's turn. And sorry for the other delay, I was on vacation with no access or computer for a while and then some stuff happened so I wasn't up to writing. But here it is.

_Next Time: The last and strongest of the Seven Sins makes his move. Pride has revealed himself and harshly attacks, targeting duelists one by one. As a duelist with the untouchable Pro League record of 100 straight wins and approaching through an undefeated record in his dueling career Pride seems absolutely unbeatable. Can anyone even pause this juggernaut, or is he as invincible as he claims?_

_See it all in, Deadliest Sin; The Juggernaut Pride!_


	82. Deadliest Sin: The Juggernaut Pride!

Author's Note: Here's PRIDE!

**Chapter Eighty-Two: Deadliest Sin; The Juggernaut Pride!**

_The darkness faded and Chizuma thumped face-first against the ground. Pride rolled his eyes and walked over her fallen body, heading down the steps. "That's one small fry out of the way. I suppose the next one to take care of is Charity."_

_He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked back up at Chizuma's body. He sneered and spoke again. "Like I said, two turns was your maximum against somebody like me. There isn't a soul who can defeat me in the world."_

_His right hand raised in front of his face and he smirked. "And once the small fry are defeated…I'll give you the honor of being my thousandth straight victory…Kaiser!" _

_His hand squeezed shut and he laughed darkly, already feeling victory within his strong grasp._

When he exited through the door he frowned at the sight of a familiar looking young boy standing in front of him. "Oh, what are you doing up and about Wrath?"

The young boy glared furiously at the purple-haired teen and looked past Pride at the girl. "I've been watching her…she was the only person to ever really care what happened to me and to understand me. And you…you hurt her!"

Pride sighed and shook his head almost sadly. "I suppose I should have just ripped her apart and hid her away so not a soul would have found her like this, eh?"

Wrath screamed in rage and threw himself at Pride, swinging his small fists at the older Sin. Pride sighed and planted his foot in the boy's chest, shoving him onto his back. "If you intend to fight, try doing it in a way you might actually accomplish something okay? Becoming a traitor just for her…pathetically irrational like you."

Wrath raised his left arm and his duel disk switched on. "Shut up, I'll blow you away! Let's make this a Darkness Game so I can really hurt you with my power!" (WLP: 4000)

The younger Sin slammed one of his six drawn cards into his disk. "Trap Booster lets me discard one card from my hand to activate a trap from my hand! I activate the continuous trap card Ultimate Offering!"

Immediately he threw another of his cards onto the disk. The resulting creature had a buzz cut and wore a camouflage uniform cut off at the sleeves to show bulging arm muscles. "Army Brawler (2000/800) when summoned lets me add another one of him to my hand!"

His life points began to lower as he triggered the effect of his trap. "By paying five hundred life points Ultimate Offering lets me conduct another normal summon this turn. So here's the next Army Brawler!" (WLP: 3500)

Once more he added a card to his hand and then his life points began to drop as he placed it into a monster zone. "Once more for the final Army Brawler, giving me my own army!" (WLP: 3000)

A single card appeared behind the group of monsters. "I'll place a card down in defense and end my turn! Bring out your strategy Pride so I can beat it down with my brutal force!"

Pride sighed and finally activated his duel disk, drawing his opening hand plus one. "Everyone tries to use rush against me, and it's always so pathetic. Really, do people think they can actually overwhelm me, or is it just a twisted form of luck?" (PLP: 4000)

With barely any effort Pride put a card into his disk. "I activate the equip card Horse-Cutting Blade."

Wrath growled deep in the back of his throat, feeling his anger bubbling up. "Don't screw with me, you don't have any monsters!"

A huge blade attached to a pole appeared in one of the Army Brawler's hands and its attack points started to rise. "Idiot, you can put equip cards on the opponent's monsters as well. How do you even win duels with that sort of knowledge?"

Finally Army Brawler's attack points settled at three thousand thanks to the boost of the equip card. "Fine, make whatever insults you want. But you can't win the duel by giving the opponents monsters attack points, only with the attack points of your own monsters!"

The purple haired duelist slipped another card into his disk. "Actually, there are plenty of ways to win a duel. For instance, like this. I activate Play of Rebellion, forcing one monster on your field to attack you now."

Wrath's eyes widened as the equipped Army Brawler pivoted and slashed him across the chest with the huge sword, sending a massive spray of blood into the air. The little Sin collapsed face-first to the ground, a shocked look in his eyes. "But…but I'm Wrath…one of the Seven Sins…the one with the most brutal strength…I…"

Light flooded off of Wrath's body and he shivered at the feeling. The light flooded into Pride's body as he casually shuffled his deck. "And I'm Pride, the one sin which displays aspects of all other six. The deadliest of the Seven Deadly Sins."

The darkness faded and Pride stepped over his fallen former comrade. The light of consciousness was steadily fading from Wrath's eyes. "As punishment for being so pathetic, I'll take your power stores to add to my own. That's the end of your days as a Sin, and the continuation of my own."

He scowled and stalked down the hallway, feeling the breeze on his uncovered arms. "Not even worth my time…"

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_Shiro grinned and used his free hand to run through his hair. "All I'm saying is that without destroying the receptacle nobodies will can be restored, and the receptacle is in me. Like I keep telling people: the one who covers all bases in order to get what he wants, is absolutely Greed!"_

_There was a flash of light and Enzeru's body was frozen solid, transmuted instantly into gold. Shiro smirked and picked up Enzeru's duel disk, sliding it onto his arm. "Turns out that my power travels with my soul and memories, weird huh?"_

_Cracking his knuckles the new Greed exited the room. "No more games, I'm done having fun. Now I'm going to flat out kill you Saint."_

On the green heading towards the Obelisk Blue dorm two beautiful girls were deep in conversation. One of them had blue hair while the other had fiery red hair. The one with red hair was being quite loud. "And I'm saying I don't care what they said, I still say we should go straight to the source and just crush Saint! You know that you could defeat Saint in a duel, nobody can beat you! Just Darkness Game the guy and bam we're done!"

The blue haired one, Frost, turned to her companion Inferno and replied calmly. "No duelist in undefeatable. Perhaps I can defeat Saint, perhaps not. However, risking it when our orders are to avoid deep involvement unless absolutely necessary is quite foolhardy. At the moment there is no need to quicken our pace. We are here to gain Mizuki Mitsuhiro's aid in overcoming our predicament, not to defeat Saint."

Inferno growled and shot a blast of flame out of her left hand, torching a nearby bush. "And I still say we should just beat his face in!"

"Hiya ladies!" The two True Sins turned and found none other than Shiro Akugi, now with white hair, running down the path towards them. He was waving his arm back and forth like a lunatic with a huge grin on his face.

When he reached them he stopped and put his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He looked up at them grinning and winked. "Got room in this party for a super handsome guy like me?"

Inferno's blue eyes blazed as she grabbed the front of Shiro's modified uniform and pulled him to a standing position, even though it meant he was taller than her. "Look you pile of crap; I'm in no mood for your stupid flirting. And don't make any attempt at tricking us, because we know you were Saintified or whatever."

Shiro grinned and reached up, placing his hand onto her wrist. "Sorry…I couldn't hear what you said. I was too busy checking out your rack."

Her reply was a mix between a scream and strangulation. She started to thrust her other hand at him, ready to ignite him. "Die pervert!"

She stopped in mid-attack, unable to move. Frost's eyes widened having never expected to see anything like that happen. Her compatriot was now frozen still and gold. "You…"

Shiro laughed and released Inferno, his hand latching onto the bare skin of Frost's hand before the girl could react. Instantly Frost was turned to gold, leaving a surprised golden statue in her place. "I'll consider that payback for beating up on my old body."

Stepping away from the two of them he clapped his hands together and laughed with delight. "Man I never had this much fun holding back and playing fair as Greed before! Saint won't even know what hit him!"

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Kaoru slumped back against the tree, her heart pounding and her vision dizzy. Across from her a rumpled looking teen did the same. "Well…I guess I've…got the hang of it."

The other duelist nodded and put a hand over his eyes. "No matter how hard I try…guess I can't keep you down."

After recovering her breath Kaoru pushed herself to her feet and pulled her deck and duel disk out of a bag sitting by the tree. "I'd like to try doing it during a duel again to see if I can do it any easier now while the pressure is on."

Her assistant stood and, like her, put on a duel disk and put a deck into it. "I guess we could do that. You've been going like this for so long now. I'm just amazed by how determined you are."

Kaoru shrugged, her violet eyes looking a mix of calm and determined. "It's just that I want to help out. I've always wanted to help people; it's the only thing these eyes are good for. And to help out right now I need to be stronger, to make these eyes stronger."

"Perhaps you can test out those strong eyes on a stronger willed opponent." Kaoru and her assistant jumped. Walking through the trees towards them was the purple-haired leather clad duelist known as Pride.

Kaoru's assistant gulped and took a step backwards, bumping into the tree. "K…Kyo! What are you doing here?"

Pride frowned and took a step, suddenly hurtling forwards at a speed Kaoru's eyes could barely follow. When he stopped moving he was standing directly next to her assistant, his left hand on the teen's left shoulder. "Kenji…you may have been stripped of your insomnia that made you Sloth…but to you I'm still Pride. Don't forget that."

With what looked like no effort at all Pride pushed Kenji, sending him hurtling through the air. Kenji hit a tree and bounced off, hitting his side in the fallen leaves and rolling. Kaoru jerked in surprise and ran for him. "Kenji!"

In a mere moment Pride was in front of her, with his back directly to her. "Sorry little girl Charity…but at the moment he's not your concern. I'm your concern…so what do you say? Care to test those eyes…on me?"

He raised his left arm out to his side, revealing his violet and silver duel disk which clicked into on position. Kaoru felt a chill run through her body and she stepped backwards, her feet crunching in the leaves. "I…"

"Kaoru! Run, run and get as far away as you can! Tell the Rising Star…tell her everything!" The former deadly Sin Sloth now stood on his feet, duel disk at the ready. Pride sighed and shook his head, looking both irritated and amused.

Shadows were already creeping out from around Kenji's feet, rolling in to cover the area. Pride cast a glance over his shoulder and saw that Kaoru was staring at them, worry etched into her features. "Little girl…this darkness game won't take long. If you want to entertain me and last a little bit longer…I suggest you take his advice."

"Kenji…I can't just leave! You told me yourself that Pride was strong…stronger than you! Together we can" She was interrupted by Kenji snapping at her, fear and worry in his eyes.

"I said run! This isn't an opponent either of us can face! Right now…right now just run as fast and as far as you can and tell her!" Seeing the imploring look in his face and feeling the waves of terror and desperation from his heart she knew she had no choice. With tears in her eyes she turned and ran, just as the darkness fully sprang up and consumed the two duelists.

Pride smirked and cracked his neck, following that by rotating his shoulders. "I guess you can amuse me, if only for just a few turns. For you…I'm guessing the third total turn will be the last." (PLP: 4000)

Kenji grimaced and swiftly drew his opening hand, much faster than the leisurely pace Pride was moving in. "You can't make that guess…especially against this deck! I'll show you that I'm strong, a duelist in my own right when I get a chance! Pot of Greed starts us off!" (KLP: 4000)

The other Sin chuckled and tapped his folded cards against his right duel disk. "Greed? And here I thought you were supposed to be Sloth."

The former Sin grimaced and snapped up another card. "Shut up and watch me set-up your defeat! A Feather of a Phoenix lets me discard one card from my hand to place one card from my grave on top of my deck. My choice is Pot of Greed!"

Pride sighed and closed his eyes, folding his arms over his chest. "Of course the card you discarded was Ojamagic wasn't it? Which means instead of getting Pot of Greed you'll add the three siblings to your hand."

Kenji nodded and raised the three Ojama Brothers. "This time though I don't have Ojama Get Ride. Instead my choice is the magic card Polymerization to fuse my three brothers together!"

The three freakish brothers jumped into a spinning vortex. The creature that emerged was hugely fat with pale white skin and a little crown on top of its head. "Ojama King (0/3000) in defense mode! I'll use his effect to seal two of your monster zones!"

An Ojama Green and an Ojama Yellow appeared as statues on the farthest spaces of Pride's field. The Sin sighed, and shrugged. "So I can't use two zones, at least you aren't trying to rush me."

Kenji slid two cards into his duel disk and glared at Pride. "I throw those two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Pride drew and Kenji instantly pointed at one of his sets. "Go trap card, Ojama Trio! I now place three Ojama tokens (0/1000) onto your field in defense mode! These monsters cannot be used as tributes!"

The three brothers now took up the remaining three zones on his field, giving him no room to summon. Kenji smirked and copied Pride by crossing his arms over his chest. "Not a rush, but a lock. Let's see you beat me on the third total turn without any monsters to summon!"

The deadliest Sin smirked to Kenji's surprise. "I activate Double Spell, discarding Graceful Charity from my hand to copy the effect of one magic card in your cemetery."

His own magic card morphed appearances, gaining the appearance of a glowing golden feather. "I choose to use your A Feather of the Phoenix. I discard another card from my hand to place Graceful Charity on top of my deck."

He took the named magic card out of his grave and placed it on his deck. Then he took another card from his hand and inserted it into his disk. "To end my turn I'll simply place one card face down. Go ahead Kenji…let me see what you can do."

Kenji drew and slapped down a card. His summoned creature was a red machine with long spindly legs and a simple boxy body. "Beetron 3-Spider Base (1000/2000) in attack mode. And next…I activate Ojamuscle, destroying all Ojamas on the field save Ojama King!"

The three brothers on Pride's field shattered and suddenly Ojama King bulked up, gaining a ridiculous number of muscles. "Not only do you take nine hundred damage from the destroyed tokens but my Ojama King gains one thousand attack for each Ojama destroyed!" (PLP: 3100)

When Ojama King's attack points settled at three thousand Pride couldn't help but smile. "You damaged my life points…not bad. Plus you set up a great one turn kill technique. I have no monsters and you have four thousand attack points worth of monsters. An exact kill even. Of course…that was just plain stupid!"

Pride motioned to his set card which flipped up instantly. "I activate the quick-play magic card God Speed Draw-Instant Kill! At this time we each draw the top card of our deck and declare the name before seeing it. If we guess right our opponent's monsters are destroyed, if we guess wrong…nothing happens. So I declare Graceful Charity!"

Kenji grimaced and drew, not sure what to declare. "I'll name Ojamachine Yellow!"

His drawn card was revealed to be Negate Attack. Pride of course showed Kenji his Graceful Charity. Pride made a slashing motion with the card and a blade of force shot out, shattering both monsters on Kenji's field. "That's the kill."

Pride turned and started to walk away. Suddenly the remains of Kenji's two monsters exploded with heavy force, knocking the duelist down. Pride sighed as the other Sin collapsed, weakened by the blast. "A player who has their monsters destroyed by this effect loses life points equal to the total attack points of their destroyed monsters. Sorry…the third turn, just like I said." (KLP: 0)

The darkness faded, and Kaoru was nowhere to be found. With not even a look over his shoulder Pride intoned his punishment. "I'll be taking your power stores. I appreciate the help, I really do. Pity…I was looking forward to destroying that girl. But you were victory nine hundred ninety-nine."

Again he shuffled up his deck, and for the first time that whole day a true smile graced his beautiful features. "Kaiser…it's your turn."

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Harrison frowned and grabbed the decorative long sword that hung on his wall. "You have thirty seconds to explain why you're in my room before I cut you down."

The man of similar age across from him shut the door carefully and then opened his eyes, revealing emerald green orbs. "Kaiser, I've come to give you a warning. If you use that card you took from The Vault it will attract attention that you do not want. However, against Pride it may be your only option."

Harrison returned the long sword and glared at the calm blonde. "Are you claiming I can't defeat Pride under my own power, that I require _that_ in order to defeat him?"

"It is a simple fact that without aid, there is not a soul who can defeat Pride, not with the way he wields himself. That is a fact." Harrison scowled darker and then walked to his closet and opened it.

"By saying this you're telling me that he's coming for me." The other man didn't have to say anything for Harrison to know that it was the truth. Harrison sighed and looked through his closet, pausing as he noticed something.

"My black holocaust cloak is gone…I never noticed before. Strange….I know I had it here…" Shaking his head he finally reached out and pulled the long blue trench coat that he normally wore and pulled it on. Then he reached into a box and pulled out brown leather gloves to complete his outfit.

When Harrison walked past the other man and opened the door he had to pause. "So…Tsar…we've only met once and yet you've come all this way to warn me of something that doesn't affect you. Why is that?"

Mr. Shadow looked Harrison in the eye and then looked up at the ceiling. "I have no interest in Saint Beatrix's view or anyone else's of a new world. This world or a different one, those aren't my concerns. However…in truth I can't avoid becoming involved to prevent Saint Beatrix from taking Mizuki Mitsuhiro, and aiding you assists in that."

Harrison frowned again, a standard expression from him. His eyes hardened as he contemplated how everything seemed to come back to the Rising Star. "Tell me, if you don't mind, why you can't avoid that. Why do you care if Saint gets Mizuki or not?"

Mr. Shadow's form began to ripple and he spoke softly in his reply. "Because whether she knows it or not she and I…are kindred spirits. For that reason alone…I won't allow her to be used."

Even though by the time Harrison spoke the other man was gone he still felt the need to say it. "Then you and I have something in common. We both hate to see others feel the some pain we are…and will crush down those in our way to prevent that…even though we never say it."

Harrison began to walk through the Obelisk Blue dorm, entering the elevator and quietly riding it down to the bottom floor. The whole time his heart was beating steadily in his chest. _'All along I've been longing for this battle with Pride. Justice they called me…let me see just how strong my Justice is!'_

He reached the bottom floor and came out into the main hall of the Obelisk Blue dorm. It was a huge place with a broad flight of stairs in the far back center. It was a huge space with vaulted ceilings, mosaics of battling monsters on the walls, and pure white tiled floors. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, completing the mood of a grand hotel or small mansion. _'Pride…you are my hurdle! I will grow strong by surpassing you no matter the odds!'_

Standing at the entrance to the dorm, as if they had sensed each other's presences, was none other than Pride. The purple haired duelist smirked up and the white haired one who replied with his own. "Kaiser…I've been looking forward to this! Are you ready to become my thousandth straight victory?"

Harrison smirked as he stared down the flight of steps at his foe and extending one fist. "Pride…I've been looking forward to this as well. Are you ready to become my stepping stone?"

Pride laughed and cracked his knuckles. "Poor orphan boy…you can't even harm one hair on this head of mine. Your strength is negligible compared to mine."

The Dark Kaiser strolled down the steps with practiced confidence and when he stopped at the bottom he matched eyes with his opponent. "Strength? All I see is pretty boy with no power of his own but a name. Or would you care to prove that wrong?"

The God of the Pro League's smirk turned dark and he stomped a foot against the ground. Harrison's eyes focused on his feet instantly. "You don't believe my strength? Then let me show you that even outside of the dueling field there is no human being whose capabilities even come close to my own! Strength, speed, stamina, I am an exemplar, a god amongst men! Here before you is true power!"

Pride shot off like a rocket, covering the distance between the two. At the last moment as Pride came straight up to Harrison the Kaiser's eyes narrowed and time felt like it slowed down for him. His eyes followed the older teen's fist even as it came straight towards his face. _'He's fast!'_

Time returned to true normal as the blow sent Harrison flying back several feet, landing heavily against the steps. Pride smirked and drew his fist back, feeling quite proud of himself. "How was that? Strong enough for you?"

Harrison rubbed a hand against his cheek and stood slowly. To Pride's surprise he could see a small smile on Harrison's face and he heard the younger man let out a short laugh. "That's not strength at all….that's just a petty trick. Or did you think that someone like me…couldn't see right through you?"

Pride's eyes widened as Harrison let his hand fall. Harrison's face didn't have even a red mark on it, nor did it look like it had taken a punch of the force Pride had given him. "See through me? How weren't you hurt anyways?"

The Dark Kaiser raised his hand to touch his cheek and smirked. "I watched your feet as you ran. Your feet never hit the ground in that blur of a run; instead they stopped about an inch away from the ground. Like an explosive force beneath your feet you were accelerated."

Pride's smile began to fade as Harrison continued speaking. "Similarly when you punched me I followed your fist. It never actually struck my face…instead I was hit by that blow when your fist was still an inch from my face. You're not super humanly fast or strong…instead there's a field around your body that exerts pressure which you can use to make yourself seem strong and fast and even protect you from harm. Powerful…but not without flaws."

The deadly Sin clapped his hands, and then smashed his hand against the floor. When he raised his hand bits of tile were spinning around very close to his fingers. "Incredible analysis. My power is called 'tactile telekinesis' a telekinetic field that extends about an inch out from my body. It can protect me from harm and be used to pick things up and deal damage, as well as push off from the ground to move me at inhuman speeds. It's a power that makes me beyond any normal human."

Harrison smirked and lowered his hand from his cheek. "Those True Sins explained that you Sins have a limited power supply. The stronger the power the more the use drains that source. I'm guessing a power like yours drains you pretty fast when you use it, doesn't it? You're planning to steal my power to add to your own aren't you? How prideful of you…doing whatever it takes not to lose that advantageous power of yours."

Trying to avoid the scowl that was building Pride casually brushed his purple hair away from his eyes in a way reminiscent of the Hero Saint. "It seems you understand my personality fairly well. I've always been raised as the absolute best at everything…so having this advantage is something I can't lose. You see…it's because I don't lose, ever. That's what makes me a god among men."

He then raised his right arm and pointed at his rival, looking curious and annoyed. "Now that you're done covering me…why not explain how you took that hit without damage? I was expecting to break your jaw with that blow."

Harrison lowered his head and his shoulders slumped as well. "You dye your hair that bizarre purple color don't you?"

Pride raised an eyebrow at that. "Yes…so what? It's my choice."

The Kaiser chuckled and raised a hand to brush through his white hair. "Nobody ever asks…or even questions…they just assume…that this is dye. But don't you think it's odd for someone my age…to have white hair?"

The Sin's eyes widened as Harrison raised his head. Dark waves of power were emanating from the Virtue. Quite literally there was a deep crimson and black aura surrounding him. "My power…when I first released it…the irony was not lost on me. Its power turned my hair white…and made me understand my purpose was beyond all else vengeance."

Harrison held out one open hand and then squeezed it into a fist. He swung it out and broke through a stone banister with no effort. "A body denser than steel, capable of taking blows no human can take. Strength beyond that of normal man, speed beyond that of normal man. But unlike you…I don't find those things to make me a god amongst men."

His cold blue eyes bored into Pride's violet ones and Pride suddenly realized they were different now. The irises…were now slotted like cat eyes and red streaks ran through the blue. "Instead I realize that the power of my body to convert my own cellular energy into a very different type made me something vastly different. It made me a devil!"

Harrison moved at a speed that was easily comparable to Pride's from before and struck the older man across the chin, flooring him and sending him sliding back to the doorway. Harrison stopped, his fist extended and then returned to a neutral position. "The power to convert cellular energy into demonic energy that grants me increased prowess and power. That is my power. Imitation of the Devil!"

His mouth set in a thin line as Pride rose to his feet. "That idiot Shiro…he's truly my opposite. When he is happy…when he feels joy in his veins…I can feel that his power increases. Positive emotions fuel him. However, I am the total polar opposite. My power feeds off negative emotions…so it is despair that fuels me. The worse I feel, the more I suffer…the stronger that I am!"

"So, like you, using the power of darkness games I take the dark feelings of others to store them. That way, when I meet the one I want to kill, I have all the power I could possibly need to crush him. That is why I duel…to find those truly dark individuals who thrive on darkness games and take all that darkness from them. To increase my despair, and to increase my power!" Pride and Harrison's eyes sparked and they could practically feel each other's wills.

The darkness had already smothered the room, surrounding it in its terrible force. Yet the domain hadn't changed, the darkness simply surrounded the room. Pride snapped his left arm up and Harrison did the same. "Then let's see Kaiser, see which one of us gets to take the power that the other has! Let's see who is stronger, a god amongst men, or a devil!" (PLP: 4000)

Harrison nodded and drew at the same time as Pride, giving them their opening hands. "I'll break your pride and your power with these two hands!" (HLP: 4000)

Pride drew and examined his hand. "It seems…that we'll have to see if you can even last past my second turn! I summon Samurai of the East School (1200/1000) in attack mode!"

A warrior in full body armor with a katana and wakizashi at its hip now stood on his field. Over its shoulder was a banner with the kanji for 'east' displayed proudly. Harrison narrowed his eyes. "A Samurai Deck?"

The Sin merely continued his turn, fanning out his deck and then adding a card from it to his hand. Then he shuffled at incredible speed and returned his deck. "When this monster is summoned I can add any of four monsters from my deck to my hand."

With a dark grin he placed two cards into his duel disk. "The set-up is almost complete. I place two cards face down and end my turn. Let's see if you can handle me Kaiser!"

Harrison drew fiercely and slammed the card down. "And so I will! I summon Demon Slayer Apprentice (1000/1000)!"

A muscular fellow with black hair now stood on the field, with a bag slung over his shoulder and a sword in one hand. Peaking out of the bag Pride could see a stake and a cross. "Demon Slayer Apprentice…attack Samurai of the East School!"

Pride smirked as the apprentice charged his samurai, sword swinging down. Samurai of the East School reached to his sword and gripped it tightly. "Normally a duelist would foolishly assume you were perhaps rash or stupid, but I know your talent. And I also know the effect of that monster. So I activate my trap card!"

The samurai pulled his katana out at blinding speed and brought it up, steel clashing with steel. Apprentice's blade rebounded from the trained warrior's weapon and he stumbled backwards. "Quick Draw Defense is a continuous trap card that has one counter on it per samurai on my field at activation. In addition it gains one counter whenever I summon a samurai."

Samurai of East School sheathed his blade and the dejected apprentice returned to Harrison. "By sacrificing a counter on my card I may negate one attack you make. Quite the useful card isn't it?"

Harrison didn't reply directly to the comment. "Since I was unable to make any headway I'll set two cards face-down and conclude my turn. Do whatever you want Pride."

Pride narrowed his eyes and a look of near fury formed on his pretty face. "Is that it? Is that all you were able to do? That's the might of the Kaiser? Such a weak move…such a weak strike…that's not the kind of thing I was expecting from you! Such a pathetic move is deserving of only destruction! In this turn you end, I'll show you my power right now!"

He drew and Harrison narrowed his eyes as he actually felt a push of force from the draw. _'His draw actually has physical power behind it with that unique ability of his. Any normal opponent would be intimidated and thrown off their game by that. It's not even a true strategy and it's an effective method to gain an advantage. So he's not just good, he's clever.'_

Pride slammed a card into his duel disk and again Harrison felt the force behind the action. "I activate the extremely rare card Effect Economics! Now neither player has to pay life points whenever we wish to pay for a cost!"

Once more he picked up his deck and searched through it, finally finding the right card. "From my deck this card is activated since I now have two continuous cards face-up on the field. It's the magic card Reserved Space which immediately goes to the cemetery!"

He slid the card into his cemetery and a brief glow shot over the field. "As long as Reserved Space is in the cemetery continuous magic and trap cards no longer take up magic and trap zones for either player."

Harrison didn't mentally reply but he considered what he had seen so far. _'For the use of that card I'm guessing he intends to set-up a complicated strategy to force me down and it allows him to not clog up his field unnecessarily while doing so.'_

Pride smirked and picked the card that he had added to his hand last turn and placed it down on his disk. "So often people attempt to use rush against me and even claim that they are powerful. However…those fools have no idea what they are talking about."

The Kaiser recalled such an incident. _'When he faced that machine rush duelist he claimed that summoning a handful of strong monsters was just pathetic and not worth his time. And the truth of the Samurai Deck is that above all else if played correctly…it surpasses every rush deck in existence!'_

A monster nearly identical to the first samurai appeared on Pride's field, this one showing a flag with the kanji for 'west' on it. "Samurai of the West School (1000/1200) joins his companion! I also get to add one of four monsters from my deck to my hand."

Once he had the card he pointed at his remaining set card and Harrison saw through it. _'Effect Economics…the nearly impossible to master Samurai Deck…Reserved Space…monster searching. That trap card is without a doubt Ultimate Offering!'_

"I reveal my continuous trap card Ultimate Offering! With this I can pay five hundred life points to conduct an additional normal summon during my turn. Of course that cost is negated by Effect Economics isn't it? Which means I can summon any monster I search for!" Again Pride slapped his monster down, this time revealing a samurai with the kanji for 'south'.

"Samurai of the South School (1300/1500)! And I'll use his effect to add this next card to my hand. And thanks to the negated cost of Ultimate Offering I will summon it as well. Meet the fourth of the school samurai, Samurai of the North School (1500/1300)!" In a flash Pride had four monsters, each with minimal points but representing the four cardinal points.

Harrison didn't know Samurai Decks perfectly, but he understood enough about card effects to infer what was next. _'He said their effects let them search for four other monsters. It's unlikely that includes itself…so there's a fifth monster, the true focus of his summoning!'_

Pride finished searching through his deck and threw the card down. "By merely offering all samurai on my field I can summon this monster specially, the mighty Master Samurai of the Four Schools (2500/2000)!"

The four samurai burst into pixels and Pride's new monster took to the field. It held a long sharp looking katana in its right hand and a slim but deadly wakizashi in the other. It also had the kanji for the four cardinal points on its armored chest. It was also much taller than the previous four, and grey haired to boot. "The interesting part of this monster is that it doesn't need the four cardinal monsters to be summoned. Instead when I successfully summon it I can special summon one of those four from the grave per samurai I offered. Which means I can special summon all four back to the field!"

Master Samurai dropped to one knee and plunged his katana into the ground. Four flashes of light later and the original cardinal samurai were all in play with him. Master Samurai pulled his sword out and the four bowed to him. "In his presence the cardinal monsters achieve two thousand attack points each!"

The cardinal samurai increased the strength to a more noticeable two thousand. "Similarly with their presence Master Samurai's attack becomes three thousand."

Once the attack increase was done Pride surveyed his field and chuckled. "You know the truly unique part about Master Samurai? As long as he's in play the cardinal samurai don't take up monster zones. And beyond that…his effect lets me search for one of those four!"

Harrison's eyes widened to their utmost limit as he realized what that meant. _'With Ultimate Offering and Effect Economics he can make as many normal summons as he likes each turn. Additionally, since Master Samurai is the only of those four taking up zones and they each search…if he has three copies of each he can easily flood the field!'_

One by one the four cardinal samurai appeared, joining the original four. Then they all vanished, replaced by another Master Samurai. And in another flash of light the four monsters returned. "Now I will complete my army!"

Yet again the cycle was completed, giving Pride three monsters with three thousand attack points and twelve with two thousand. But more impressive than that was simply the fact that he had fifteen monsters on his field. "Fifteen monsters…so that's why your rush surpasses others."

Pride laughed and again searched his deck. "You don't even know the half of it! Now since I have at least five more monsters than you do I can add this card to my hand and play it! The first layer of power, Soul of Sin-Pride!"

Harrison grimaced as he felt the force from the increasing power. _'Each of those Sin cards grants an unfair advantage to whichever deck type it's being used in. Truly they break a game's normal flow. They are part of the reason the Seven Sins are so strong.'_

"When Soul of Sin-Pride is activated I have to discard every card in my hand. So I'll give up all three now." He slipped the three remaining cards in his hand into the cemetery, smirking the whole time.

Once they were in the grave he gestured broadly to his field. "Now for the rest of the game every card on my field gets three counters. And when that card would be destroyed one of its three counters is destroyed instead."

Harrison's eyes widened in horror, realizing exactly what that meant. _'I have to kill his cards four times each to truly kill them…such an insane effect! That means even the continuous cards that enhance his strategy are nearly impossible to crush!'_

Pride thrust his hand out and the fifteen samurai unsheathed their weapons. "See if you can handle my power at all Kaiser! ATTACK!"

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Author's Note: Bet you didn't expect this so soon. Also I'd like to congratulate myself and cheer at the simple fact that this chapter ended on the thousandth page. Yes, Rising Star to the Heavens is now 1000 pages long.

_Next Time: When it seems that nothing can stop Pride's assault the Dark Kaiser moves to put an end to his rampage. These two prideful duelists clash with their full power and Pride reveals his joy at the challenge. Under his belt are 999 straight victories with 0 losses, and he intends to make Harrison number one thousand. Together they clash and the secret of Harrison's quest for vengeance is revealed!_

_See it all in, Story of the Prideful Obelisk Blue!_


	83. Story of the Prideful Obelisk Blue

Author's Note: At long last, the truth of Harrison's vengeance quest!

**Chapter Eighty-Three: Story of the Prideful Obelisk Blue**

_Pride laughed and again searched his deck. "You don't even know the half of it! Now since I have at least five more monsters than you do I can add this card to my hand and play it! The first layer of power, Soul of Sin-Pride!"_

_Harrison grimaced as he felt the force from the increasing power. 'Each of those Sin cards grants an unfair advantage to whichever deck type it's being used in. Truly they break a game's normal flow. They are part of the reason the Seven Sins are so strong.'_

_"When Soul of Sin-Pride is activated I have to discard every card in my hand. So I'll give up all three now." He slipped the three remaining cards in his hand into the cemetery, smirking the whole time. _

_Once they were in the grave he gestured broadly to his field. "Now for the rest of the game every card on my field gets three counters. And when that card would be destroyed one of its three counters is destroyed instead."_

_Harrison's eyes widened in horror, realizing exactly what that meant. 'I have to kill his cards four times each to truly kill them…such an insane effect! That means even the continuous cards that enhance his strategy are nearly impossible to crush!'_

_Pride thrust his hand out and the fifteen samurai unsheathed their weapons. "See if you can handle my power at all Kaiser! ATTACK!"_

As the samurai charged with weapons drawn Harrison couldn't help but see a familiar image in his mind of a blade. But not a katana like these weapons, but rather the cold sting of a German rapier.

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_"Ha!" Steel met steel and with a simple flick of the wrist the slender blade pushed the other to the side. With that single opening a large man wearing a fencing outfit thrust his sword until it bent against the chest of a smaller figure in a similar outfit._

_The larger of the two tilted his mask up, revealing a handsome but pale face with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "You're improving little Bergeron. You need a stronger grip and greater focus though."_

_The little one followed the older and also lifted his mask. He was a boyish figure, maybe eight or nine, with sweaty locks of black hair and eyes the same color as the older ones. He was pouting and looked surprisingly cute because of it. "Its not that I have a weak grip or bad focus, it's that you're so much stronger and more experienced than me. I've been fencing for a year now; you've been fencing for thirty or something."_

_He raised his rapier and pointed it at the older man, now mixing a scowl with his pout. "And stop calling me little Bergeron, its silly…General!"_

_With a deep laugh the older one pushed the little one's sword down and set his own rapier aside. "I see, so if I call you Harrison or perhaps son you'll call me papa? Is that the deal you have? But you know our line received the name 'Harrison' as a mark of our exceptional talents and prowess."_

_Little Harrison continued to pout and tossed his rapier to the ground. "That's my deal! And Harrison Bergeron had a bad ending, it wasn't fun at all! I'm going to have a happy ending, just like in the good stories, that's the way it will be!"_

_He thumbed at his chest and his father laughed with delight, patting his son on the shoulder. "We all will, once everything in the world is worked out. Don't you worry my boy; you'll get your happy ending no matter what methods it takes."_

_Both were jerked out of their conversation by the clearing of a throat. They turned and found a youngish man in a military uniform standing in the doorway. "General Wilhelm, orders from NATO Command! It's a direct march into occupied Belgium!"_

_Harrison looked up at his father with wide eyes and the older man scowled. "Cutting my leave short to lead troops into a death march into demon occupied territory? The irony of conquering Belgium in the process isn't lost on me either."_

_The elder Harrison looked down at his son and smiled. "Don't worry; your father isn't called the War Kaiser for nothing. No man in this war has won more battles than I. I'll go and achieve that happy ending for you with these two hands!"_

_Turning his attention back the young officer he barked out his command. "Get me Special Forces Command, I'm only going into battle with the absolute best Germany has to offer!"_

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Demon Slayer Apprentice screamed out as he was sliced in half. Harrison grimaced and a card ejected from his deck. _'Happy ending…haven't thought of that in ages. But…father was right. With these two hands…I'll grasp victory!'_ (HLP: 3000)

"When Demon Slayer Apprentice is destroyed I can special summon Legendary Demon Slayer Dante (1500/1200) to the field, and I'll bring him out in defense mode! I also choose not to activate his effect!" The familiar slayer in the red trench coat did a flip out onto the field. He immediately grimaced at seeing the oncoming forces.

Pride smirked and motioned to the new monster. "It doesn't matter; my monsters will still plow right over your key creature! Cut it down!"

Harrison thrust out his left arm and his set card revealed itself. "I won't be defeated so quickly! Negate Attack will halt your assault!"

An invisible force repelled the onslaught of the fourteen remaining attackers and pushed them back to Pride's field. Pride scowled at seeing his attack stopped. "It failed huh? Well I suppose I'm actually happy…that just means you can make me really fight!"

The Kaiser glared at his opponent and placed two fingers on his top card, drawing it swiftly. "Since you have no cards remaining in your hand to use I'll begin my turn!"

His cold blue eyes surveyed the field, considering his options. _'Thanks to his Soul of Sin card it now takes four destructions to beat any card on his field. In addition he has fifteen monsters, each with at least two thousand attack points.'_

Next his gaze moved to the face-up cards on Pride's field other than his monsters. _'Because of the combination of Ultimate Offering and Effect Economics he can make an essentially infinite number of normal summons in a single turn. However, the worst part is his other continuous trap.'_

He frowned deeply as he focused on that heavily glowing card. _'Quick Draw Defense lets him sacrifice a counter on it to negate an attack and it gets a counter whenever a samurai is summoned. Thanks to his flurry of summoning in his turn he now has twenty-six counters. That means I'd have to make twenty-seven attacks at this point to even hit any of his monsters or him, not to mention that he can continue to add counters. And none of those continuous cards counts towards his total number on the field.'_

Pride chuckled as he saw the focused look on his opponent's face. "It seems you can't figure out any way to combat me. It's understandable, after all my strategy is invincible."

Harrison narrowed his eyes at that comment and then grasped one of the cards in his hand. "I was once told that no strategy and no opposing force were invincible as long as one is able to look past the obvious and think clearly. Let's find out if I can break down your supposed invincibility with these hands of mine!"

A burst of power created a heavy gust of wind flowing over the field. Purple lightning crackled over Dante's body at the same time. "From my hand I play something you may never have seen before. I activate Combat Style-Doppelganger!"

Harrison held up the two cards in his cemetery along with the cards on his field. "By sacrifice Dante and shuffling all cards in my hand and on my field into my deck I can swap out cards from my side deck. After I draw a new and equal hand, I can then special summon a more powerful form of Dante!"

Once he had shuffled his deck up he slammed it back into place and Dante flipped out onto the field once again. "This time my monster is Legendary Demon Slayer Dante the Doppelganger (2350/2000)! When he's summoned two things happen, and the first is that he creates a Doppelganger token identical to himself!"

Dante's form fluctuated and split in two. One of them retained its original appearance while the other looked like a shadow version of the demon slayer. "The other is that when summoned I can take an equip card and place it on him. My choice is Doppelganger Armament-Ebony and Ivory to grant him five hundred points!"

The demon slayer pulled two heavy pistols, one black and one white, from his belt and twirled them on his fingers. Similarly the token did the same thing. "Any equip cards or bonuses that the original receives the clone receives as well. And my equip card retains the effect of Ebony and Ivory, granting him an additional attack during the battle phase!"

Pride's eyes lit up with delight at that notion. "Impressive! Show me more!"

"So be it! My two monsters now attack your weaker monsters a total of four times!" Flurries of bullets were unloaded at the samurai, but Pride merely laughed as the bullets were deflected by cold steel. The glow on his face-up trap lessened slightly.

"Impressive, but useless seeing as how I still have twenty-two counters left to block your attacks. I'm assuming you have nothing left to do." Harrison responded by holding up his hand of cards, revealing five cards total.

"Considering that one of my shuffled cards was Repayment of Recycling I was able to gain a stronger hand by two extra cards. So I suppose I'll set these two cards face-down and conclude my turn." Pride drew once again, the power of the draw obvious from the force it struck Harrison with.

"Top decking and yet my draw power is still greater than yours. I activate the continuous magic card The Allied Forces! Now for every spell caster and warrior on my field each of my warriors gains two hundred attack points. That means each of my samurai gains three thousand attack points!" Harrison betrayed no emotion to this, but he was frustrated nonetheless. Now Pride had twelve monsters with five thousand attack and three with six thousand. An army with more power than most duelists were able to get out of a monster at any time.

"Samurai of the East School (5000) will attack the clone token!" Harrison reacted by depressing a button on his duel disk as the samurai leapt into the air. The warrior's blade crashed down…and stopped mere inches from the clone's face.

"I'm sure you'll recognize my trap card Pride, considering your experience. The power of Mirror Force negates your attack and destroys all monsters on the field!" The samurai did a back-flip, returning to Pride. An invisible wave of power struck the fifteen monsters on the field, but they were able to brace themselves against it.

Pride didn't even bat an eye and Harrison sighed, shaking his head. "Or at least it would destroy all of them if it weren't for those counters. Still, that means each of your monsters now has just two counters on it."

The Sin nodded but motioned to one of his other samurai. "Perhaps, but since my army survived I can still attack fourteen more times. So Samurai of the West School (5000) will now attempt to dispatch your Dante!"

Like the first one this one also attempted aerial acrobatics, but somehow it too was blocked by a barrier. However when it jumped backwards the army wasn't hit by a blow. "Thanks to the shuffling effect of my Combat Style card I was able to regain and reuse my Negate Attack trap card."

Pride chuckled and tapped his duel disk, indicating the end of his turn. "You still impress me, but against my power it's ultimately useless."

"Useless…perhaps we'll see! During my standby phase I activate my Doppelganger's effect, discarding two cards from my hand to create another identical token!" Once more Dante split, now giving him a second clone to fight with him. This one also drew Ebony and Ivory from its belt loop.

Immediately after that occurred a card shimmered into view on Harrison's field. "I activate the continuous magic card Perfect Opponent, which lets me select one sub-type. Now whenever one monster that I name attacks a monster of that sub-type its attack points double. I choose my Doppelganger, granting that ability to his clones as well and then name warrior as the sub-type!"

The Sin merely smiled, knowing that Harrison was steadily trying to force his way to an advantage. "From my hand I activate the normal magic card Twilight Renewal! Since it's the last card in my hand I can now draw five cards!"

He pulled them free swiftly, his determined look still present. Suddenly a card slid out of his cemetery and he held it up. "For the cost of Doppelganger I discard A Second Chance, which can be removed from the cemetery at this time to let me draw two new cards."

Once more he drew, now bringing him up to seven cards in hand. Pride whistled, calm despite the frenzy of drawing. "You're building up for something, I can tell. Will it be enough though?"

"It will be, since Doppelganger can use his effect at any time! I discard four cards from my hand to create two more identical clones, giving me my own army of Dante!" Pride laughed with delight at the sight of two more of the demon slayer, giving Harrison a total of five of the powerful monsters.

Harrison made a broad motion with both arms to encompass his army. "Dante and clones, attack his monsters!"

This time it was like a storm of bullets, a barrage fired by a total of ten guns each one firing multiple times. Yet just like the last time Harrison attacked the samurai were easily able to deflect the bullets. Pride shrugged, looking highly pleased with himself. "Guess it wasn't enough. You'll have to do better than ten attacks even if your monsters do power up to fifty-seven hundred when they attack mine."

Despite the fact that his monsters hadn't even managed to touch his opponent's Harrison could plainly see that the glow on the continuous trap had been reduced by roughly half. "Bit by bit Pride, bit by bit. I place a card face-down and end."

Pride drew and put his card into his duel disk. "I play God Speed Draw-Instant Strike, which lets each samurai on my field attack twice during this turn. Of course that means the thirty attacks I get easily outclass the ten you managed."

Harrison's set flipped up immediately as the army attacked. "Trap Reflector is a quick-play magic card that can be used to copy the effect of one trap card in either player's cemetery. My choice is my very own Negate Attack, once again ending the battle phase."

The samurai sheathed their weapons and stood down, causing Pride to sigh and shake his head. "You're pretty good at evasion, but evasion won't save you against my power for very long. End turn."

Harrison drew and ordered his monsters to attack, his eyes barely noticing that the attacks from his small army were being easily negated. _'He's right, evasion can't hold out forever. This deck isn't about defense so there are only a limited number of defense methods I can use. However, at this rate I won't be able to hurt him at all.'_

He placed a single card onto his field and nodded to Pride, turning it over to him. Although he was caught up in his own thoughts he was still able to notice that the glow on the trap was almost completely gone.

Pride glanced at his drawn card and smirked. "I'll attack of course."

Harrison pointed at his set card, still flooded with strategies that were quickly discarded. "Kaiser Shield prevents the battle phase if you have at least the same number of monsters that I do. In addition, since you have more monsters my life points are doubled." (HLP: 6000)

The samurai stopped drawing their weapons and slammed them back into their sheaths before they were even half-way out. Pride shrugged, still looking amused. "Another evasion. This is really sad, not the way I pictured the Kaiser being at all. All you're doing is surviving by running, and that's not living at all! Run all you want, but that's the path of defeat! Only through confronting me head-on can you possibly live!"

A card appeared behind the army of samurai even as Harrison's eyes widened. _'He's right. Running away isn't the same as living, its simply delaying death. And that's something I promised myself I would never do. Never run away from your problems, always confront them directly! That's the way I was taught as a boy, that's the way I must live as a man!'_

Pride shook his head, starting to look disappointed. "All this build-up, everything I had seen from you and heard about you and this is what I'm offered. I wanted the ultimate battle for my thousandth victory and all I get is a weakling posing as someone with strength! A coward who runs from the truth!"

He smashed his right foot into the tile, sending a hefty chunk flying up into the air. He caught it in his left hand and held it out. "I can see it now in those eyes of yours! I heard that long ago the Germans considered themselves the 'master race', the perfect people better than anyone else! Yet bad blood breeds bad blood, so if the rest of Germany is like you they're all weak cowards!"

The tile shattered in his grip and he smirked darkly. "You, your father, your father's father, his father, and everyone else down your entire family line! For them to have produced such a weakling…they must have been supremely weak! Diluted throughout time you must be the weakest one, so weak that you shame your family! I'll turn you to dust to help you make up that shame!"

Harrison froze in the act of drawing. He tilted his head up to meet Pride's eyes and the Sin blinked at what he saw. Harrison's eyes were now completely crimson and looked entirely too demonic. "What did you say? Don't you dare…speak as if you know a thing about me! Don't you dare even mention my family! And most of all…don't insult my family!"

Pride threw up his right arm as Harrison's power flared up, shaking the room and cracking the tiles directly around his feet. _'Such incredible power! That's the sort of thing I've wanted to face, bring it out and let me defeat it!'_

The demonic Dark Kaiser drew so powerfully that even Pride could tell it at least equaled his own mighty draws. The room actually physically vibrated from the force. "For insulting my family I won't just defeat you…I'll kill you!"

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_Harrison grumbled and pulled his back-pack tighter against his back, trying to keep it from sliding off. "It won't stay adjusted. I'll just get father to fix it."_

_He grinned happily at that thought. The surrender by demonic forces had been declared, and everyone was still rejoicing. Of course school hadn't been canceled yet as the treaty was still in the process, but all the adults were celebrating. Best of all it meant his father was home again. "And everyone says father is responsible for making the demons give up. That's my father, the strength I inherited too!"_

_His grin slipped slightly as he remembered the far away look the soldier he had talked to had gotten. Even when telling him that his father was responsible for the defeat of the demons the young soldier had appeared distant, shaken even. At his young age Harrison still knew something was strange and wrong. "But what made him scared and sad like that?"_

_He stepped up to the gate and placed his hand on the palm scanner. Once it registered his identity the gate swung open and let him enter. He shook off his odd thoughts and walked up the steps to the Wilhelm mansion. "Open."_

_Nothing happened. He frowned and poked the door a few times. "Open."_

_Still there was no response. He sighed, realizing that like his back-pack the automated door must be broken as well. Quickly he set his back-pack down and physically pushed the door open. "Ha, no door can defeat the mighty War Prince!"_

_He giggled at his own door, and the door successfully swung open. "Father, mother, I'm home! I don't have homework; can I play my video games?"_

_The only other blessing he had gained from the victory was that he really didn't have homework. That left him more time to play his favorite video games. And he was lucky; he had just picked up an old video game from the console age, one of the early releases of his favorite series. "I'll beat that no good Vergil for sure this time!"_

_He entered the family room, a huge space with broad leather couches and vaulted ceilings. He pulled open his bag and pulled out the disc. Then he put the disc into the old console and turned it on, grabbing the control. "Playing it as a demo at the antique store was no good, didn't give me a chance to win. This time I've got it for sure."_

_Flopping himself down on the couch he waited for the game to start up. These older systems always had too long a load time. "I wonder if father and mother are in the city celebrating with the other adults. Maybe I should look for a note."_

_He was distracted from his line of thought when the game successfully started. "Alright, time to play!"_

_Just as he pressed the start button he felt something touch his hand. It was wet. He looked down, worried that his controller had been dripped on. Electronics and water didn't mix, just like his parents always told him. "Ah, don't be wet, I want to play!"_

_What he saw on his right thumb was not the clear liquid he was expecting. Instead it was a dark red color. A color he recognized from movies, from video games, and from scrapped knees. "Blood…I'm bleeding? But…I don't feel hurt."_

_Almost instantly a drop of red shot down past his eyes and plopped onto the back of his hand. He froze, his body turning rigid at the sight. "Not my blood…not my blood…not my blood…"_

_Slowly, as if pulled by a magnetic force, his head tilted up towards the vaulted ceiling. When it did his eyes widened and his pupils shrunk at the sight. Pinned to the ceiling by the palms of their hands and hanging there, pale and bloated, were his parents and the family maid. _

_Harrison screamed. He didn't know for how long he screamed but he kept screaming until his throat was raw and he could barely make a sound. When he could no longer scream he ripped his eyes away from the sight and looked back to his video game, where a sequence depicting the two brothers of the video game in combat was showing. He wheezed his voice raspy. "Just a nightmare…too many video games."_

_"Boy, this is a nightmare, but the kind that is real. Your father has paid the price for his crimes, as has your mother, your uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, and everyone else bearing the Wilhelm name or even an ounce of that blood. Even those simply related by marriage have been paid as equivalent trade for the crime your father committed." Stepping into Harrison's path of sight was the first of a species he had never encountered before. The thing in his path was a demon._

_It was tall, over six feet, and had generally human features. Its limbs were slightly longer than normal and each of the fingers on its hands were extra longer, with an added joint to let them bend even further. Extending from the front of its forehead to the back of its head was a set of horns that were connected, a sort of halo formed from bone. Its eyes were a bright brown and its features handsome, its hair fine and dark. Yet tattooed on its neck was an image of a serpent devouring a human, showing its less than savory nature. "Crime? I…I don't understand."_

_The demon pointed up at the hanging corpses and narrowed its brown eyes at the young Wilhelm. "The Butcher of Sparrows, that's what your father is. When he entered demon territory it wasn't an invasion, it was extermination. It was genocide. Do you know what genocide is boy?"_

_Harrison nodded slowly, recognizing the term from school. The demon smiled darkly. "Good, that helps me. When he entered our new lands he rounded our kind up and began to kill us bit by bit. 'When we come they will fly like sparrows and we will cut them down like dogs. Pity those sparrows without wings.' That s what your father said about us."_

_Finally the demon's smile broke and he moved at a speed Harrison couldn't follow. His hands slammed against the couch to each side of Harrison's head, putting their faces inches from each other. "Your father made the ordered that rounded up and butchered all of my family and my family's family! I was wounded, bleeding, dying, and the soldiers moved to execute me. When your father saw me, do you know what he said?"_

_Harrison shook his head, not knowing the answer and be to terrified to speak. "He said that I had no wings, and that such a wounded sparrow wasn't worth killing. That it was a worse punishment to live with the dead without wings to fly upon than to die. So they left me to suffer, wallowing in the bloodied pools of my fallen family."_

_The demon's eyes flickered crimson and then returned to their normal brown. "I survived, somehow I survived and I dragged myself away as the last beaten survivor of a decimated family. The only survivor of the demon clans that took Belgium as their homeland. All we wanted was a place to live, separate from human society for our own ways, and yet we were slaughtered for it! We fought back in rage, yet we were slaughtered by your guns. And for that…for the slaying of my family, I swore vengeance. I became an avenger whose purpose was to destroy that which had hurt me and taken my family! I am an avenger little boy!"_

_He stepped away, pulling his hands off the couch and gestured broadly with both hands to the ceiling. "This is the extent of my revenge! I have killed the entire Wilhelm family and left just one, just you little boy! I understand now…I understand your father a little better now that I see you. After killing so many even the darkest heart feels sorrow and remorse. I suppose your father couldn't bear to let another innocent die because of him….and so he left me alive as a remembrance to haunt him."_

_The demon walked away into the path of the door, then whirled and pointed one of his long fingers at Harrison. "That's why I leave you alive boy! When you grow older and stronger, if you still remember the day your wings were clipped by me, come seeking me as an avenger. Then, once and for all, we'll settle this pact of blood vengeance between our families. Wilhelm or Tyouren, which will be the last alive? Find out then, which avenger is the strongest. Which of us has the right to live will be determined by our strength and conviction! Become an avenger and come to kill me."_

_He turned fully, leaving Harrison staring at the television screen, unable to remove his eyes from the fighting brothers. Their images burned into his mind. The demon lowered its head and spoke one last time. "Until then, live as a sparrow without wings and fight to gain the wings that will give you vengeance. Live a miserable life without the wings that give you hope. Live, and remember the name Vorea'sesaki Tyouren, the demon who butchered the Butcher of Sparrows."_

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As soon as Harrison had drawn Pride motioned to his most recently set card, causing it to flip. "I activate my trap card Samurai Resources, which lets me gain five hundred life points per samurai on my field. With fifteen that means I gain seventy-five hundred life points!"

Waves of energy flowed out from the army of samurai and into Pride's duel disk. The pro duelist laughed as his life points began to soar. "Kill me? You can't even touch me little Kaiser!" (PLP: 11500)

Harrison's crimson eyes focused on the monsters and he motioned to the far left clone. "Doppelganger (5700) attack that Samurai of the North School (5000) twice."

Pride frowned as his samurai deflected the barrage of bullets. Yet just like Harrison he saw that the glow on his continuous trap card had completely faded. _'I'm out of counters to block his attacks. He actually burned through twenty-six counters in just four of his turns.'_

Harrison pointed to the next over clone which raised its twin pistols at the same samurai. "Doppelganger (5700) number two, attack that samurai twice again!"

This time the bullets swarmed past the attempts to deflect them, peppering the samurai and punching gaping holes in its arm. It shuddered and fell to its knees, its body gushing blood. "And that removes its two remaining protective counters." (PLP: 10100)

Next he thrust out his hand and the clone on the far right side of his field jumped out into the center. "Doppelganger its time to go for two targets at once! Attack that samurai as well as a Samurai of the South School (5000)!"

With the ebony pistol he fired a single bullet that struck the wounded samurai directly in the forehead. Its head flew back and then it shattered. Pride gritted his teeth. _'He actually slew one of my monsters, impressive.'_ (LP: 9400)

With the death of one of the samurai the boost from The Allied Forces was reduced, putting Samurai of the South School at forty-eight hundred attack points. When the bullets struck it its arms were forced to drop to its side, bullet holes in its shoulders rendering it useless. "One more counter left on that one Pride! One by one your monsters will fall!" (PLP: 8500)

The fourth clone stepped up and aimed its twin pistols at the weakened samurai. Harrison smirked and snapped his fingers. "Now doppelganger number four, butchers that samurai!"

A hail of bullets literally tore the samurai apart, punching through its last defense counter and then finishing it off. With its fall all the rest of the samurai lost an additional two hundred attack points. Pride just sneered. "Is that all little Kaiser? I'm still standing!" (PLP: 6700)

Harrison's aura flared even wider, shaking the room and making the tiles beneath their feet quiver. "DANTE! Attack and finish off the defenses of Samurai of the West School (4600)!"

This time all of the bullets struck the samurai in the chest, dropping him to the ground in a pool of his own blood. There were enough holes that the floor and blood could be seen through its back. Pride clapped. "Nice accomplishment, you actually killed two of my monsters." (PLP: 4500)

"It's not over yet Pride, I'm just getting started! Now I'll seal your monsters and your ability to counter-attack!" He slid a card into his disk and glowing green swords slammed down all around the samurai, freezing them in place.

Pride looked around at the swords and tapped one. It crackled in response and sparked him, forcing him to pull his hand back. "Swords of Revealing Light eh? That's still just running away."

"Take your turn Pride, I won't be defeated by the likes of you." Pride laughed and slid a card off his deck, looking cocky and amused.

Shrugging the duelist placed his drawn card into his disk. All of the samurai then knelt into defense position. "I guess all I can do is defend for now, you're just too strong for me."

Harrison drew, again demonstrating the extreme power of his draw. "Pride…your strategy…I've seen right through your monsters! I have three of my doppelgangers attack your Masters!"

Pride's eyes widened as the three master samurai were pumped full of led courtesy of three of the clones pistols. _'He's smart too, not bad. He's shaping up to be the perfect opponent for my thousandth victory.'_

"Fourth Doppelganger, Dante, attack and slay the masters! Bring his forces to an end!" Harrison confidently folded his arms as the barrage annihilated the three masters. Then just as the masters shattered the remaining other samurai on the field did as well, clearing away the last of Pride's defenses.

Pride spread out his arms, leaving his body fully exposed. "That's exactly the kind of strike I would have expected! You saw that killing a master would destroy any of the samurai of the schools. Since that was three destruction effects per slain master you managed to kill each of my samurai in one fell blow. Bravo!"

"There's still one more strike left! Dante, attack Pride directly! Make him feel our power!" Pride laughed with delight as the bullets rained upon him, but to Harrison's horror he simply raised his right hand and let the bullets bounce off.

"Not going to work on me little Kaiser, I told you, I'm the perfect duelist! My continuous trap card requires that I pay two thousand life points to activate, but that's negated by Effect Economics. And now, thanks to Aura of Pride, I can't take damage from direct attacks!" Harrison's eyes widened and the crimson faded slightly as he realized what that meant.

_'Another layer of defense…is his strategy really unbreakable? Now I have to win purely through monster battle. There are no instant win techniques and few direct damage techniques in this deck. And I doubt I can destroy his magic and trap cards four times. How do I beat this opponent?' _Frowning and in deep thought he placed a single card face down, concluding his turn.

Pride slowly drew his next card, his eyes almost maddeningly wide. "Strong…I want you to be stronger than this! You keep pushing me…and I love that! I haven't had a duel this fun in ages! For you…for you I'll show you another layer of my power! For you I'll show more of my strength!"

With a sadistic grin plastered on his face he lifted his new card into the air. "Treasure of Slashing Life! I draw until I hold five cards at a cost of my hand in five turns."

He pulled the five cards off his deck and continued to smirk at his opponent. "Since you seem so bound on it for me, I'll follow your line of thinking. Whichever wins, whichever is strongest…that one kills the loser to share them the pain of that shattered pride!"

Pride's own power pushed back against Harrison and the Dark Kaiser narrowed his eyes and pushed against it. "Pride, I'll break your wings off with these two hands and leave you stricken and helpless on the ground!"

"That's good, that wrath is great and empowering! So let me show it to you, the second layer of my power! Body of Sin-Pride!"

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Author's Note: Just got back from a wedding, so this chapter was more delayed than I would have liked, but here it is.

_Next Time: Harrison and Pride clash with each other, neither gaining the upper hand. As strong as the Dark Kaiser is it seems that Pride keeps surpassing his moves, leaving him desperate for a way to win. Yet pride is the weakness and strength of both duelists and bit by bit Harrison forces his way to a shocking conclusion. Who will fly to the heavens and who will have their wings clipped?_

_See it all in, Pride Goeth Before the Fall!_


	84. Pride Goeth Before the Fall

Author's Note: The conclusion to Harrison versus Pride! The Dark Kaiser against the God of the Pro League!

**Chapter Eighty-Four: Pride Goeth Before the Fall**

_Pride slowly drew his next card, his eyes almost maddeningly wide. "Strong…I want you to be stronger than this! You keep pushing me…and I love that! I haven't had a duel this fun in ages! For you…for you I'll show you another layer of my power! For you I'll show more of my strength!"_

_With a sadistic grin plastered on his face he lifted his new card into the air. "Treasure of Slashing Life! I draw until I hold five cards at a cost of my hand in five turns."_

_He pulled the five cards off his deck and continued to smirk at his opponent. "Since you seem so bound on it for me, I'll follow your line of thinking. Whichever wins, whichever is strongest…that one kills the loser to spare them the pain of that shattered pride!"_

_Pride's own power pushed back against Harrison and the Dark Kaiser narrowed his eyes and pushed against it. "Pride, I'll break your wings off with these two hands and leave you stricken and helpless on the ground!"_

_"That's good, that wrath is great and empowering! So let me show it to you, the second layer of my power! Body of Sin-Pride!"_

Pride's power slowly steadied and his dark grin died down, leaving him more calm and collected like he had been before. "It's a rare duelist that I use this second layer on. So consider yourself lucky little Kaiser."

Harrison smirked smugly and folded his arms over his chest. "I'm honored, truly."

The God of the Pro League smirked as he inserted the card into the cemetery. "As should be obvious from other Sin cards my Body of Sin can only be activated when Soul of Sin-Pride is in the cemetery. Body of Sin-Pride cannot be removed from the cemetery, even by me."

He held up one finger and an image of Soul of Sin-Pride appeared behind him. "The essence of the soul of Pride is an unwillingness to let one's self lose in any way, in other words, protection from destruction or defeat. That's why it's a destruction protection effect that surpasses all others."

He smirked and held up another finger, now showing an image of the Body of Sin-Pride behind him. "The essence of the body of Pride is an unwillingness to let oneself be restricted by normal boundaries. The desire to surpass such boundaries regardless of what rules are broken. So of course my card reflects this."

His grin darkened again as he opened his arms as if to embrace Harrison. Instead the images behind him disappeared and the ground shook again. "To reflect this as long as Body of Sin-Pride is in the cemetery the limits to all of my zones are totally removed! This means I have no limits to monsters on my field or magic and trap cards I can play. That includes field cards I might add, and also removes the fifteen card limit on my side deck. Not that the side deck really matters. After all…I don't have one."

Harrison raised his eyebrows at that, Dante and clones doing the same. "Why wouldn't you have a side deck? You're the first duelist of skill and knowledge I've ever met who doesn't have one."

Pride chuckled and lowered his arms, keeping his right arm in front of himself with fist clenched. "You don't understand because you're a fool who relies on changing the strength of his deck and monsters. Only a weakling will need a back-up of any sort, whether it's a spare deck or cards that they might switch into their deck depending on opponents. A truly strong duelist doesn't need those spare things, so for such a person, for me, a side deck is an insult and unnecessary!"

The Dark Kaiser closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly. He sighed and then opened his eyes slowly, looking up at Pride. The crimson was there, but not flaring as darkly. "Then it has become apparent to me that my opponent…is an idiot."

The Sin's eyes darkened and he slammed a card into his disk. "I'll teach you respect little Kaiser! I'm the God of the Pro League, an invincible duelist who surpasses normal conceptions about dueling!"

A new card appeared face-up on his field, depicting a grand looking man in a kimono looking down from a Japanese fortress at an army of samurai. "The continuous magic card Army of the Daimyo will teach you a lesson. Whenever I normal summon a samurai it will create an identical token of that monster."

Smirking he grabbed another card from his hand and threw it onto his disk. "What you need to understand about the samurai deck is this. It is the ultimate rush deck designed to create an army in a mere instant! From nothing to beyond the realm of a normal duel in mere seconds, that's the purpose of this deck!"

In a burst of flame another samurai appeared this one in red armor with a demonic face mask. Its katana appeared to be made from fire. "This is Samurai of Fire (1500/1200), and since I normal summoned him a few things happen. First I can add any of four samurai to my deck. Also I get another counter on Quick Draw Defense."

A card shot out of his deck into his hand and he used it to point at his Army of the Daimyo magic card. "Using the effect of Army of the Daimyo I create a Samurai of Fire token. However, since it doesn't share the effect of my monster I gain no benefits from its creation."

Immediately another identical fiery samurai took shape, giving him a pair of monsters now. "Next I use the effect of Ultimate Offering to summon my newly gained monster. And of course the five hundred life point cost is negated thanks to Effect Economics."

There was a big splash, watering spilling onto the ground. Then from the center of the puddle arose another samurai, this one in blue with an icy blade. "Samurai of Water (1300/1600), like his brethren, lets me search out a new monster. And Army of the Daimyo grants me a clone token!"

Harrison frowned, realizing where this was heading. "So it's a grand rush, just like before. Two summons and already you've gotten four monsters, that's impressive, but I suppose for you it doesn't qualify in that realm."

"That's right! Now let me show you my rush summon, by summoning and searching in sequence! Samurai of Earth (1200/1800), Samurai of Wind (1400/1100), and Samurai of Lightning (1600/1000)!" Three new samurai appeared, one in brown armor, the next in white, and the final in yellow. Then seconds later identical copies appeared next to them, giving Pride ten monsters.

The Kaiser glanced at his opponent's first defense trap which was now glowing fairly brightly again. _'And that card is going to block my path again. Though right now its power is limited it'll triple in just seconds if I'm right.'_

Still with his arms folded over his chest Harrison surveyed the army that was now twice the size of his own. "And I'm assuming that you use Lightning's effect to add Fire to your hand and then complete the cycle two more times."

Pride laughed and his field was filled with flashes of light, gusts of wind, crashing rocks, dropping water, and bursts of flame in a flurry. "That's right, in mere seconds that's all it takes for me to have three of each of my monsters!"

His field began to fill up more and more and Pride was almost concealed behind his wall of monsters. Harrison kept himself outwardly calm, but inside he was desperately trying to find a solution. "And for each one you actually summon you not only gain a counter to Quick Draw Defense but get a clone as well. That means you get six of each of your five different monsters."

The samurai lofted their elemental katana and brandished them at Harrison and his smaller army of Dante and clones. Pride smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Which gives me an army of thirty samurai."

Harrison clenched his gloved hands against the sleeves of his trench coat, trying to come up with a way past all the defenses. "And then the power of The Allied Forces comes into play."

Pride smirked and slammed his fists together, his monsters charging up. "That's right; since I've got thirty warriors in play each of them will gain six thousand attack points." (Fire: 7500, Water: 7300, Earth: 7200, Wind: 7400, Lightning: 7600)

Although his monsters were now outmatched Harrison wasn't extremely worried, since his Swords of Revealing Light were still keeping Pride in check for the moments. _'Each of those monsters must be destroyed four times to die. They won't have the weakness of the Masters like the others did so that's no short cut. He also has fifteen counters to block my attacks with, and my attacks can only damage him if they aren't direct. And even Perfect Opponent doesn't give Dante the strength needed to beat these samurai.'_

With a self-satisfied and smug smile Pride gave Harrison thumbs down. "Since your cowardly swords are in my way I'll end my turn there. All your efforts from before have now been nullified little Kaiser."

Harrison drew cautiously, trying to think about his current situation. Yet no matter which angle he looked at it from he couldn't seem to discover a flaw to exploit. _'Is there really no way around his strategy? Once it gets built up its nearly impossible to tear down, and without the ability to tear it down it seems impossible to defeat him.'_

With a grimace he nodded his head to Dante. "Dante moves into defense mode, and his doppelgangers will follow suit."

Each of the demon slayers knelt and folded their arms over their bodies for protection. Pride smirked at this. "Running away again I see."

Harrison ignored the barb and put a card into his disk. "I set a card face down and end my turn."

Pride drew just as fiercely as before, the force of it chipping the tiles beneath him. He laughed at whatever he had drawn and threw his card onto his duel disk. "Let me show you even more reason why you are outmatched little Kaiser! I summon Samurai of Light (1700/1500)!"

This samurai didn't have particular color armor, instead its armor was glowing from within and its blade was doing the same. "And when Samurai of Light is summoned I get to add any of three other samurai to my hand. Of course I also get a clone token."

Harrison's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. "Another cycle!"

Pride laughed sadistically, his eyes gaining a somewhat manic expression to them as his field was filled with glowing energy. "You hit the nail on the head little Kaiser! Samurai of Dark (1500/1700), Samurai of Chaos (1800/1800), and Samurai of Balance (1800/1800) all join the fray!"

Yet again more samurai were filling up the large room, taking up even more space. "And the cycle continues until I've summoned all three of each type, adding an additional twenty-four samurai to my army!"

It was also obvious from the bright glowing of the continuous trap that Pride had also gained an additional twelve counters for a current total of twenty-seven counters. That gave him one more than he had when Harrison first started knocking them down. _'This is ludicrous!'_

The Sin pointed to The Allied Forces which began to actually vibrate from the amount of power it was outputting to the gathered army. "Thanks to my army of fifty-four samurai my continuous magic card grants each of them ten thousand eight hundred attack points!" (Fire: 12300, Water: 12100, Earth: 12000, Wind: 12200, Lightning: 12400, Light: 12500, Dark: 12300, Chaos: 12600, Balance: 12600)

Pride made an exaggerated shrug, calming down again. "Get it yet little Kaiser? It's hopeless; you can't win, so give up and save yourself the trouble. Surrender isn't a tactic I would take, but for a lesser duelist its fine. Save yourself the pain of crushing defeat. End turn."

Harrison drew, looking down at his deck as if expecting it to supply him with an immediate answer. _'This is insane, against this sort of power and complete crushing strategy how am I supposed to fight back? At this rate…'_

He narrowed his eyes as he saw the card he had drawn and he let a small smile grace his hardened features. _'I get it…so that's the method. I suppose I really will have to use that version won't I?'_

He looked over his other two hand cards and then at his two face down cards and removed the smile from his face. _'Right now however is not the best time to use it. I'll have to wait until at least next time turn in order to maximize my efforts.'_

"I end my turn." Pride quirked an eyebrow up at this response, hardly having expected his opponent to simply pass his turn like that.

"What's this? Running further and sacrificing a turn? If you're too weak to do anything surrendering would be faster than a war of attrition. That's something you can't win." He smirked and drew again; this time actually cracked the tiles directly under the path of his arm through his draw.

Harrison moved his hand to hover over the top of his deck and Pride leaned in slightly, waiting for it. Harrison's hand inched down towards his deck and then stopped mere centimeters away from touching the top. "If I move my hand even a tiny bit further down, I'll have surrendered this duel. And of course…that will mean you're stronger than me."

He pulled his hand away and raised it to the ceiling as if trying to grasp something in the air. "I'm sorry Pride, but surrendering and showing that weakness isn't something I'm capable of. Even if it would mean being defeated in a brutal fashion I have my pride, just like you. I can't take the easy path out of any situation, I always have to choose the hardest path, and the one that makes me suffer the most."

His face shift from neutral to a sad smile with a melancholy look in his eyes. "After all, just because my family was murdered doesn't mean I had to take the path of the avenger. I could have done what a normal person would have done and taken the easy way. Let the authorities deal with it and move on with my life. Instead I chose to suffer and pursue a path that would keep me alone for the rest of my life."

Pride frowned at the introspective duelist and pointed at his opponent with his left hand. "Then why choose it if it's such a difficult path? What drove you to take the hardest path and not just take the easy way out?"

"Because…I always beat every video game I ever played, no matter how many lives it took me to do it." He dropped his arm back to his side and looked directly at Pride, his face back to neutral again. His eyes no longer blazed; instead they held a steady crimson color.

"Because you always beat every video game you played? What kind of answer is that! You're just dodging the question!" His hands shook, nearly crushing the cards he was holding in his hand.

Harrison let out a slight brief and grim laugh that lasted just a moment. "A person of pride who has always had everything can never understand the pride of one who has had everything and then lost it. All you have is a weak and cowardly type of pride, and that reflects on who you are. As a person…you're weak and a coward, now aren't you?"

Pride screamed with rage and his field of tactile telekinesis forced down against the tile and blew it apart beneath his feet, sending shards flying into the air. "Nobody calls me weak, nobody calls me a coward! Go, Mystical Space Typhoon!"

The Swords of Revealing Light shattered and his army of samurai stretched themselves, getting ready for battle. Harrison gritted his teeth and readied himself. "Little Kaiser, I'm going to kill you!"

There was a blast of black fire and another samurai, this one with black wings extending from its back took shape. "Samurai of Hell (1900/1800) lets me search out and summon Samurai of Heaven (1800/1900) and then Samurai of Purgatory (1850/1850), Samurai of Death (2000/1000), and Samurai of Life (1000/2000)!"

"Fear the wrath of my power Kaiser! I'm powerful, I'm invincible, and you're just a little insect ready to be crushed by my might! I'll destroy every fiber of your being!" One by one copies of the monsters he had summoned formed, until he had successfully summoned each one from his deck. And thanks to his Army of the Daimyo he gained additional clones to back them up.

The Quick Draw Defense trap was now glowing incredibly brightly with forty-two counters on it. And with eighty-four monsters in play Pride had been forced to back up to the very far end of the massive room, keeping Harrison at the opposite end. "Now witness the enhanced power of my army!" (Fire: 18300, Water: 18100, Earth: 18000, Wind: 18200, Lightning: 18400, Light: 18500, Dark: 18300, Chaos: 18600, Balance: 18600, Hell: 18700, Heaven: 18600, Purgatory: 18650, Death: 18800, Life: 17800)

Harrison flinched as he realized that the force of power from all those incredibly strong monsters had actually pushed him physically backwards. His heels were now touching the bottom step of the stairs. "No! I won't be pushed back or subdued by you! All that rage is just a sign…it's the truth. You're a coward because you're afraid to lose, so you'll win no matter what the method! Losing to you because of that stupid pride is just like dying!"

Pride roared his rage, punching towards Harrison's field. "Shut up, you're just the same! You're struggling desperately on a path of stupidity so you can prove that you always win! That's the same as me, so I won't listen to you call me a coward! So just be flattened and give me my thousandth victory!"

The samurai began to charge Harrison, their blades drawn. The front line was already swinging towards his seemingly weak group of monsters. Harrison gritted his teeth and screamed back his reply.

There was a flash of light and suddenly Harrison had leapt past the wall of his monsters and was in the midst of the samurai, a glowing blade in his hands that he was wielding with rapid slashes to knock the samurai back. "The path of living alone in suffering is the cowardly path as well, and I'm not going to deny that, but there's a key difference in the type of cowardice!"

Pride felt his rage burning even hotter as one by one his samurai were being knocked back to him and to the floor. "There's no such thing as type! Cowardice is cowardice, if you're a coward then you're weak, that's all there is to it!"

Harrison gave a two handed strike to a Samurai of Hell and then pivoted on his heel, giving a spinning kick to a Samurai of Purgatory. "You're wrong! Your cowardice is that of the one who fights desperately in order to not lose something! You struggle endlessly through life in the fear that eventually you won't be able to hold onto that stupid vain thing that is your pride while all the way the rest of your life slips away! You're terrified to lose!"

At this point Pride could literally feel himself starting to lose it. "If that's what you say, then what kind of cowardice is yours? Can you tell me that Kaiser?!"

Slamming his shoulder into a Samurai of Water Harrison shouted back his reply, his eyes flaring up. "My cowardice is the fear of the unknown! I'm afraid to live a life devoid of sorrow, because that's all I've known for nearly ten years! I can't accept any other path because without this path I wouldn't know what to do with my life!"

Finally he slid to a stop, panting heavily. A Samurai of Earth thumped onto the ground amongst the pile of warriors on Pride's field. The glowing blade in his right hand faded away, and the dust settled. "That's my cowardice…but unlike you I'm strong because I acknowledge it. You're too scared to even admit you have any weakness, so your potential to grow is stagnated. You've hit your limit Pride…while I'm still going to get stronger."

He turned and walked back to the steps, his trench coat flaring out behind him. He turned, letting it whip out and pointed with his right arm at Pride. "What's your response to that Pride?"

Pride glared at his opponent and then spat on the ground. Slowly his samurai started to stand up despite how they had been struck down. "I think you're just a weakling who can't accept the fact that someone is stronger than he is. And I'm curious as to how you just stopped my army like that."

Harrison smirked and jerked his outstretched arm to his right, revealing that there were now three face-up cards on his field. "I simply used my set cards to stop you, that's all."

The Sin snorted. "That's stupid; you had two face-down cards. I saw them, don't try and cheat me. Why would there be three"

He stopped in mid-sentence as he realized what one of those face-up cards was. "Impossible! That card is!"

Now looking extremely smug Harrison pointed at the trap that Pride was talking about. "That card is Quick Draw Defense, and it now has zero counters on it. I removed all forty-two counters to block exactly half of your strikes."

Without skipping a beat he moved to point at the card directly to its right. "If you're wondering how it got onto my field, then its simple. I activated my Kaiser's Domination trap card, paying a thousand life points to use a trap card on your field or in your cemetery as my own for the turn. So I stole Quick Draw Defense to both block most of your attacks and to deplete the defense counters on it. And thanks to Effect Economics my payment cost was negated."

He smirked and folded his arms over his chest. "My final trap card was Kaiser's Honor, which lets me negate one attack during this turn for every two monsters on the opponent's field. So I was able to block the remaining forty-two attacks with that. Afterwards if I've managed to stop every attack you make during the turn its activated I get to draw two cards."

Two more cards were added to his hand, giving him five total. Pride grimaced and looked down at the single card in his hand. _'I've used up my resources and don't have any other monsters to summon. Plus since it isn't my battle phase I can't continue. He actually stopped my assault!'_

"Looks like you live for now little Kaiser, but you won't be so lucky next turn! I'll turn it over to you for now." As soon as those words were out of his mouth something surprising happened. Quick Draw Assault shattered into thousands of fragments.

Harrison's eyes widened and then narrowed at that sight. "I see…so I learned an interesting lesson as well. It seems that your cards lose their protective counters if they ever leave your field. And since the card stolen by Kaiser's Domination is destroyed during the end phase if still face-up your best defense card is gone."

Pride growled deep in the back of his throat, but shook his head when he looked at his field. "So what if I can't block attacks? Each of my monsters has about eighteen thousand attack points, and there's no way you can match that. Even if you could you can't hurt my life points directly. And taking my cards? That's not a strategy your deck employs, so it can't help you at all."

"Maybe that's so, but I recall you saying your strategy was invincible, and I was beginning to believe it was true that there were no flaws. But that made me realize that your strategy does have flaws. And I'm beginning to conclude each of the different methods to beat it!" He drew, putting him at six cards, and lightning practically crackled between the eyes of the two duelists.

"It's time…time for me to use him! Feel lucky, your deck is too strong for me to do anything else. I activate Style Regression, selecting Legendary Demon Slayer Dante the Doppelganger!" Energy swirled around the Demon Slayer and shot up to the ceiling.

The energy spread out over the rest of his field, and then it condensed in again only Dante was standing on the field without his doppelgangers. And he was no longer holding his twin pistols. Pride tapped his chin quizzically at this. "You banished your other monsters?"

"Sometimes to become stronger first you must become weaker. You see…Style Regression lets me select one of Dante's enhanced forms and return it to my side deck. Then I can return the original Dante to the field and add a different Combat Style to my hand." He held up a single card and Pride's eyes widened.

"Another one eh? Which one is this? Trickster? Swordmaster? Gunslinger? My personal favorite is Swordmaster." Harrison smirked and folded up the remaining five cards in his hand and plugged the last card into his disk.

"Actually you're missing two more styles. And the one I'm about to play is the riskiest to use, so I rarely do. But if used correctly the risks become supremely worth it! Here it comes, Combat Style-Royal Guard!" Harrison's entire field, including him, was instantly consumed by a blast of light. Pride smirked, looking quite eager to face whatever would come next.

The light faded, leaving just Dante and Harrison on that side of the field, and this Dante looked no different from the others. Harrison drew five new cards and met Pride's eyes. "Pride, meet Legendary Demon Slayer Dante the Royal Guard (2000/2800)."

A card shimmered into view in his hand and he slid it into his disk right behind Dante. Pride beckoned to the demon slayer, prepared for it. "This one starts off even weaker than the others and yet you're so confident in it; I'd love to see what it's capable of!"

A weapon materialized in Dante's hands that resembled an advanced mechanical falcon's beak. However, he was gripping it from the side that looked like the tip of the beak, leaving a barrel extending out from the other end. "Royal Guard Armament-Artemis gives the equipped monster five hundred attack points."

Pride shrugged, not looking impressed. "Twenty-five hundred is nothing. I've seen your other style monsters. Had you chosen gunslinger you could have easily had a monster with four thousand points. But of course without Perfect Opponent in play it wouldn't have done you any good, and even then it'd have been useless."

"Actually, its attack is two thousand. Whenever Royal Guard is equipped with an equip card he loses five hundred attack points, neutralizing the bonus from Artemis." Pride growled, not amused in the least bit.

"If your monster actually gets weaker when you add equips to it why did you even choose to put that equip card on it? It's worthless!" Harrison smirked and took one of the five cards in his hand.

"You're so caught up in power determining everything that you're ignoring the matter of ability. You see the monster equipped with Artemis gains the ability to attack all monsters on the field at once, rather worth it wouldn't you say?" Pride rolled his eyes, starting to get frustrated again.

"You can talk all you want but attacking all my monsters at once is suicide with as weak as that creature is!" Harrison laughed with delight and slammed his card into play, and energy flooded into Dante.

"Devil Trigger activates at this time, adding three Devil Trigger counters to Dante! And since he's got the counter on him…I Devil Trigger him!" Dante roared as he took on a demonic countenance and a red aura flooded around him. His power also increased to twenty-five hundred.

Harrison raised his right hand in front of himself and crushed the gloved hand into a fist. "Dante, its time! Multi-lock, acquire your targets!"

Each of the samurai blinked as a red dot appeared on its forehead and Dante leveled Artemis at the small army. Pride's eyes widened. "You're actually going to attempt a suicidal attack on my monsters? Are you insane or just stupid?"

"None of the above! I'm an avenger! Now Dante, this is your time! There before your is your enemy, there before your is your foe! Open fire!" A swarm of energy shots fired out of the Artemis and Pride laughed as each of the samurai intercepted the strike, shooting it right back at Dante.

"Fool, now Dante dies and with him go all of your life points!" The blasts collided with Dante all at once, detonating and engulfing Harrison's field in a fiery explosion.

Harrison snapped his fingers and the smoke was pushed away, revealing Dante standing tall with his arms wrapped in front of him, still standing. Pride growled in frustration. "What does it take to kill that thing? You should have taken tens of thousands of points of damage!"

The Kaiser responded by lifting up three cards and then inserting them into his cemetery. "When Royal Guard would receive damage I can reduce that damage to zero by discarding three cards from the top of my deck. Since that was only one instance despite attacking multiple monsters all it took was losing three cards to save Dante."

"That was just a pointless move, can't you accomplish anything else, or is that all you can manage?" Harrison responded by sliding another card into his duel disk. It appeared behind Dante and the demon slayer smirked at Pride.

"End turn Pride." Pride's left eye twitched and he drew forcefully, this time the swung actually sent a gust of force in Harrison's direction. Harrison responded by raising his left arm and taking the blow to the arm, dissipating its force.

Pride smirked at his draw and flashed it to Harrison, revealing a familiar looking card. "Weak little Kaiser…I'll show you the third layer of my power and crush you beneath my heel with it! Only two duelists have ever made me use it before, so consider yourself honored!"

Harrison closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm not playing by your rules Pride; I'm playing by my own. Seeing all the layers of your power…that sounds like it would be an amazing channel, but I'd much rather just beat you. Reverse card open, Tyrant's Rule!"

He reached down to his deck and counted out a series of cards and then picked up them, fanning them out. "This card's cost isn't a life point payment, so effect Economics can't do anything for me. By discarding the top ten cards of my deck to the cemetery I can immediately end your turn."

Once he slid them into his cemetery he picked up another card off his deck and added it to his hand, returning him to four cards in hand. Pride glanced at the two cards in his hand and grimaced. _'What a cowardly method…'_

"Pride…I'm going to annihilate you right now! Right now there are two Devil Trigger counters left on Royal Guard…and that's all I need! Dante, take aim at your targets and open fire!" He fired off his series of shots, and once again they were sent spiraling back towards him.

Pride snarled and smashed his hands together. "All of this is useless!"

"No, not useless! I sacrifice two Devil Trigger counters on Dante to activate his ultimate ability! Ultimate Release!" To Pride's surprise Dante held out his hands and the swarm of energy bolts surrounded him, moving with him as he jumped straight into the center of the army of samurai.

"What's he doing? What madness is this?" Harrison made a chopping motion with his left hand and Dante threw his arms upwards, violently unleashing all the energy in one blast. The huge blast of red energy quickly swept over all eighty-four of Pride's monsters.

"Using the Royal Guard style Dante is able to absorb any negated damage and store it up. And using his Ultimate Release I can, when he's about to take damage, negate that damage and then treat his attack as if it was the stored damage he had received so far." Pride's eyes widened as smoke rose from his field of monsters that Dante was in the center of.

"In other words Pride, Dante just attacked every single one of your monsters with an attack totaling somewhere over a hundred thousand attack points strong. So even if your monsters have protection from destruction, it won't matter. The overflow damage will destroy you." Pride stared at the smoking ruins of his field…and then burst out laughing.

Harrison blinked in surprise at the response as the smoke faded, and Dante jumped out of the circle of samurai. "What's got you laughing?"

"You did pretty good with Tyrant's Rule, but you missed one little factor. The essence of the heart of pride is that it is willing to crush down all rules in its way to its goal. As such, Heart of Sin-Pride can be activated from my hand during your turn by discarding one card from my hand." Parts of the ceiling broke under the force of the power that was being generated and even Harrison had to take a step back from it.

"And as long as Heart of Sin-Pride is in my cemetery I cannot take damage from battle between monsters! And as an added bonus the number of counters from Soul of Sin-Pride is increased by two!" He threw back his head and laughed with delight, proudly displaying his duel disk to Harrison. (PLP: 4500)

Harrison frowned, realizing that his killing technique had been stopped and completely neutralized. _'Can't defeat him through damage between monsters, can't destroy his cards, and can't defeat him through direct damage unless I destroy his cards. Is there really a method to win here?'_

Grimacing he placed two of his remaining hand cards into his duel disk. "I have to end my turn."

Pride drew and this time Harrison blocked the draw force with the palm of his hand. When he did his eyes widened as he saw the look on Pride's face. _'All this time I've been talking about what his pride means and so has he…yet I never realized the full extent of the truth! I never realized until now…'_

Harrison motioned to one his sets and a series of priests appeared on his field, chanting lightly. "Waboku prevents all battle damage to my field for the duration of this turn. It looks like your attacks will be useless."

Pride simply laughed and spun the card around. "It doesn't matter! I activate God Slash, which destroys all special summoned monsters on the field and then deals my opponent 800 damage for every one destroyed in that way! Of course since only my tokens are special summoned that's just a meager twenty-five thousand six hundred damage!"

He threw his arms up and laughed even darker than before. "Not to mention that my tokens aren't even destroyed, I just get to remove a counter from them to protect them! It's over little Kaiser!"

A wave of light shot out and straight at Harrison. The Dark Kaiser screamed out and thrust his right hand out, palm open. The blast of light hit his palm and shook against it. "No, I won't lose, not yet!"

He added his other hand to the struggle and then with a desperate shout he threw the blast of energy into the air, sending it spiraling behind him. It collided with the far wall above the stairs and blew a chunk out of it. Harrison heaved a heavy breath. "Not over yet Pride…I won't lose that easily."

Harrison's final set card was now face-up and Pride scowled at the sight. "Divine Counter…it lets me reduce one instance of damage to one-fifth the original and in place of that deal my opponent five hundred damage." (PLP: 4000, HLP: 940)

Pride shrugged; even though he had no cards in his hand he had easily the domination of the field. "It's just a delay tactic, against my superior force and strategy you can't hope to win. Compared to me, aren't you just a little worm crawling on its belly? Like a falcon I'll swoop down and eat you alive with the barest effort!"

Harrison breathed heavily and looked up at Pride, a dark scowl on his face. "All this time I thought you were strong…when really you're so weak and cowardly it's sickening."

Pride's eyes twitched. "What was that?"

"You're a pro duelist and you've made it close to the top…but I've seen through your draw. All this time you've gotten so used to winning that if you lost it would kill you. So used to it that, in both of our words, you'd do anything to make sure you kept winning. That's the heart of pride isn't it?" Pride shrugged, acknowledging it.

"The ability of tactile telekinesis, I've been thinking of it as an offensive and defense weapon that makes you physically superior to others. Yet I finally realized through your insane draw power and the physical manifestation of it that it has duel aids as well. When a card has a specific weight to it you can easily grab that card with your telekinesis and draw it, doing it so fast that the human eye can't possibly see that you've drawn it." Pride didn't say anything in response to this, so Harrison continued, his gaze darkening as he spoke.

"All this time…all this time you've had the key cards to your strategy weighted just to the limit of legality…and that lets you draw the parts of your strategy you need without worry about being bogged down! I wonder this whole time how you could actually run an effective samurai deck. Because by its nature and the way you've played it you'd have so many monsters the chances of drawing other key cards was extremely slim. But by using your power you didn't have to worry at all!" Pride responded by shrugged and brushing dust off of his leather shirt.

"It's hardly cheating. People who use their advanced intellect in duels aren't considered to be cheating just because they have an advantage that their opponent doesn't. I'm using a power that I possess to give myself an advantage, just like a genius would use his intellect." Harrison's body physically shook and his eyes filled up completely with red, black lightning arcing around his body.

"You…for acting so high and mighty…for acting so proud…for being such a pathetic bastard and making me actually look at you as a stepping stone…I won't feel any remorse using this method on you! For a cheater deserves nothing but my contempt!" He reached up and into his inner shirt and grabbed something, revealing a chain. He yanked on it, pulling it up and out of his shirt.

It tumbled down and hung like a necklace, spinning in a circle for a few moments before settling against his chest. Pride raised an eyebrow when he saw what it was. "A duel monsters card in a glass protector? What is that exactly? A good luck charm?"

Harrison narrowed his dark eyes at Pride and held up the chained card with his left hand. "My power is the Imitation of the Devil, but this card is my Pact with the Devil!"

He let it drop and using his left hand pulled his right hand's leather glove off. He tossed it to the ground next to him and held the hand up, back of his hand facing Pride. The God of the Pro League blinked in surprise when he saw a skull tattoo on Harrison's hand. "A tattoo is your secret weapon?"

Suddenly a swirl of dark wind wrapped around Harrison's hand and Pride felt a huge pressure down upon his body. Harrison touched his fingers to his deck and a chill ran up Pride's spine. The Dark Kaiser glanced over his shoulder and looked directly at something Pride couldn't see. "God of Death…lend me your strength, just like we agreed! It's my draw, and I'll cut your wings with this power!"

The swing of his draw blew a huge wave of the floor apart in a path leading directly to Pride. It punched through his line of monsters and hit him dead on, sending him sliding backwards a dozen feet. "That draw power! That's insane!"

Harrison held up the single card above his head and laughed as sadistically as Pride had been earlier. "And that insanely powerful draw has given me the perfect card! I play Dark Shadow of the Kaiser, which eliminates every card on the field and in each player's hand that has a lower level than one monster on my field. Magic and trap cards are treated as level zero. And of course…Dante is a level eight monster."

Pride chuckled and wiped his brow from the sweat caused by the exertion needed to stay standing after that last assault. "I thought you caught on quickly, you can't beat my cards without at least six destructions! No single card can possibly beat my strategy!"

The Dark Kaiser raised his arm and pointed at Pride. "Actually…this one card just beat you."

The Sin's eyes widened as every single card on his field crumbled into dust. All of his monsters, all of his magic and trap cards, every last one dissipated and fell to the ground as dirt. "Impossible…my strategy was unbreakable! My cards couldn't be so easily destroyed!"

"Learning that your cards were vulnerable if they came to my side and lost their counters made me realize that earlier in the duel I had beaten your monsters because they were removed from the game. Similarly I could defeat your strategy by returning cards to your hand or deck, or in the case of Dark Shadow the Kaiser…sending them directly to the graveyard." Pride shook his head, looking completely in disbelief.

"And I'm saying they couldn't be destroyed by an effect like that! You can't bypass that protection!" Harrison smirked as he saw the distraught state his opponent was in.

"It's a specific difference in card text. Just like taking damage is different from losing life points a card being destroyed is different than it being sent to the grave. And since Dark Shadow of the Kaiser sends all cards it affects to the cemetery it totally bypasses your card's protection. Face it Kyo, I've just beaten your pride!" The purple haired duelist dropped to his knees, unable to wipe the dumbfounded expression from his face.

"My strategy…was beaten? But…I'm strong…I'm invincible…" Harrison responded by drawing a card from his deck.

"Nobody is invincible, not you, and not me. Strong is just a word, and its meaning is determined by the victor. Now…one of the cards sent to my cemetery was Repayment of Losses, so I draw one card." Again the power of the card he had gained took effect and his draw was insanely powerful. This time it whizzed past Pride and blasted open the door, leading straight into the darkness.

He slammed the card into his duel disk and energy surged around Dante. "I activate the magic card Pump Up, doubling Dante's attack strength for the duration of the turn! And now…with that power…this is the end!"

Dante aimed the Artemis directly at Pride and a red dot appeared on his chest. "Take aim Dante (4000) that is your last target! Fire upon him and strip him of his wings! Fall, fall and fly no more Kyo!"

A huge bolt of crimson energy speared out and plowed into Pride's chest. It picked the Sin up bodily and slammed him into the far wall right next to the now open door. When the energy faded he slumped to the ground and a decorative piece of two crossed swords fell at his side. (PLP: 0)

Harrison turned away and began to limp up the stairs, his eyes and body reverting to normal. Pride looked up at him weakly and spoke. "You said…that you were going to kill me. You've stripped me of my pride…you've beaten me…so its better that you kill me."

The Dark Kaiser stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "I told you, I'm playing by my rules, not by yours. I've taken your dark thoughts and feelings to add to my power, that's all I need. Letting you suffer as a sparrow without wings is a far more miserable life than if I killed you. Suffer in the knowledge that you don't have the wings to take you to hope."

He made his way up the stairs, leaving Pride down at the bottom floor. As soon as he reached his room he opened the door and stumbled in, collapsing on his bed. He shivered and twitched his body convulsing. _'That's the longest I've kept Imitation of the Devil active. The demonic energy…it tears up the human body because the human body isn't designed to deal with it. I feel like I…'_

His eyes drifted shut and he was out like a light.

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"Oh? Aren't you the interesting specimen?" Pride blinked and opened his eyes, finding himself conscious again but still in the same position he had been when he had last seen Harrison departing.

The difference was that crouched right past his head was one of the strangest people he had ever seen. He was a foul little fellow with a few sparse wisps of graying hair on top of his head. His skin was wrinkled and sallow, shrunken in like a living shrunken head. He was emaciated to the point that it seemed difficult to believe he was alive. He had liver spots everywhere his flesh was visible, and since he wore just a loose sleeveless shirt with blood stains on it and a pair of slim shorts it was easy to tell.

His eyes seemed sunken and were so blood shot that it was difficult to tell the color, though Pride could vaguely make out blue beneath the red. He had a full mouth of teeth, but many of them seemed to be blackened and rotting from what he could see of his smile. His fingernails were long and yellow, obviously unclipped for a while, and so were the toes that were visible. Apparently shoes weren't part of his etiquette. "What…the hell do you want little man?"

The strange little fellow hopped back a step and then leaned forward, still hunched and crouched. He poked the top of Pride's head and chuckled, his voice raspy and his breath fetid. "Oh? Still moving. I'm just going to kill you a few times. For science of course."

Pride gathered his strength and pulled himself to his feet. The fellow stood up from his crouch, showing that he was still short, but most because he didn't stand up straight. He was slightly hunched and at this angle Pride saw that one of his ears appeared to be half-gone, almost as if it had rotted away. "Little freak…I'm not going to get killed by someone like you."

He reached down and pulled out one of the decorative swords. "Get out of my way or I will kill you. I have to find the one who beat me and either kill him or be killed by him, that's the only way to salvage my pride."

"Oh? Ah, but you still have to die for my experiments, that's a must. Can't let you do that then." Pride snarled and swung the sword, biting into the man's chest. Blood splattered into the air and against Pride's face and clothes.

The Sin scowled and planted the sword tip first against the ground. "Sorry old freak, but like I said, I didn't have time to bother with you."

He stepped past the swaying old man and stumbled. His eyes widened as his vision swam. His limbs began to feel weak and watery and even his telekinetic abilities weren't functioning. "Why…can't I use my power? What happened to me?"

When the old man chuckled Pride's eyes widened and he turned, nearly falling in the process. The old man was staring at him with curiosity in his eyes and just a hint of insanity. At the same time the slash wound across his chest was knitting itself up. Pride grimaced and shuddered, his legs falling out from under him. "You…you're…a True Sin aren't you?"

The old man cocked his head to the side and then laughed, stopping suddenly without warning. "Oh? Actually, that's not exactly right. I'd tell you my name, but quite frankly I can't remember it. So…you can call me what everyone else does. They call me Blight, the Atrocity."

Pride's vision faded and he collapsed face-first into the cracked up floor. The old man called Blight looked down at the body and shrugged. "Oh? My baby did all that so quickly? A time improvement, have to calculate that. Now if only I could remember who 'they' were. Oh well, so much time so little to do."

A huge man stepped in through the open doorway. He had rippling muscles and long flowing blonde hair to go with his bright blue eyes. He also had to be over seven feet in height. Blight looked up at the taller man and cocked his head again. "Oh? Good timing Adonis, take him and put him with the other six specimens. These seven sins…certainly they'll make good subjects. Six is all we can hold right now, students would be missed too much."

Adonis picked Pride up with one hand and slung him over one massive shoulder. Then he looked down at the older fellow and spoke, his voice a rich and deep bass. "Blight, what about Saint Beatrix and the two True Sins from the colony on the island?"

Blight made a shooing gesture at the larger and more imposing man. "Oh? Don't bother me about details, I came for the seven sins, I've got no interest in those people right now. Maybe later, but I'll start with these as my subjects. I wonder how many times I can kill them…"

Together they walked out of the Obelisk Blue dorm, leaving behind a massive wreck and a feeling of foreboding. The occupants of the island would remain blissfully unaware of the horrible truth.

The first Atrocity had appeared.

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Author's Note: Say it with me now folks. Dun dun dun!

_Next Time: At long last all of the Seven Sins have been defeated, leaving Beatrix alone remaining. Yet he is a duelist capable of defeating Vlad, making victory against him seem impossible. With the Dark Kaiser incapacitated Duelist Academy's Hero Saint is determined to defeat his former mentor. It is a battle of heroes against heroes and Sanzo is determined not to lose!_

_See it all in, VS Beatrix; Hero against Hero!_


	85. VS Beatrix: Hero against Hero!

Author's Note: Another chapter, and now its time for Saint and Sanzo to face off!

**Chapter Eighty-Five: VS Beatrix; Hero against Hero!**

_A slim but calloused hand slid a deck into a double holster that hung against the left side of his left leg. Then with equal precision that hand grabbed a blue length of cloth off a bed and slung it over his shoulders. _

_Finally that hand reached down and picked up a duel disk, casually attaching it to his wrist. "It's time…there's no reason to stand back and wait any longer. All the pieces have fallen together, and I know exactly what he's after. I'm not letting him get away with his pace any longer. Its time I take the fight to him."_

_With a single push of his hand he sent the windows swinging open, and with one push he leapt into the tree branch outside. A blue cloak fluttered in the chilly wind, making his form look mysterious and impressive. "Saint Beatrix, it's time we face each other! I'm not letting you get away with this any longer!"_

_Sanzo reached up and flicked silver locks of hair away from his eyes and then jumped to the next tree branch. "I'm going to end it today!"_

The door to Saint Beatrix's room flung open and Saint smiled faintly, his hands laced together covering half his face. He was calmly watching the holographic image being displayed in front of him and had his back to the door. "I've been expecting you."

"Saint-sama, you'll be proud to know that I just incapacitated two of your enemies, the True Sins Frost and Inferno!" Shiro stepped into the room grinning proudly and thumbing at his chest. His white uniform and white hair went perfectly with the glint in his pearly white teeth.

"With this success and the honor of your purity, along with my outfit and hair without a doubt I'm Shiro for sure!" He laughed at his own joke, throwing his head back for extra drama. Saint merely smiled and clapped.

"Congratulations my boy, you've done quite well." He continued sitting even as Shiro crossed in front of him and knelt at his feet, looking up with fire in his eyes at the German man.

"It's my honor to serve you for the sake of this pure world Saint-sama!" Although he was grinning that goofy grin of his inside the real one in control, Greed himself, felt like his heart was about to explode in his chest.

_'So this is what hatred is like…I don't think I've ever really hated anyone the way I hate this bastard. I'm going to melt his golden body down and turn it into a grade-a toilet! Then he can kiss my ass for all of eternity!'_ Despite his rage and his eagerness he was still nervous. Saint Beatrix was a tricky one, and if the next few seconds didn't go right then he'd lose his one and only chance.

Shiro bowed his head deeper and reached out with his hands toward Saint. "Great Saint-sama let me take your hands and offer you appropriate praise for letting me enter your world of purity!"

Saint smiled down at him and lowered one of his hands. Shiro grinned and placed his own smaller hands over that slender but strong hand of the mysterious Saint Beatrix. As soon as his hands closed around the other man's Shiro's grin turned into a nasty smirk. "I win."

There was a flash of light and Shiro laughed in a manner that was uncharacteristically evil for the young man. Yet since it was Greed that was to be expected. "It's finally over, and the one who with the victory is me! Despite your superior power, I'm the winner now!"

"I'm quite curious Mister Yamamoto, exactly what have you won?" Shiro's eyes widened and he looked straight forward, realizing that Saint was still smile down at him, Shiro's hands over his.

Then it dawned on Greed that Saint had just called him by his old given name. "But…I had it all planned out…I covered all the bases…I had figured it out. I had you…I touched you…my Midas Touch should have ended it!"

Saint smiled warmly and pulled his hand away, standing and stepping past the still kneeling Greed. "I'm afraid you're mistaken about something Mister Yamamoto. You see, the powers of Sins are neither genetic nor spiritual. It is an energy that is coiled into the very system of your body. So the body that possessed the power of Midas Touch is your original body."

Greed didn't turn around; he was still too perplexed at what had happened. Nobody he had touched had ever escaped his Midas Touch, yet now Saint was claiming he didn't have it. "I have to have it; I used it on Fortitude, Frost, Inferno, and a few others. I know I still have that power!"

The German man sighed remorsefully as he adjusted the collar of his priest's garb. "It would be more accurate to say that the one whose power you used was Mister Akugi's. You never did learn what his power as Faith was did you?"

The former Sin shook his head, still shocked and frozen. "I didn't think it mattered, he wasn't important. I only told Envy to put the device on whichever of the Rising Star girl's friends was purified first, I didn't say him specifically. Are you saying his power is the same as mine?"

"Not at all, in fact his power is of great interest to me. You see, he has the power of Empathic Reflection. A power that can reflect the abilities and skills of someone he is close to as long as he meets certain requirements. You certainly fit most of those, since your memories and essentially your soul were bonded to his body. However, for the other aspect…when you used your power on Mister Yukio and the two True Sin girls, were you happy?" Greed nodded and he began to see the big picture.

Saint stopped at the window and stared out, the holographic projection still going behind him. "Then that is exactly why you succeeded. Although Mister Akugi must be able to fully understand the emotions of the one he is reflecting he must simultaneously be feeling joy and delight. When he is happy is the only time his power can be used. So when you came to me, with your heart filled with hate and fear, his power and by reflection your own…was beyond your reach."

Greed screamed and stood up, charging at Saint. "It doesn't matter, I'll beat you to death with this brat's two fists and everything will be just fine!"

In less than the space of time it took for Greed to blink Saint was standing behind him, one hand one his shoulder and the other hand with a single finger touching the back of his head. It suddenly occurred to Greed that Saint was much taller than he was. "Mister Yamamoto, do you know how my power of purification operates?"

Greed was too terrified to even shake his head, so a still smiling Saint simply continued to speak. "In order to do the necessary damage to neural pathways to eliminate memory I have to generate an electromagnetic pulse. Did you know that such a pulse can also destroy the circuitry of computerized equipment?"

Finally Greed let his fear drop away as he realized what was about to happen. There was no way to avoid it now; he knew that without a doubt. "Say hello to me in hell Saint Beatrix. Just remember one last thing. My name…is Greed."

Light flashed and a small device, less than an inch longer and barely over a millimeter thick, dropped out from Shiro's white hair and into Saint's open palm. It was crackling now, a small wisp of smoke rising from it. Saint sighed and closed his hand around it. "Farewell Greed."

He moved over to the chess board and used the black king to knock over the white rook that was position next to it. "Did you enjoy the show, dear Sanzo?"

Sanzo stood in the doorway with a blue cloak draped over his body, a serious look on his face. "There are no more games Saint, and this is no show. I'm going to end it between us and stop this madness once and for all."

Saint smiled and reached over to his bed where a briefcase and a small remote were lying. "I was expecting you to come, I've been watching. Although it seems my watching will be put on hold while we reminisce the good old days."

A pressed a button on the little remote and the floating image vanished, darkening the room. Sanzo scowled and glanced over his shoulder into the upper left corner of the room. "Did you think with my power I couldn't sense them? It's an aura, an electrical aura where I know there shouldn't be one. You've had virtual cameras set-up all over the academy at every possible point in order to watch everything you wanted."

The German duelist clapped his hands, smiling at the younger man. "Bravo my dear Sanzo, you're as sharp as ever. Your deductive abilities aren't that obvious to others, but I've seen them always."

Sanzo frowned and clenched his fists underneath the cloak. "That's why you came to my little town of Man'yoshushi. Not as a transfer student, I always knew that to be a lie. No elite German would come to such a dangerous border village for our mediocre school. You came looking for me, because you knew about my power."

Saint shrugged and picked up the briefcase. "Of course you're right. I heard rumors of a boy who always knew when danger approached and could thus keep the village protected against potential demon incursions. A boy known as the Hero of the Ten Thousand Leaves."

Again Sanzo seemed to flinch and he looked slightly away from the older man. "That name…that title…it was a curse. But it's a curse I've come to accept. However, if you recall, I've taken your old title. I'm the Hero Saint, Sanzo Uzumaki of Man'yoshushi, Honshu!"

Casually Saint tucked the briefcase under his arm, ignoring the practically accusatory finger being pointed in his direction. "Yes, ultimately taking the title of a hero or a saint is a curse. To become a hero, one must always put oneself at risk with no true reward. To become a saint, one must be pure and just…and die. Have you done that my young friend?"

The two men matched eyes, one set calm and curious, the other furious and steely. "You know the answer to that question Saint. You never ask questions to which you don't know the answer. But…I do have a question, one you've never truly answered me."

Raising one eyebrow the German man let his smile fade to only a mere ghost. "Oh? And what might that be?"

Sanzo dropped his arm back to his side and paused for a moment, boring his eyes deep into Saint's. He let his consciousness expand to examine what he always saw around Saint when he visualized the auras he felt. "How old are you?"

This merely caused Saint to laugh. He adjusted the collar of his priest's garb and cast a sideways glance at his young 'friend'. "Is that all? Here I was thinking you might surprise me with a question, but you always ask that one. I'm twenty-three of course, nearly twenty-four."

"No…nobody else can tell because it looks right, and because they've seen your age change. But…I know the truth, like nobody else could. When I see a person, the aura they present changes as they grow older. It's a representation of their time left on this earth, a shade that grows somewhat dimmer with each passing year. But for you…yours is as bright as they day I met you and not even slightly different. You haven't aged a day!" Saint shrugged and ran a hand down his cheek, looking, for just a brief moment, as if he were going to frown.

"If that's how you see it, if you refuse to believe my answer, why would you ask now? Now, when you have come to confront me, why do you choose this moment for that question? If I didn't answer accurately in the past, why would I answer accurately now?" Sanzo sighed and looked away, feeling the pressure of the upcoming events on his shoulders.

"Because this is the last time I'm ever going to ask, that's all." Saint nodded, understanding somehow exactly what sentiments the younger man was expressing.

"Very well then, I will make you a promise. When our duel ends, no matter the outcome, I will tell you the absolute truth to that question." With that said Saint adopted his common smile again and looked about the room.

"Ah, but what am I saying all this for? This place is far too small for the two of us to duel, we can hardly have a grand conflict between us in such a dull place can we? Besides, I rather like this room, I wouldn't want it ruined. It's so nostalgic for me." Sanzo burst out laughing and Saint laughed with him, yet despite the laughter the room was filled with tension.

Sanzo turned to the doorway, leaving his back to Saint. "Come on, I know just the place. Follow me."

"Of course, I'll follow your lead. After all, you know where danger walks." Sanzo flinched even as he took the first step out of the room. Those words…they echoed in his head.

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_"Sanzo-sama, what about today? Are there going to be any more raids today?" A young man with silver hair, maybe eight or nine in age, sat on a cart with a huge gathering of people around him. They varied in age from younger than him to generations older, and the one who had spoken was at least in his forties._

_The young Sanzo looked around at the gathered group of people in the market place, but he didn't seem taken aback. After all, for him this was a daily occurrence. He stretched out his senses and gave them their answer. "Today, no demons will attack today. We're safe today, for one more day at least."_

_There was a resounding cheer from the gathered men and women. They offered him coins and he tried to shoo them away. After a series of supplications they all left, leaving Sanzo alone on the cart. "So they've gone at last…I don't want to go to school though, they'll just be asking me more questions again."_

_"It's a sad feeling isn't it, to stand so high above others? To be looked up at no matter how you wish that you could be treated in a normal manner. Yet the truth is you are not their equal, you are special. Isn't that the truth, Sanzo Uzumaki?" Sanzo turned his head and found someone approaching from around the corner. Right away Sanzo could tell he wasn't normal, especially considering his white skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, and his height._

_Sanzo looked at the man and stared in awe. To his eyes the man was a towering pillar of different colored lights. The feeling was so strong, so bright, stronger and more brilliant than any other aura he had ever seen. Yet there was a comforting feeling to it as if he were exuding warmth. "Who are you? What are you?"_

_The tall man smiled and offered Sanzo a slight bow. It was the bow one would give to an equal, rather than the type of deep bow he normally received from the others in the town. "My name is Saint Beatrix, and I'm just a traveling student. I wanted to learn a few new things, so I moved to this town from Germany. In short, I'm your average exchange student."_

_Sanzo shook his head and in a manner that didn't speak of his young age he replied. "No, you're not average. I can see it, you're covered by light. Not dangerous…but you've got the feeling of somebody who knows danger directly. But…strangest of all, you've got an echo, an overlap. I've never seen it before at all, so I'm asking again, what are you? Are you a demon?"_

_Saint laughed with delight and hopped up onto the cart with Sanzo. He dropped into a cross-legged position and smiled at the young boy. "You have perceptive eyes. I also hear from those in the city that you're a brilliant boy, and quite the accomplish athlete. Everyone in the village practically worships you, and I can see why. Beyond your prodigious talents, I can see it. You're pure…so very pure. It's because you know where danger walks, and therefore don't tread in that same path. Because you can see the path of darkness, you can avoid it."_

_The young Sanzo stares wide eyed into the eyes of the blonde foreigner, not quite sure how to take what he's heard. Yet he also feels drawn in, like what he's heard is right. He was so caught up that he forgot his previous question and simply asked what came to mind. "So…how old are you?"_

_The older man laughed and reached forward to ruffle the young Sanzo's hair. "How old do you think I am?"_

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Sanzo's feet came to a halt and he turned, facing Saint. "Are you ready Saint? This will be the sight of our battle!"

Saint looked around, taking in the scenery. "I can't say it's the most dramatic locale; however it certainly suits our purpose and is out of the way."

They were now standing on the helipad that was by the docks. It was certainly secluded and it was spacious enough to give them room to duel. Saint smiled and opened his brief case, taking out a disk and attaching it to his arm. "Well Sanzo, I suppose its time to begin. And I can't dishonor you by not using my full strength, so I'll be using one of my true decks."

Sanzo nodded and raised his left arm out from underneath his cloak, revealing his duel disk already in place. "Saint, I'm ready for you! This duel…I'll show you that the day you met me was the day you began to prepare yourself for your inevitable defeat! You helped forge this destiny!"

He reached up with his right arm and grasped the cloak. With one dramatic motion he slung it off, letting it float to the cement at his side. This revealed that he wasn't wearing his normal Obelisk uniform.

Instead of his normal clothing he was now wearing a solid white leather duster that went to his ankles. It was button closed in front and had a high collar, covering his neck. A pair of white boots could be seen beneath the coat. Saint smiled at the sight. "I see…fitting for the purest man I have ever met. Also strange…I'm dressed almost entirely in black aren't I?"

He laughed as if he had just heard a great joke, but Sanzo didn't follow him. Instead Sanzo had lifted his duel disk in preparation. "Let's begin Saint! No more waiting, we're going to end this!" (Sanzo: 4000)

Saint sighed and activated his own duel disk, drawing an opening hand in almost the same action. "If we must we must. So it begins." (Saint: 4000)

Sanzo placed two fingers on his top card and declared his move. "My turn, I draw!"

He placed the card into his hand and then grabbed a different one, continuing. "I activate D-Convergence, sending any number of 'Destiny Heroes' from my hand to the cemetery!"

His opponent raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "The Destiny Heroes? This should be quite interesting; I've never faced them before. I never did quite enjoy the dark flavor those monsters held."

Two monster cards slid into Sanzo's cemetery one after another. Then two cards popped out of different places in his deck. He took them out and placed them into his hand. "For each D-Hero discarded I get to add one D-Hero from my deck to my hand."

Once they were in place he held a different card out directly in front of him. This card showed a hand pressing a button on a watch which showed a 'D' symbol and behind the hands was a dark city. "Dread Summons lets me special summon one special Destiny Hero from my hand as long as I have none on the field! Come forth, Destiny Hero Dread Guy (?/?)!"

As soon as he placed the card onto his duel disk a huge muscular man wearing an iron mask dropped onto the field. He wore nothing but tattered shorts and had manacles with broken chains on his ankles and wrists. Combined with his scars he was a fearsome figure. Saint sighed as the monster bellowed out its challenge. "Such a disgraceful monster for one as pure as yourself."

Ignoring the comment Sanzo point at his new monster that slammed his fists into the ground instantly. "When Dread Guy is summoned I must destroy any non D-Hero monsters on my field. I also get to special summon two D-Heroes from my cemetery to the field! So that means D-Hero Doom Guy (1000/1000) and D-Hero Dynamic Guy (1700/1200) are here!"

One of his monsters wore green plate armor and had a blaster and jetpack. The other, Dynamic Guy, had sleeker black armor and blades coming from his elbows. "Dread Guy's attack and defense are equal to the points of all D-Heroes in play. So that means he has twenty-seven hundred attack points."

Again the monster roared, its power shooting upwards. However, since it was the first turn there was little else Sanzo could do. "I place a single card face down and end my turn."

Saint drew at a much calmer pace than Sanzo had and also much more carefully put his first card onto the field. "The first of my magnificent monsters. This deck represents the beauty of the name 'Beatrix' and is one of the reasons I am called the Beautiful Hero Saint. Sanzo, I'd like you to meet Beautiful Hero Candlelight Romancer (500/500)."

A handsome man in an expensive suit with sleek black hair now stood on Saint's field. He had a grand smile on his face and floating all around him were lit candles. Sanzo narrowed his eyes at the monster, especially when each of his own monsters knelt and crossed their arms over their chests. "What's that monster done to mine?"

"It's quite simple. You see, when Candlelight Romancer is summoned all monsters on the opponent's field are switched into defense mode and remain that way as long as he is in play. In addition, monsters that are of the dark type, such as yours, have their defense points reduced to zero." Each of the D-Heroes lost defense points, giving them no true way to defend themselves.

Still smiling Saint held up another card from his hand, this one featuring a swarm of candles surrounding a Beautiful Slayer. "The magic card Candlelight Romance can only be activated if Candlelight Romancer is in play. It destroys all defense mode monsters on your field."

Sanzo grimaced as his three monsters crumbled into dust, leaving him with just his single face-down card. _'Two cards and he beat everything I've summoned? Ludicrous…'_

"When a monster in defense mode by the effect of Candlelight Romancer is destroyed I may draw one card. Therefore I now draw three new cards." This caused Sanzo's frown to deepen as the opposing hero duelist counted out the three cards and then drew. He had trashed Sanzo's forces and kept his hand at a reasonable level without showing any visible effort.

Saint raised his hand and pointed at his opponent who braced himself. "Despite his minimal attack strength I believe Candlelight Romancer will take advantage of your limited defenses. Candlelight Storm."

The flames from the hovering candles flew up into the air above the hero's head, forming into a single fireball. With a cocky smirk the hero snapped his fingers, sending the fireball slamming into Sanzo. "Damn it…" (Sanzo: 3500)

After the attack hit Sanzo pointed with his left hand and cards at his set card. "Reveal trap card, D-Impact Revive! During my end phase all D-Heroes that were destroyed during this turn are special summoned back to the field regardless of summoning requirements!"

With a simple smiled Saint slid a card from his hand into his duel disk, causing it to appear behind Candlelight Romancer. "I'll place that card face down and turn it over to you."

Immediately all three D-Heroes formed back on the field, and then Sanzo snapped his fingers. "I activate Dynamic Guy's effect by forfeiting my draw phase for this turn. I'll add one card in my cemetery back to my hand."

A card ejected from his grave and he placed it back into his hand. Then he nodded to his Dread Guy who raised one massive fist. "Alright its time for Dread Guy to take the offensive, Dread Blow!"

Dread Guy swung his fist and Saint smiled calmly as it stopped inches in front of his Candlelight Romancer. "I'm fairly certain that attack would prove devastating against me, so my trap card Negate Attack will deal with that."

Sanzo nodded, having expected something like that. "That's fine; I had something else in mind anyways. I sacrifice all three of my heroes on the field to special summon Destiny Hero Dogma Guy (3400/2400)!"

His monster was a large almost demonic warrior with huge wings and a sword in hand. Horns rose from its head and a spike chain wrapped around its neck. Saint gazed up at the powerful creature with disdain. "Strong, but that darkness will be its downfall."

"I place one card face down and end my turn!" Just like before Saint replied by drawing very slowly, still smiling.

However, this time when he had finished drawing his entire body was engulfed in a deep purple aura. Sanzo smirked as Saint's life points began to drop. "During your standby phase after he's special summoned Dogma Guy reduces your life points by half!" (Saint: 2000)

When the purple glow faded Saint was free to continue, and he didn't seem shaken by the damage at all. "From my hand I normal summon Beautiful Hero Ocean Gazer (1000/1000) in attack mode."

Accompanied by the sound of crashing waves was another handsome man, this one dressed merely in swim trunks. He had a longing look in his eyes and seemed to looking past Sanzo's monsters. "I continue by activating the continuous magic card Beautiful Light. As long as this card is in play whenever I manually change the mode of one of my monsters I gain five hundred life points."

Candlelight Romancer sat down and his candles floated around him, tightening up to form a defensive circle. "When Candlelight Romancer changes modes I can switch one monster on your field into defense mode. And of course since Dogma Guy is a dark type monster his defense becomes one thousand." (Saint: 2500)

Dogma Guy folded his wings in front of him and went down to one knee. Sanzo didn't react, and Saint didn't seem surprised by this. "I suppose now Ocean Gazer will attack Dogma Guy with Ocean's Gaze."

Ocean Gazer now looked directly at Dogma Guy and the other hero screamed as a wave of water erupted from beneath it. When the water fell back to the ground there was no sign of Dogma Guy. Sanzo tapped his duel disk. "I activate D-Impact Revive, so during my end phase Dogma Guy will be special summoned back to the field."

Saint nodded and slipped a card into his duel disk, leaving him with four in hand. "End turn." Once that was said Dogma Guy reformed, and Sanzo drew for the start of his own turn.

When Sanzo saw what he had drawn he tucked it into his cemetery and showed Saint the card he had still been holding. "Destiny Draw lets me discard one D-Hero from my hand in order to draw two new cards. So let's start from scratch!"

Now with his hand emptied Sanzo drew two new cards, giving himself something new to start with. He examined his hand and then pointed at his field. "The monster I discarded now activates its effect! By removing D-Hero Diabolic Guy (800/800) from the grave I can special summon another one to the field!"

This D-Hero was also demonic, as it had bat-like wings and a barbed tail, not to mention dark marks on its chest and horns. Saint raised his eyes at the sight of the monster. "A level six monster with such meager attack points? I'm curious as to why you run it if its only effect is to summon others of its kind."

Sanzo slapped one of his newly drawn cards onto his duel disk and Diabolic Guy faded away. "I'll show you this turn! I sacrifice Diabolic Guy in order to summon D-Hero Dash Guy (2100/1000)!"

Covered by sleek black armor including a helmet that extended backwards like a racer's helmet the new D-Hero just seemed to vibrate energy. Sanzo reached a hand out to his cemetery and plucked an extended card out of it. "By removing Diabolic Guy I'll summon the last one to the field!"

He placed the card into a pocket of his trench coat and another one appeared on the field. Yet that one began to dissipate, the energy flowing into Dash Guy. "By sacrificing one monster on my field I can give Dash Guy an additional thousand attack points for the duration of the turn."

Dash Guy rose to thirty-one hundred attack points, easily surpassing even Dread Guy's previous strength, though falling short of Dogma Guy's. As soon as the monster was powered up a special slot at the top of Sanzo's duel disk opened and extended a card. "From my fusion deck I activate the effect of one of my fusion monsters."

He added the card to his hand and then took a card out of his cemetery, revealing Diabolic Guy. "When I have two Diabolic Guy in the removed from play pile and one in the cemetery I can remove that final one in the cemetery to special summon from my fusion deck the mighty D-Hero Diablo (3600/3600)!"

This monster was nearly identical in appearance to Diabolic Guy; however it was twice the size, nearly twelve feet in height, and had crimson wings and markings instead of black. Saint clapped slowly. "Very impressive feat, you now have three very strong monsters."

Sanzo narrowed his eyes and thrust his arm out towards Dash Guy. "I'll let Dash Guy lead the assault by attacking Candlelight Romancer!"

Saint smiled and his set card activated. "Beautiful Piety prevents any Beautiful Hero on my field from being the target of an attack for the duration of the turn. I'm afraid Candlelight Romancer remains safe."

Dash Guy slid to a halt and then crouched. "After the battle phase Dash Guy switches into defense mode. I place the last card in my hand face-down and end my turn."

The German man picked up the top card of his deck and added it to his hand, not flinching this time even when Dogma Guy's effect activated. "Quite useful. Since it was special summoned again now that it's my standby phase I once again have my life points cut in half." (Saint: 1250)

With an irritatingly calm smile he motioned to Candlelight Romancer who moved himself into a ready position. "Candlelight Romancer switches into attack mode, thereby changing Dogma Guy into defense position and lowering his defense points to zero." (Saint: 1750)

The second stronger monster on Sanzo's field dropped into a crouch once again, his defense becoming absolutely nothing. _'Still, even if he manages to slay Dogma Guy I'll have two strong monsters remaining. However, every time he takes a turn my danger sense increases. Like I'm feeling the building of a deadly force. This isn't a Darkness Game, why am I getting such a feeling?'_

Saint snapped his fingers, interrupting Sanzo's line of thought. Ocean Gazer knelt into defense position and there was a bursting sound as water came gushing out of Sanzo's field. "When Ocean Gazer changes modes I can destroy one magic or trap card on the field. Obviously I've chosen your set card." (Saint: 2250)

Sanzo frowned as he realized that his good defense was now gone. _'Its impossible to judge just from his facial expressions exactly what Saint Beatrix is thinking. Plus the strange dual nature of his aura makes it even more difficult to figure out what he's really like. What's his motivation for even agreeing to duel me? He knows exactly what I'll demand if I win.'_

Again Sanzo was drawn out of his contemplation when Saint continued his turn. An angel was on his field and light was raining down onto his duel disk. _'He activated Graceful Charity? Damn it, I'm getting too focused on his aura and on his motivation. I have to concentrate on the duel at hand!'_

"I activate Monster Reborn, special summoning a level seven monster I just discarded. Please, give a warm welcome to Beautiful Hero Hopeless Romantic (2000/2000) in attack mode." This hero was a sallow faced but attractive man who looked somewhat depressed. Still he made his brightly colored tights look impressive.

"Hopeless Romantic will attack and destroy Dogma Guy, eliminating the threat it poses." The hero pointed one finger at Dogma Guy and a purple colored beam of light shot out, skewering the bulky monster and blowing it to pieces. Saint smiled and drew thanks to the effect of Candlelight Romancer.

Sanzo frowned and shot a glance at his defense mode Dash Guy. _'Dash Guy has just a thousand defense points. With Dogma Guy's defense at zero Saint's most logical move would have been use Candlelight Romancer to kill Dogma Guy and then eliminate Dash Guy with Hopeless Romantic. The only reason why he wouldn't is…'_

Saint slid his newly drawn card into his duel disk, interrupting Sanzo's line of thinking. "I now activate an effect of Hopeless Romantic, forcing it to change modes. Its normal mode change effect doesn't activate and instead it gains a hundred attack points. Since it was not a manual change I do not gain life points by the effect of Beautiful Light."

He gave a brief nod to Sanzo, indicating that his turn was over. "My dear Sanzo, even if you join my cause and become perfectly purified I will make certain that your promise to your younger brother is fulfilled."

The Hero Saint paused in the act of drawing, his eyes widening. _'Bringing up that promise right now…he's trying to throw me off! Trying to make sure I'm not focused…or is not a psychological attack? Damn it…if only I could grasp Saint's way of thinking better! He's too much of a mystery, he always was!'_

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_"So you're saying Saint wants to make this world a pure place where villages like ours aren't attacked? I think that's a great idea!" Sanzo frowned as he listened to the words of a young boy, possibly six or seven. Sanzo himself appeared to be about twelve._

_"Well, something like that. I don't know though Taisei, he's an odd one really. I feel like…well like he's trying to be what the villagers think of me as. Some sort of deity, or at least divine presence. What sort of person has the name 'saint' anyway? I feel like…there's something we don't see about him." The little boy grinned and poked Sanzo in the side, causing him to grunt and hop to the right._

_"We've got weird names as well; both of our personal names are titles, like his. Big brother is 'three baskets', you've got the title of a Buddhist priest. I'm 'great sage'. And some day, I'll be Seiten-Taisei, the Great Sage of Equality to the Heavens!" The little boy laughed brightly, striking a dramatic pose with hands on his hips._

_ Sanzo pushed his little brother over with one bare foot, shaking his head. "Honestly I think mom and dad enjoyed Chinese legends a little too much. Don't let that name go to your head."_

_He sighed and looked up at the cloudy sky above. "Honestly, I'm not sure why Saint has come back to visit. It's been three years since I last saw him, ever since he went off to Duelist Academy."_

_Little Taisei grinned and rolled up into a sitting position, smiling at his big brother. "I still think he's cool and that he's got a great idea. He's a hero, just like my big brother!"_

_Sanzo rolled his eyes and put a hand on top of his little brother's head, ruffling the silvery hair. "Don't start that with me as well little brother, you're one of the only people in the village who doesn't think I'm some super-man. High grades, nationally representative gymnast, special power, they all think of me as just a step short of a deity. I don't want to be a hero Taisei, heroes are people who die and can't live normal lives. All I want is to live a normal life. And anyways, I'm too old to believe in heroes aren't I?"_

_He frowned and looked at the dirt, clumping it together between his fingers. 'Not to mention that living so near those brutal demons has made me see so many things I never should have. If heroes were real such brutality wouldn't continue. So the only conclusion is…heroes don't exist.'_

_The sudden sound of an explosion and a scream caused the two brothers to jump to their feet. Sanzo's eyes widened as villagers came streaming past, screaming. "Demon! It's a demon raid!"_

_Sanzo stared dead straight forward as a figure began to walk out of the blaze growing from a nearby house. His brother was frozen at his side, yet despite the terrible presence Sanzo couldn't think about it. Instead, he was focused inwards. 'I don't feel danger…I can't feel it! All I sense is this overwhelming purity!'_

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"No! I won't fail again! Dash Guy moves into attack mode and I summon D-Hero Diamond Guy (1400/1600)! Diamond Guy activates his effect, letting me check the top card of my deck. If it's a magic card during my next turn it will be activated!" As soon as the green hero with diamonds covering his body appeared Sanzo picked up the top card of his deck and showed it to Saint.

"I've drawn Repayment of Losses, so it's sent to the cemetery! At this time its effect activates anyways since it went to the grave, letting me draw one card!" He drew again, now giving him a new card in hand to work with.

He thrust his hand out and his strongest monster raised a hand above its head. "I've seen the truth of your Candlelight Romancer. It can't attack any monster it has switched the mode of. Not that it matters, since now Diablo will flash fry it!"

Flames erupted from Diablo's hands, enveloping Candlelight Romancer. Saint continued to smile even as the fire flared up, lighting the area around them. Sanzo narrowed his eyes at the other duelist. "You should have taken thirty-three hundred damage and lost."

"Ah, perhaps, however my trap card Beautiful Illusion lets me discard one card from my deck during this turn to undo a destruction or instance of damage. So I'll discard two cards, one to negate that damage and the other to special summon Candlelight Romancer back to my field in defense mode." He slid two cards into his graveyard and the fire faded, leaving Candlelight Romancer still intact.

Sanzo grimaced and snapped his arm out to the side. "I'll still make you fight for each of your monsters to survive! Dash Guy, destroy Hopeless Romantic!"

The hero zipped forward and kicked Hopeless Romantic in the chest, blasting him to pieces. Saint merely discarded another card and Hopeless Romantic reformed, attack points back at their starting amount and crouching in defense. "I'm not done yet! Diamond Guy will destroy Ocean Gazer!"

A burst of diamond spears later and Ocean Gazer too was destroyed. Yet just like the previous two monsters Saint simply discarded to bring him back in defense mode. "Perhaps not, but it seems as if my monsters cannot be harmed at this moment."

Sanzo placed his hand in front of his cemetery slot and caught a card that was spat out. "When Diablo destroys a monster in battle I can take a D-Hero out of the cemetery and add it to my hand. I do so and then set one card face down, ending my turn!"

Saint drew, smiling still at his young friend. "You seem so harsh. Candlelight Romancer moves into attack mode, switching Diablo to defense and lowering its attack points to zero." (Saint: 2750)

There was no visible reaction from Sanzo, so Saint just continued. "I also switch Ocean Gazer into attack mode in order to destroy your face down card." (Saint: 3250)

Again Sanzo didn't react even as a blast of water engulfed his set card, revealing D-Shield for just a moment before it was destroyed. "That can't be it."

"You're right, I move Hopeless Romantic into attack mode. And when it is changed in modes not by its effect I can force you to discard one card from your hand deck for each monster sharing an attribute on your field and cemetery. I choose dark attribute." At this Sanzo did seem slightly upset, yet he complied and sent six cards from his deck to the cemetery. (Saint: 3750)

"It seems like you aren't going to flinch at all, so I suppose this turn I'll go all out. I play Beautiful Dance, allowing me to manually change the modes of any B-Heroes I wish to that are on the field. I switch the modes of Candlelight Romancer and Hopeless Romantic." Again they switched positions, and thanks to the frequent change they did look like they were dancing somewhat. (Saint: 4750)

Sanzo grimaced and this time discarded eight cards from the top of his deck, depleting him more than he would have liked. Yet when he saw the cards discarded he seemed calm. _'Not there yet, he's helping me search for that one even if he doesn't know it…'_

Diamond Guy then knelt into defense mode, its defense points falling to zero. Saint motioned to Hopeless Romantic and it once again rose to its feet. "I activate my monster's effect, forcing it into attack mode and granting it a boost of one hundred attack points."

Once his monster was in attack position he held out another card and in a flash of light Candlelight Romancer switched into attack mode. "Beautiful Force forcefully changes the mode of one of my monsters. However, since you have no attack mode monsters Candlelight Romancer cannot activate its effect."

He smiled and looked at his hero who was letting the candles spin around his body. "You guess wrong actually, he cannot attack unless all monsters on your field are in defense mode. Since Diablo was still in attack mode that turn I couldn't attack. However, this time that's different, so Candlelight Romancer will destroy Diablo!"

A single blast of fire later and Sanzo's powerful fusion D-Hero was gone. Then Saint smiled and drew a card from his monster's effect. "Ocean Gazer will destroy Diamond Guy, also allowing me to draw a card."

A torrent of water hit Diamond Guy, washing him away and into the ocean at their sides. Sanzo silently thanked the fact that none of Saint's monsters had a trample effect. _'I'm still fine, even if he runs over my field I won't lose! Like he said, I've got that promise to fulfill and if I lose here I can't fulfill it!'_

Again Saint drew from Candlelight Romancer's effect. Once it was in his hand he snapped his finger and Hopeless Romantic shot a ray of light out, skewering Dash Guy and blowing him apart. "It seems with that all of your defenses are gone my dear friend. Isn't it beautiful how my monsters control the flow of the duel and play with the bodies and emotions of your monsters?"

"A fitting deck for you then, isn't it?" Saint merely smiled and placed two cards from his hand face-down onto the field, appearing behind his trio of monsters. And despite all his cards for the turn he still had three left in his hand.

Sanzo reached for his deck and drew. Instantly a glow fell over his field and a holographic image of Repayment of Losses appeared behind him. "Now that it's my turn the effect of Repayment of Losses activates, so it's treated as going to the grave and I draw one card."

He held aloft one of his cards and a card popped out of his grave. "By removing one D-Hero in my grave from play I can special summon one D-Hero from the grave! So I'll remove the Dunk Guy I was forced to discard and then special summon this: Disc Guy (300/300)!"

An armored hero appeared, spinning discs on his arms and on his back. He struck a dramatic pose and Saint gave it a brief bow. Sanzo nodded to it and reached for his deck. "When Disc Guy is special summoned from the grave I draw two cards!"

He snapped the two cards up and then glared at Saint, his power flaring up as a physical blue aura. "Saint, I'm going to strip away any chance you have of winning in this turn! I'm just about ready…so watch me!"

Saint's eyes widened as he felt the building power. _'This is the sort of strength I imagined from him! Yes, he's the perfect person just as I imagined. The only person who could stand at my side…my prodigy, you will be my son in this new world!'_

Sanzo held out one of his drawn cards, keeping a different card also in his right hand but not facing Saint. "I activate Dread Swap, sending one D-Hero on my field to special summon Dread Guy from my hand! Farewell Disc Guy, and hello Dread Guy (?/?)!"

The disc covered hero blew apart and Dread Guy slammed down onto the field, shaking it greatly. Saint mentally smiled, thinking back to Sanzo's previous turn. _'He used Diablo to add Dread Guy to his hand. A risky choice, but apparently he's aware enough to create a successful plan like this one.'_

"Since Dread Guy was summoned I'll special summon two D-Heroes from my cemetery! I choose to summon Diamond Guy and Disc Guy! And since Disc Guy was special summoned from the grave I draw two more cards!" Saint's eyes widened, realizing that Sanzo was searching for something. Otherwise he wouldn't have chosen the weak Disc Guy.

Sanzo's eyes half-closed as he saw the two cards he had drawn. Slowly he looked up at Saint and smirked, nearly making Saint drop his happy and confident smile. "I drew it."

He reached for his deck and picked up the top card, showing a magic card to Saint. "Rewinding the Destiny is the card that Diamond Guy's effect gives me. During the next turn I'll gain its effect. Until then…until then I'll treat you with the power I've gathered to defeat you once and for all!"

The Hero Saint thrust one of the two cards he had just drawn from Disc Guy into the air and the field shook, the waters around them lapping at the platform. "The time of reckoning is here! With this power I'll definitely prove that heroes exist by defeating you!"

Light sprang up around each of Sanzo's three monsters one by one until all three were surrounded by pillars of light. "I offer these three monsters from my field in order to summon my ultimate monster!"

Saint's eyes widened as the heroes were consumed by that light. "Three tributes? Yet this one isn't Dogma Guy…so what is this power? Is this a god?"

The Beautiful Hero Saint stared up in awe as a monster began to float down from the now crackling dark clouds. Sanzo raised his arms up as if greeting it, despite its truly demonic appearance. With huge devil wings and a dark dragon's head as its read arm and the helm of a demon's skull covering its face the creature was truly devilish. "No Saint, this is my answer to your purity. Destiny Hero…Bloo-D!"

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Author's Note: I bet by the end you guys had figured out Bloo-D was coming. Oh yeah, just wait and see.

_Next Time: The battle between Sanzo and Saint Beatrix continues with Sanzo unleashing the full power of Bloo-D against the other hero duelist. As they push back and forth against each other the circumstances behind Sanzo's promise are unveiled. Yet in a duel where only one can become victorious, whose destiny is strongest? Whose destiny commands the duel to its conclusion? Saint or Sanzo?_

_See it all in, Destiny's Lord: Saint or Sanzo?_


	86. Destiny's Lord: Saint or Sanzo?

Author's Note: So let it continue, Saint versus Sanzo!

**Chapter Eighty-Six: Destiny's Lord: Saint or Sanzo?**

_Sanzo's eyes half-closed as he saw the two cards he had drawn. Slowly he looked up at Saint and smirked, nearly making Saint drop his happy and confident smile. "I drew it."_

_He reached for his deck and picked up the top card, showing a magic card to Saint. "Rewinding the Destiny is the card that Diamond Guy's effect gives me. During the next turn I'll gain its effect. Until then…until then I'll treat you with the power I've gathered to defeat you once and for all!"_

_The Hero Saint thrust one of the two cards he had just drawn from Disc Guy into the air and the field shook, the waters around them lapping at the platform. "The time of reckoning is here! With this power I'll definitely prove that heroes exist by defeating you!"_

_Light sprang up around each of Sanzo's three monsters one by one until all three were surrounded by pillars of light. "I offer these three monsters from my field in order to summon my ultimate monster!"_

_Saint's eyes widened as the heroes were consumed by that light. "Three tributes? Yet this one isn't Dogma Guy…so what is this power? Is this a god?"_

_The Beautiful Hero Saint stared up in awe as a monster began to float down from the now crackling dark clouds. Sanzo raised his arms up as if greeting it, despite its truly demonic appearance. With huge devil wings and a dark dragon's head as its read arm and the helm of a demon's skull covering its face the creature was truly devilish. "No Saint, this is my answer to your purity. Destiny Hero…Bloo-D!"_

Saint's surprise slowly faded away and he closed his eyes, smiling once again. "Ah, so this is what you took from the Vault then. I've heard of this creature, the ultimate hero of destiny. The only Destiny Hero that Pegasus did not duplicate after the retirement of Mister Phoenix at his request. I'm curious to see what he's capable of."

Sanzo glared at Saint and then snapped his fingers. Immediately there was a pulling force and Saint had to watch as Hopeless Romantic was torn to shreds. The fluid remains flowed into Bloo-D's wings and were absorbed. "Effect number one, Bloody Absorption! This destroys one monster on your field and equips it to Bloo-D, granting him half its attack for his own." (Bloo-D: 2900/600)

Not even taking a moment to slow down Sanzo took a single card from his hand and slammed it back into his duel disk. "I activate D-Force! Upon activation this card is placed face-up on my deck, and while it remains there my draw phase is forfeit!"

White energy swarmed around Sanzo's body and Saint merely quirked an eyebrow. "And why would you play a card that gives up your draw phase? I know of that card and that's its only effect."

Sanzo smirked and looked over at his Bloo-D. "Just like you, this card and this deck are all about control. So let me show you what benefits come from that control! Bloo-D, attack his Candlelight Romancer with Bloody Spears!"

A rain of blood shards shot out of Bloo-D's wings, heading straight for the weak hero. Saint casually motioned to a card to his side. "In response to your attack on a Beautiful Hero I can activate Beautiful Retaliation to destroy the attacking monster."

The instant the trap finished flipping up it exploded into tiny triangles and Saint jerked back in surprise. "What?"

The blood rain pounded into Candlelight Romancer, reducing him to nothing but a pile of blood himself. Saint winced as his life points began to dwindle rapidly. "Might I inquire as to why my trap was destroyed?" (Saint: 2350)

Bloo-D flexed its wings and powerful winds whipped out, forcing Saint to slide backwards nearly into the water. It was like it was flexing its muscles. "Its simple Saint, Bloo-D is immune to targeting magic and trap cards as long as D-Force is face-up on my deck."

Sanzo slid a card into his disk, letting it appear behind his now dominating Bloo-D. "Thanks to Bloo-D I have control again Saint, so I end my turn. You've tried to control the flow of the duel but so far I've been commanding the destiny of this duel with my D-Heroes!"

Saint frowned as he slowly drew his next card. _'He's right. Although I've made his monsters dance with the beauty of my monsters he still has thirty-five hundred life points. He's been in control of this duel the whole time.'_

He reached out and shifted the position of the only remaining monster card on his duel disk, causing his Ocean Gazer to switch into defense mode. "When Ocean Gazer changes modes I can destroy one magic or trap card on your field, therefore I target your set card."

Suddenly a huge pressure fell upon Ocean Gazer and he coughed weakly. The whole field took on an eerie glow at the same time. Sanzo smirked darkly and clenched his hands. "Another effect! While D-Force is on my deck the effects of all of your effect monsters are useless! Truly Bloo-D's power makes me the lord of destiny in this duel! Your fate is sealed Saint, face it!" (Saint: 2850)

Saint's eyes widened as he looked over his hand. _'My B-Heroes are fairly weak; they rely on their effects to be useful. When stripped of their effects they essentially become dead weight. And as long as his Bloo-D remains in play he truly does command the duel.'_

"I summon B-hero Chocolate Lover (300/300) in defense mode and place one card face down. That's all I can do." Sanzo smirked and his deck glowed briefly, indicating his draw phase was being skipped.

"During my standby phase the effect of a card you sent to the graveyard activates, it's D-Control! As long as this card is in the cemetery I can draw one card from the bottom of my deck during my standby phase as long as the top card of my deck is face-up!" A card slid out from the bottom of his deck and he added it to his hand, looking cocky the whole time.

Sanzo held up the two cards in his hand and smirked triumphantly. "You see, my deck is perfectly capable of surpassing the one weakness of Bloo-D and in fact taking advantage of it! This is the ultimate deck of destiny!"

As soon as he finished speaking a giant image of a magic card appeared behind him, the same one that was discarded his previous turn. "Thanks to Diamond Guy's effect I can now use the power of Rewinding the Destiny! At this time I shuffle any number of 'D' and 'destiny' cards from my cemetery into my deck that I so choose."

He shuffled a number of cards from his grave into his deck and the white glow faded. However, Sanzo was still holding Rewinding the Destiny. "Now since I shuffled up I get to add one card with 'D' or 'destiny' from my deck into my hand as long as it wasn't among the shuffled cards. Afterwards Rewinding the Destiny is removed from the game."

A card slid out of his deck and he slammed it back on top. "Once again I'll activate it, the card I searched for, D-Force!"

The glow returned and Bloo-D stretched its wings out. Sanzo smirked and tapped the card, shifting it. Its wings wrapped around itself, and Saint frowned. "Why would you place your strongest monster in defense mode?"

"Simple, because Bloo-D absorbed the effect of Hopeless Romantic as well! And I choose Light attribute, so now discard the top three cards of your deck to the graveyard!" Saint frowned again and discarded the top three cards to his cemetery, registering what each one was first.

He smirked and pointed at his Bloo-D and its wings snapped open. "Now I activate your Hopeless Romantic's other effect, forcing Bloo-D to change modes and thus increasing his attack strength by one hundred! Now he's got the same strength as Blue Eyes!"

Bloo-D ticked up by another one hundred attack points, barely mentionable but still making it just a little bit deadlier. As soon as that was finished he pointed the two cards in his hand at his set card from the previous turn. "Another method around D-Force, the trap card D-Boost! It lets me draw the two cards beneath the top card of my deck at this time!"

He slipped out the cards that were beneath D-Force, now putting himself at four cards in hand. As soon as he saw them he slapped one of them down, revealing a dark skinned and seemingly sick and rotting warrior. "Destiny Hero-Decadence Guy (1000/900) in attack mode!"

Decadence Guy raised its left arm and black bandages shot out from its shoulders, reaching out for Saint's deck. "Once per turn Decadence Guy can send the top two cards of your deck to the graveyard, dealing you one hundred damage per magic card discarded!"

The bandages pulled back holding two cards and Saint frowned, pointing at one of them. "That card is a magic card." (Saint: 2750)

Now the bandages retreated and Saint placed the cards into his graveyard. As soon as that was done Sanzo thrust his hand out and his two monsters moved again. "Attack his monsters, Bloody Spears and Decaying Force!"

The combined force of the blood and the dark bandages was enough to apart both Chocolate Lover and Ocean Gazer, leaving Saint with only his two face-down cards. "How's that Saint? Can you feel that power?"

Saint motioned to one of his two set cards and a burst of light shot into the clouds above. "Beautiful Signal now lets me special summon a level four or lower B-Hero from my hand or deck to the field because you destroyed one of my monsters. I choose B-Hero Hopeful Romantic (700/700) in defense mode!"

The light faded as an attractive man that looked like a younger version of Hopeless Romantic appeared. As soon as he touched down Saint pointed to his second set card. "In addition I activate Hero's Rule #2-Defense of Life! Since two heroes were destroyed this turn I can special summon an additional two level four or lower heroes into play!"

Another attractive man appeared, this one in fancy green clothes with vines wrapped around his arms, buds growing on them. "The first is Mystical Gardener (1200/1200)!"

The second was a woman with full puckered lips that shimmered in the light of D-Force. "My second monster is Cinnamon Kisser (800/800), also in defense mode."

Sanzo shook his head as if denying their presence. "Summon as many monsters as you want, its not enough! Here's another reason why, I activate D-Wrath by discarding two cards from my hand!"

He slipped the last two cards in his hand to the cemetery. Red energy flowed into Bloo-D as soon as it was done. "D-Wrath lets me select one D-Hero in my hand, cemetery, or deck and apply its effect starting my next turn to one D-Hero on my field. And then, my turn ends!"

Saint drew and his three monsters all of a sudden stood up into attack mode. Sanzo shrugged. "Switch them all you want to gain life points, but without their effects I can just kill them one by one with Bloo-D." (Saint: 4250)

The former Hero Saint selected one of the cards in his hand and his three face-up monsters vanished into the light. "Your time will soon come to an end my dear Sanzo. Let me show you the start of that end and explain to you your reason for defeat. I offer these three monsters to summon Beautiful Hero-Supreme Lover (2900/2800) in attack mode!"

His newest monster was tall and beautiful, just as the rest of them. It wore a glittering golden suit and a long cape that seemed to rapidly change colors. Sanzo chuckled at the sight of the monster. "That just looks ridiculous, not to mention it's pointless. After all, thanks to the effect of my stolen Hopeless Romantic Bloo-D is still stronger!"

Saint shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Truly you're disappointing me Sanzo; this isn't what I expect from you. Let me demonstrate what makes your monster a failure. Supreme Lover…destroy his monster with Beautiful Wave!"

Supreme Lover extended its hands and a blast of ever-changing colored light erupted from it. Sanzo smirked as it sailed towards his field, but his expression changed to shock when it collided with Decadence Guy, annihilating it. "Decadence Guy…I…forgot about it?" (Sanzo: 1600)

The older duelist sighed and shook his head again. "You see, this is what Bloo-D is telling me. I can feel a lingering trace of power upon it that calls out to anyone who holds it, calling out to be used. I'm certain considering your power you noticed it, but simply chose to use it anyways in order to defeat me."

He motioned to the smoldering pile of Sanzo's former monster and then back at Bloo-D. "Its power is deceptive and though not evil it does make its user believe it to be the 'ultimate', thus making them ignore anything else in favor of it. After all, why else would you have used D-Wrath then instead of keeping a card to at least defend Decadence Guy?"

Sanzo stared wide-eyed at Saint and then up at Bloo-D. "I got so caught up in my own internal focus…in my own focus on a different power and what I thought of it that I didn't consider the consequences. Despite my promise to never take my danger sense for granted and always use it to the best of my ability to help others…I was distracted again, just like before…"

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_Sanzo clutched the hands of his younger brother who weakly stared up at him. It had been a week since the demon raid and nothing was the same. 'Even though that demon was sick and driven to insanity I still didn't sense it…because I was so focused on my memories of that strange purity of Saint Beatrix. And now my brother is sick, just like that demon. And if it's something a demon's body couldn't fight, how can my little brother?'_

_Taisei coughed, fetching Sanzo's attention back to him. He squeezed his little brother's hands. "Hey big brother…is everyone okay?"_

_Sanzo laughed weakly. "You're silly, you're the one who's hurt and yet you're worrying about others? What kind of thing to do is that? Right now you should worry about yourself."_

_Taisei shook his head, smiling just as weakly as Sanzo had laughed. "No way, I'm going to be the Great Sage of Equality to the Heavens. Somebody like that has to care for other people. I know I'll get better, that way I can protect people and make sure everybody is okay, just like my big brother the hero."_

_Sanzo looked down at his hands and his brother's, unable to maintain eye contact. "I'm no hero, that's stupid just like I said. If I was a hero then would my little brother be here, sick with some stupid demon disease? I couldn't protect anybody."_

_The little boy now clenched his older brother's hands in his own, forcing Sanzo to look at him again. "But you want to protect everyone, that's a hero if I ever saw one! Come on big brother, you have to cheer up for me and for everyone at the village. Even if you don't want to be, you're a hero to me and them. They need you, I need you, and I bet the world needs you as well. You were born to be a hero!"_

_"Born to be a hero…you really think that's what I am? I suppose…I suppose I never had a choice did I? For your sake…for the sake of the others…for the sake of everyone that's why I was born. Why else would somebody be born with the power I have if not to use it to protect others?" His little brother smiled at him, and Sanzo smiled back, although his had a strange glimmer of hopelessness to it._

_"For your sake little brother, I'll do it! I'll protect everybody, just like a hero is supposed to! I'll be a hero and remind the whole world that even when they're afraid somebody is willing to protect them!" His little brother grinned up at him and then pulled one hand away, extending it so that his pinky was out._

_Sanzo looked at the hand and his smiling brother. Taisei grinned like a little goofball and pushed his pinky farther out. "You promise big brother?"_

_Sanzo nodded and caught his little brother's pinky with his own. "It's a promise!"_

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Sanzo shook his head, forcing the memories away. It was here he noticed that Saint was smiling patiently at him and that now he had a single face-down card on his field. _'I can't become distracted, I have to focus! I must win, I must keep my promise!'_

He tapped the top of his deck and then reached for the bottom. "Draw phase skipped; during my standby phase D-Control lets me draw the bottom card of my deck!"

He pulled it free and then motioned with it to Bloo-D. Instantly the monster wrapped its wings around itself. "I manually switch Bloo-D into defense mode and declare light! Discard seven cards from your deck!"

Saint nodded and picked up seven cards, looking them over before sliding them into his cemetery. "At this rate it looks like you'll deck me out with my own effect before depleting my life points."

Ignoring Saint he merely thrust his arm into the air, forcing Bloo-D to open its wings. "I force it into attack mode, increasing its attack strength by one hundred! And now…let me tell you the monster effect to be applied. The power of Double Guy now goes to Bloo-D!"

The German man's eyes widened and he looked to his set card for reassurance. "I see…the power to attack twice in the battle phase. Most certainly that grants your monster a significant increase in ability."

"That's not just what it's got, here's what else there is! Bloo-D, attack Supreme Lover with Bloody Spears!" Saint raised an arm in defense as the bloody shower pelted his monster, melting it into goop. (Saint: 4050)

As soon as the monster was gone Saint pointed at his set card, which triggered instantly. "Option Hunter activates when a monster of mine is destroyed. I can now gain its attack or defense as life points. I choose its attack." (Saint: 6950)

"It doesn't matter; I won't let that be all! I activate D-Burn from my hand! Since a D-Hero destroyed a monster in battle that monster now has its attack points deducted from your life points!" A blast of fire engulfed Saint, but it immediately vanished through whatever method Saint had to protect himself. (Saint: 4050)

With the only card in his hand used up Sanzo thrust his hand palm out towards his opponent. "Bloo-D, continue this path and take the fight directly to him! Bloody Spears!"

Saint raised one hand up towards the striking blood spears, letting them vanish mere inches from his palm. Despite his lack of physical damage he still took the life point damage, and that was what Sanzo was after. "You've certainly grown strong Sanzo…however you're missing one factor." (Saint: 950)

Sanzo raised one eyebrow, the image of his little brother flashing through his mind. _'Whatever he says I can't let it get to me. I'm above him!'_

"You made a critical misjudgment my dear friend. You see, Bloo-D, despite having the name 'hero' attached to it is quite the monstrosity. It is steeped in horrors you couldn't imagine, yet despite being able to feel the blood that has tainted that card you're still using it just to defeat me. Doesn't that tell you something?" Sanzo just glared at his opponent, not saying a word. Although mostly because he didn't know what to say.

Saint chuckled and gestured broadly over the field. Sanzo looked around, seeing that the water was still churning under the powerful presence of Bloo-D. "Can't you tell dear Sanzo? Bloo-D is evil, and thus you have become the villain in this duel!"

Sanzo's eyes widened marginally at those words. "Did…did you just call me a villain?"

With a chuckle Saint wagged a finger at his protégé. "But of course. Wagering it all on one powerful monster that you call the ultimate, using brutal crushing force, using a card that is inevitably evil, all just for the purpose of beating one purpose? Truly you are the villain in this duel."

He tapped that long finger against the side of his head, smiling even wider. "And as you always say, the hero always wins!"

With a swift pull he drew, and then held it up. "I activate Jar of Avarice, shuffling five monsters from my cemetery into my deck in order to draw two cards."

It didn't take long for him to finish and draw his brand new cards. Still smiling he held up one of them and in a flash of light a familiar looking monster appeared on his field. "Monster Reborn recalls Supreme Lover to my services. Of course, he's still not strong enough to defeat Bloo-D is he?"

Another card slid into his duel disk and Supreme Lover began to power up, golden light suffusing his body. "Then again a simple equip card like Beautiful Presence will deal with that. And with the additional one thousand attack points it easily surpasses Bloo-D!"

Supreme Lover thrust out its hands and Sanzo grimaced, realizing what was coming next. "Even if you destroy my monster it won't change anything, after all only the equip will be destroyed. And in my turn I'll just seize control of Supreme Lover as a replacement!"

Saint shrugged, not looking threatened. "All your posturing just makes you more the villain now doesn't it? Allow me to deal with that in my own manner. Supreme Lover, attack it with Beautiful Wave!"

The same multi-colored ray from beyond pierced into Bloo-D's chest and exploded, knocking it backwards. However the body of Hopeless Romantic melted out of its wings, leaving it intact. "Do you see now Saint? Your attack was worthless." (Sanzo: 800)

He slipped a card into his duel disk and then gave a brief nod to Sanzo. "Still, as I said, let me worry about that. Now, it's your turn dear Sanzo."

Sanzo glared and placed two fingers on the top card of his deck. "I'll show you that you have to worry! I won't be the villain of this duel, no matter what! You can't halt me with your words, I won't allow it!"

His deck glowed and he narrowed his eyes at Saint. "Draw phase skipped! And now…D-Control's effect activates, letting me draw the bottom card of my deck!"

With a flick of his wrist he pulled the lowest card out of his deck. When he held the card up to see he smiled slightly. "I see…so that's what destiny is? Very well then, I'll try that path! But first, Bloody Absorption!"

Saint continued to smile even as his Supreme Lover broke apart into tiny pieces and flowed like blood into the winds of Bloo-D. Its face pressed out moaning and Bloo-D began to power up. "Thanks to the strength of your Supreme Lover and the bonus from Hopeless Romantic's power up effect Bloo-D now has more strength than ever!" (Bloo-D: 3550)

The Hero Saint thrust his hand out and Bloo-D spread its wings as wide as they would go. "You've got no defense thanks to Bloo-D's immunities! Attack him directly and end this duel with Bloody Spears!"

This time as the blood rained down Saint made no move to intercept the attack. However, unlike the last time instead of vanishing the blood pellets seemed to rain down all around him, none touching him directly. "And that's the end Saint!"

Sighing Saint shook his head and brushed off his priest's grab. "As I said previously, you were meant to let me worry about Bloo-D's effect. The truth is I was never worried at all."

Sanzo grimaced, realizing nothing had come from his attack. "What's going on Saint?"

"Simple my dear friend, when a monster leaves the field any card equipped to it is destroyed. And when Beautiful Presence is destroyed while equipped to a monster I can negate one instance of life point damage to me in that turn. So I simply negated the damage from Bloo-D's attack." Sanzo gritted his teeth and glanced down at the single card he was holding.

"Fine then, I guess I'll use that method after all! From my hand I activate the magic card Pot of Greed!" He slashed two cards off his deck, one of them being D-Force. As soon as he drew it the light faded from the field again.

He held up the second card he had drawn and an angel appeared above them. "Graceful Charity activates, letting me draw three cards at a cost of two from my hand!"

Once more he drew, this time putting his hand at a total of four cards. Then he snagged two of them without hesitation and turned them around to face Saint. "For the cost of Graceful Charity…I discard D-Force and Clock Tower Prison!"

The two cards went to the cemetery, leaving him with just two cards in hand and Bloo-D on the field. Saint smiled at him innocently. "Getting rid of Bloo-D's immunities doesn't eliminate its evil."

Sanzo nodded and flipped around one of his last two cards. "No, but this does! By discarding Destiny Hero-Demise Guy (500/500) I can send all monsters on the field to the graveyard and cut our life points in half!"

When the card hit the graveyard a giant scythe swept across the field, cleaving Bloo-D and its absorbed monster in half easily. Then it swung around again, slashing intangibly through Saint and Sanzo. Both duelists clutched their chests in pain, but Sanzo smiled at what he saw. "Heh…and here I was thinking you weren't human enough to feel pain anymore." (Sanzo: 400)

Saint lowered his hand and smiled at the other duelist, straightening himself. "Oh I'm human enough. Perhaps less so than you think of yourself as, but human nevertheless." (Saint: 475)

With a merry laugh Saint tapped his forehead a few times with one long finger. "I see what you're up to though. Since Demise Guy prevents you from summoning this turn you must be intended to prove a point. After all, the one who is the hero will have the strongest draw and thus win now that both of us are top decking. Is that right?"

Sanzo took a deep breath to settle himself and then met Saint's eyes. The bright blue of his left eye matched the deeper blue of the older man's, while his right eye still remained covered by his hair. "Sorry Saint, but that's not quite right. After all…I'm destiny's lord in this duel!"

He snapped around the final remaining card in his hand and smirked at his opponent. Saint looked at the card, now totally blank faced. "I see…so you intend to control the destiny of this duel even now. Destiny Hero-Darkangel (0/0)…which can be discarded from hand to place face-up on top of the opponent's deck. Thus you negate my own top deck."

His hands remained calmly at his sides even as he continued speaking, his voice as calm as his body. But it wasn't the warm calm that Sanzo was used to hearing from Saint, but rather a plain calm, like a day without any wind at all. "I can set it, but it has no attack or defense points. If I summon it during the end phase it will transfer to your field. And of course should I discard it to disrupt your draw phase D-Control will just let you draw the bottom card of your deck. In other words, you've commanded that destiny force my inevitable defeat."

Sanzo tossed the card to Saint who slid it face-up onto his deck. _'That's not all, if you summon it in any way then I'll be able to special summon Deserter Guy from my deck and run you over. Destined victory belongs to me Saint Beatrix!'_

The Hero Saint reached up with his right hand to the hair that obscured his eye. He smiled, his teeth glinting even in the darkening day as he flicked the hair away. "It's over Saint! Now…end turn!"

Saint sighed and drew the top card of his deck, which was quite obviously Darkangel. "You're right Sanzo…you have a far better grasp of destiny than I do. After all, wanting to alter the path of destiny is why I've attempted to place Miss Mitsuhiro and Little Miss Paradise on my side. However, as the person I am I'm afraid to say that the truth is…I don't believe in destiny."

Light shot up from Saint's field, shooting straight up into the sky. Sanzo jerked back in surprise as he realized where it was coming from. The single set card that had been on Saint's field was now face-up. "No…damn it…"

"Beautiful Reverb is a trap card that allows me to discard one monster from my hand, such as your Darkangel, in order to revive one Beautiful Hero from the grave regardless of cost." Darkangel slipped into his cemetery and the light faded, revealing the golden Supreme Lover once again in all his glory.

Sanzo lost his smile, but he didn't flinch or grimace. "I see…in other words…I secured your victory. Perhaps then…despite what I would want…even though you don't believe in it…destiny favors you as its lord rather than me."

Saint sighed and shook his head slowly. "Perhaps now you'll join me as I had hoped you would. I'm afraid this is over. There's just one more thing to say before the final attack."

"What's that?" Saint looked almost sad as he looked from Supreme Lover to Sanzo.

"I'm fifty-seven." The colorful ray of light struck Sanzo in the chest, tossing him off the helipad and into the water. (Sanzo: 0)

Sanzo came up out of the water looking ragged, water logged, and exhausted, not to mention defeated. He grabbed the edge of the helipad and pulled himself out of the water, flopping heavily onto his back. "It looks like I wasn't able to win and continue to keep up my promise…"

Saint now stood over him, looking directly down at his face. Sanzo let himself relax against the cement of the helipad, feeling weak and lost. "Confirm something for me Saint. Mizuki is a True Sin, isn't she?"

All it took was a single nod to confirm what Sanzo had surmised and feared to be true. "Are there any other questions you have for me dear Sanzo?"

Sanzo closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath. "Yeah, just one last thing. The difference between Sins and Virtues…is nonexistent isn't it?"

He heard rather than saw Saint's knee touching the cement next to his head. Then he felt Saint place one large hand on his forehead. "Of course, after all, being a Sin has nothing to do with any lack of virtue or disgusting habits. Just as being a True Sin does not inherently make one evil. It is simply the term created to define those beings by those responsible for their existence. If creating a being with limited and corruptive powers beyond normal human scope is a Sin, then creating a being with unlimited and corruptive powers on an even greater scale…that is the True Sin."

There was a flicker of light and then Saint Beatrix stood, looking out at the ocean as the sun continued to set. "Well…I've been expecting you…Miss Kaoru."

Violet eyes burned into Saint's back yet he remained unflinching. "Saint Beatrix…he told me all your secrets. I know it now…your plan…and the truth of whom you are! Or should I say…what you are?"

Saint sighed but didn't respond. Kaoru gritted her teeth and pointed her right arm, pointer finger extended, at the German man's back. "Well? Don't you have anything to say? Don't you have anything to say to that, True Sin?!"

Slowly Saint's lips curled up into a smile.

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Author's Note: I'm just going to chuckle and then apologize for not having this up sooner. Lots of stuff has been happening, plus this is my last week of classes. Next week final exams start, and then it's off for summer!

_Next Time: Even Sanzo has now fallen, and the final 'Virtues' now move to confront Saint Beatrix. Secrets reveal themselves, and Mizuki learns the beginnings of the truth. As the confrontation against Saint Beatrix continues the question will finally be answered! Who is Saint Beatrix?_

_See it all in, Beautiful Sinner!_


	87. Beautiful Sinner

Author's Note: Here it is the confrontation against Saint Beatrix! Let the climax of this arc continue!

**Chapter Eighty-Seven: Beautiful Sinner**

_Sanzo closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath. "Yeah, just one last thing. The difference between Sins and Virtues…is nonexistent isn't it?"_

_He heard rather than saw Saint's knee touching the cement next to his head. Then he felt Saint place one large hand on his forehead. "Of course, after all, being a Sin has nothing to do with any lack of virtue or disgusting habits. Just as being a True Sin does not inherently make one evil. It is simply the term created to define those beings by those responsible for their existence. If creating a being with limited and corruptive powers beyond normal human scope is a Sin, then creating a being with unlimited and corruptive powers on an even greater scale…that is the True Sin."_

_There was a flicker of light and then Saint Beatrix stood, looking out at the ocean as the sun continued to set. "Well…I've been expecting you…Miss Kaoru."_

_Violet eyes burned into Saint's back yet he remained unflinching. "Saint Beatrix…he told me all your secrets. I know it now…your plan…and the truth of whom you are! Or should I say…what you are?"_

_Saint sighed but didn't respond. Kaoru gritted her teeth and pointed her right arm, pointer finger extended, at the German man's back. "Well? Don't you have anything to say? Don't you have anything to say to that, True Sin?!"_

_Slowly Saint's lips curled up into a smile._

His hands raised and he clapped at a steady pace, still with that slight smile. "Certainly you have been speaking rather extensively with Sloth. Although I must admit I wasn't entirely aware that he knew of my nature. Yes Miss Kaoru, you are correct. I am a True Sin."

Kaoru gritted her teeth, still glaring at the man. "You admit to being a True Sin, yet you're always preaching about your purity and what was it, making the world a paradise or something like that? How can you claim that when you've also admitted to being a True Sin! A True Sin in the guise of a pure priest!"

Saint shrugged and continued to stare out into the ocean. "I was under the impression that those two True Sins had explained to you what a True Sin is. All being a True Sin means is that we were born with power granted to us by the Xanadu. Or rather…by her."

This time Kaoru was caught off guard, her anger faltering at those words. "Her…what do you mean?"

The German man smiled and Kaoru yelped, realizing that he was no longer standing in front of her. Feeling a creeping presence near her she turned her head slightly to the left, enough to see that Saint was now standing a few feet behind her, back to hers. "So they really didn't explain anything to you. How sad. I'm curious though Miss Kaoru, how did you expect to stop me?"

She blanched, and suddenly realized that Saint Beatrix was no longer directly behind her, but was instead standing about a dozen feet to her left, near the edge of the pier. "I…I…"

Saint shook his head, his smile somewhat faded. "As you may have noticed I possess the ability to transport myself wherever I wish. Attempting to stand in my way wouldn't even delay me. Similarly, should you attempt to duel me the results are rather plain. I mean no offense, but do you really believe you can best an opponent who has beaten your academy's former strongest duelist and current second ranked?"

Kaoru felt her knees weaken as she realized he was right. There really wasn't a way for him to stop her. And as soon as she thought that he was standing in front of her, leaning in to smile, his hand on top of her head. "Similarly, through no fault of your own, I have no reason to accept a challenge from you. I accepted Sanzo's challenge because of our past friendship. Now…I know the method in which to make Miss Mitsuhiro work towards my goal of her own free will, and that has been my goal since the beginning at coming to this school."

Again he vanished, and when she spun to look for him she saw that he was standing on top of a cement building about twenty feet away. "There is nothing you can do to prevent me from simply moving myself to Miss Mitsuhiro's location and enacting my plan at that point. So, tell me, what is your intent?"

Growing more uncertain by the moment Kaoru reached out with her feelings, mentally shaping her power like an arrow and sending it straight at Saint Beatrix. She felt a resistance, and then a dozen Saints were surrounding her, all a dozen feet tall. "No…even after my training with a Sin I can't pierce through a True Sin's defenses?"

She began to withdraw herself and the world suddenly shook. She gasped and clutched at her chest as a huge pressure fell upon her shoulders, her knees nearly buckling instantly under the weight. But out of her now half-lidded eyes she saw Saint bracing himself as well. _'I feel like I'm drowning in cold water…my limbs are going numb…'_

"I was wondering where I'd find you Saint. Sorry but…it's over." Kaoru saw that, standing just below the building Saint was on, was none other than Mizuki Mitsuhiro. Her eyes were a cold blue…and Kaoru realized that she was surrounded by darkness.

In fact as Kaoru's eyes adjusted she realized that the entire area they were in was retreating into the darkness, and now Saint was standing on a pillar of darkness which melted into the ground, putting him at their level. _'This pressure, this unending cold is her darkness game?'_

Saint smiled as the pressure eased up a little and offered her a slight bow. "It's a pleasure to see you Miss Mitsuhiro. I was just about to go look for you, but you saved me time. Pray tell, why do you say that it's over?"

Mizuki turned her head away from Saint and looked over at Kaoru. Kaoru gasped as the shadows warped around her, creating a cushion to support her from falling. "Sorry Kaoru, had I realized you were here I wouldn't have started the Darkness Game like I did. But, as it stands it was the only way to make sure that Saint didn't flee. After all, even his power of teleportation can't escape the darkness."

Kaoru shook her head, pushing herself fully to her feet to stand on her own weight. "Mizuki, don't underestimate him. He's a True Sin!"

The Rising Star glanced over at Saint, who merely shrugged his shoulders. "That's hardly something I'm going to deny. After all, you're a True Sin as well now aren't you?"

Blue eyes met violet, and Mizuki was the first to look away, leaving Kaoru to wonder in silence. _'Mizuki was a True Sin all along…then is a True Sin really something evil? I guess with Frost and Inferno…it isn't really evil there is it?'_

Finally Mizuki spoke again. "That doesn't matter, not anymore. I'm tired of everything that's happened, and now I'm going to end it. Here…this is my world, and there's no escape! You want your paradise…so that means you want me just like Tobias did. Well there's something you should know about the Xanadu Equation!"

Saint smiled up at Mizuki and the darkness around him began to ripple. He glanced casually at it, but didn't seem worried. "Are you perhaps going to say that you, with your ability to manipulate a darkness game, are the Xanadu Equation?"

The dark haired girl jerked back, her jaw nearly dropping in surprise. "How…how did you know I was going to say that?"

With a small shrug Saint began walking past the shimmering darkness, moving in Kaoru's direction. "It was rather easy to anticipate; after all, this entire year I've gauged your psychology rather well. Enough so that I have come to a conclusion on how to get your aid willingly. But you've made a misunderstanding. To begin with, you are not the Xanadu Equation. Rather, you are a piece of the equation."

He stopped just a handful of feet away from Kaoru, not bothering to look up at Mizuki. He knew without looking that she appeared slightly taken aback by his words. "Your second misunderstanding in that statement was to believe that was even my interest. No, I'm rather more interested in your ability as a True Sin. I've been looking for it for nearly twenty years."

Kaoru managed to speak before Mizuki could. "Twenty years? But Mizuki isn't even seventeen yet. And how would you know of her ability anyways? She doesn't know it, so how could she use it well enough for others to know it?"

"Because twenty years ago my colleagues and I were able to gain a hold of a list of detailed abilities for True Sins that had been on record. Two in particular caught my eye; because of where they came from they had abilities that I would require to create my perfect world. It wasn't until a year ago that I learned that the one possessing one of those powers was Mizuki Mitsuhiro. As for her birth…even I'm not sure how old she is, but she certainly isn't sixteen." Mizuki grimaced and her small hands balled into fists.

"I had wondered…since the time I discovered that I was a True Sin…whether my aging was slowed or sped up. Frost told me that the degree of the speeding and slowing of the age seemed to vary based on the power of the True Sin. And as they said, my power is very large. And it also explains why Nightmare would have known things that even I didn't. When I used partitioning for the first time, I realized something. It wasn't the first time I had done it, not like I had thought." She raised her hands up in front of her face, opening them and staring at the pale skin of her open palms.

Suddenly she dropped her left hand to her side and pointed the other one at Saint, her eyes darkening with anger. "But none of that matters right now! Like I said before, it's time for this to end! No more games, just your defeat!"

The darkness exploded into thousands of tiny tendrils, all of them shooting out and at Saint. They wrapped around Saint, covering all of his body but his head in the darkness in mere seconds. Kaoru stared in awe at the sight. "She captured him…so easily."

Mizuki squeezed her hand and the darkness tightened around him. "You've lost Saint! In this darkness the power I've got can shut down even your teleportation! There's no way out, and I can crush you in a moment if I'd like!"

Saint merely smiled, despite the discomfort. "You've made a miscalculation again Miss Mitsuhiro. Rather surprising for someone as good at math as you are. You see…what you've failed to understand is that every Sin and True Sin has one power and one power alone. That includes you and me."

She glared at him, further tightening her grip on him. "What are you talking about? I've got two powers obviously. Whatever it was I used to attack you with before, and my ability to manipulate the darkness. That's two different things, they aren't related!"

It came as no surprise that Saint laughed mildly at her words. It seemed that all he did was laugh and smile after all. "All True Sins have a special organ that alters the energy their body naturally produces, as well as producing its own, in order to create the abilities they manifest. You on the other hand have an entirely separate organ apart from that which governs your use of the darkness. These two are not related. Your True Sin power is something else entirely. In fact, it's not what you used to attack me with."

He continued, closing his eyes as he spoke. "As for me, I've demonstrated two different abilities. A unique form of teleportation and the ability to cleanse or purify the mind and personality of others. If what I've told you is true, then how could I possibly use both of those abilities?"

His body began to ripple and the darkness bubbled as well. Light encased his body and then sprayed outwards, ripping apart the darkness that was holding him together. Mizuki and Kaoru heard him speak, but as he did there was something…dual about his voice. "Saint Beatrix isn't exactly who you think."

The light faded and both of the girls couldn't help but stare at what they saw. Standing in front of them was Saint Beatrix in all his blonde Germanic glory, still wearing priest's robes. But standing next to him was a blonde woman of similar height and beauty with bright blue eyes, wearing a long modest white dress. Mizuki barely managed a response. "What…"

The two blondes smiled at the same moment, the man's almost amused while the woman's seemed slightly sad. First the man spoke, offering the two girls a bow. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am True Sin Saint."

Next the woman spoke, placing her hands behind her back as she bow similarly, though it was slightly deeper. "A pleasure to meet you, I am True Sin Beatrix."

Mizuki grimaced and looked from one to the next. "What the heck is this? Saint and Beatrix? Which is it, what the heck are you?"

Saint smiled and placed one hand on the woman's left shoulder. "You see, we are twins. I possess the power of purification, and hers lets her rearrange the position of any matter that she understands in depth. For people, this merely includes herself and me. Unfortunately, outside of the darkness due to a bit of an accident her body is rather limited. In fact, all that truly remains of my dearest sister is three things."

Beatrix sighed and looked away from them. "My brain, my heart, and the Xanadu Organ that generates my power. And they reside in my brother."

Kaoru's eyes widened as she remembered the words of Saint Beatrix the first time she tried to peer into his heart. "Saint…if her heart is inside of you…where's your heart?"

Saint glanced over at her and inclined his head. "Clever girl. You're right, it would be rather difficult to simply place extra organs into my body and let them continue to function. But my sister can rearrange only those complex bits of matter that she is intimate with. So…to put it quite simply, my heart was removed to make room for hers, along with my brain. The Xanadu Organ was simply merged with my own. My own power that manipulates electromagnetic fields lets me keep my own brain connected to this body. Thus I survive with her heart, and as long as this body and her brain lives, so do my own. We are truly twins in the purest sense."

Mizuki growled and snapped her fingers, dark tendrils shooting towards them. "I don't care what you are anymore; I'm just going to finish you two off!"

Saint sighed and held out his hand, light flashing from it. The darkness retreated, the tendrils crumbling. "The darkness isn't so simple. I'm afraid we're at a bit of a stand-off. We can't escape, you can't harm us. Of course, there's always one simple method of resolving conflict in the darkness."

Beatrix offered them another bow. "Please forgive us; it's the only way to avoid too much trouble. If you let my brother duel you, it won't be for high stakes unless you want it to be. Just to end this darkness game and let him makes his offer to you."

The dark haired girl glanced over at Kaoru, and then back at Saint and Beatrix. "No…not simple stakes! If you win the duel, make whatever proposition you want and I'll listen with an open mind. But if I win, then you lose your power and leave me and everyone else alone forever!"

The German man tapped his forehead with one long finger. "And what are you going to do about your friends whom I've purified? After all, they'll remain blank slates even if my power vanishes."

She growled and flicked open her duel disk. "It doesn't matter! If that's the case I'll just up the punishment game to force you to tell me how to fix them!"

Saint 'tsked' and wagged a finger at her. "I'm afraid that's too many conditions. You'll have to pick one set. Either I tell you how to fix them, or I lose my powers and leave you alone. You can't have it both ways."

"Yes, yes we can!" All three of the others turned and looked at Kaoru, who was standing and staring at them with determination.

She pointed her left hand at Beatrix, who blinked slowly in response to the gesture. "If I win the darkness game, she'll tell us how to fix everyone, and if I lose I'll take whatever punishment you've got."

Beatrix looked over at her brother questioningly, and he merely laughed and nodded briefly to her. Beatrix sighed and again bowed. "Very well, I accept your challenge."

Simultaneously the four duelists moved into a square pattern and activated their duel disks, sliding decks into place. Saint laughed brightly, almost amused. "It looks like I get to use my own personal deck. It's been quite some time. I'll enjoy this." (Saint: 4000)

His sister offered one inclination of the head to each of her two opponents even as she drew her opening hand. "I hope my deck will be enough to face you, just as it was for Mister Uzumaki." (Beatrix: 4000)

Mizuki flicked the cards off her deck and began to thread them through her fingers. "Don't you worry; I'll defeat anything you've got to throw at me! My friends are counting on me, and I won't let them down! Without them, I'm not worth anything!" (Mizuki: 4000)

Kaoru drew her five cards much slower than the other three and then her disk blinked. "Let's start things off, with this!" (Kaoru: 4000)

Her deck churned and a card shot out of it. She picked it up and flashed it to the others. "At the start of the duel I can activate this magic card, my most recently acquired card! Field of Battle!"

All of them save Mizuki caught a card that came out of their duel disk and placed it on top of their deck. "Thanks to this not only do we get to place field cards on top of our decks, but they can coexist for the rest of the duel."

Once they were done all eyes turned to Beatrix, who drew at a very sedated pace. "I activate my field magic card, Beautiful City."

All around them giant majestic buildings arose, glittering in a non-existent sun. "I continue by placing two cards face down and summoning Beautiful Hero Love Baker (700/300) in defense mode. I end my turn."

As soon as she was done Mizuki drew, snapping her arm out to the side. "Even though I don't have a field card I've got plenty to back me up! Rune Guardian (1000/2000) in defense mode!"

The shield wielding blonde man appeared, crouching with his shield out in front of him. "Next I'll play two cards behind him! That ends my turn!"

Saint smiled and the field seemed to vibrate with tension as he drew. "Ah…at long last it's my turn. I suppose now I should show you my deck. After all, nothing is more accurate for me than this deck. So come forth, Saint Hero-Vitality (1400/1600)!"

His first monster formed, revealing in glowing armor of light with a large V displayed on his chest in red. Long black hair flowed out behind his head and his eyes were also glowing white. Strapped to his right arm was a large round golden shield, and in his left arm was a short golden sword. "Of course in this type of duel he can't attack quite yet. So I'll merely set a card face down. And then I activate City of Saints!"

Pushing aside some of Beatrix's towers were giant white buildings, each of which was shaped like a cross. And forming directly behind Saint was a huge church which seemed to be shining with an inner light. "I believe with that it becomes Miss Kaoru's turn."

All eyes now moved to Kaoru, and she placed two fingers on the top of her deck. As she drew Mizuki couldn't help but frown. _'A field card? Even my father never used a field card. I didn't even know a Tarot Deck had a field card.'_

Kaoru opened the special slot on her duel disk and slapped the card down. "You want purity Saint? It doesn't get much purer than this! Field magic card, The Light Boundary!"

Light engulfed the entire surroundings, making the darkness of the darkness realm seem to fade into nothing. However, even as it did so a representation of the card appeared above Kaoru's head. "Go ahead Saint; why not tell my card when to stop?"

Saint raised one eyebrow and pointed at the swiftly spinning card. "Very well, stop." The card continued moving for a few more seconds, slowing until it stopped…upright.

Kaoru smirked and the light became almost blinding. "If the result isn't upright The Light Boundary has its effects negated for the turn. However, since it is not I get the effect at least until my next turn. And with everything it's got; let me show you what I can do!"

She took another card from her hand and slid it into her duel disk. "Activate continuous magic card Limit Down! As long as this card remains in play each player has the sacrifice cost of all monsters they use reduced by one."

Mizuki and Kaoru shared a glanced and Mizuki smirked, nodding once to her partner. "Go right ahead."

"With pleasure! I sacrifice Rune Guardian to summon the mighty Arcana Force XX-The Judgment (3000/3000)!" The rune wielder faded away, replaced on Kaoru's field by a huge monster with a cylindrical body and two dragon heads extending out from its side, each one holding an end of a scale.

Light flashed over the monster's body and Kaoru pointed above its head, revolving that its card wasn't rotating. "As long as The Light Boundary has its effect activated, all monsters other than Arcana monsters lose their effects! And I get to choose heads or tails for the summoning of an Arcana monster. My choice is heads!"

Each of the dragon heads roared, but it didn't seem to affect either of the True Sins. "Since I can't attack this turn I'll set one card face down and end!"

Beatrix drew slowly, looking around at the light. "Since your field negates effect monsters, I'll switch Baker to defense mode and set one monster. Turn End."

As soon as she declared the end of her turn Mizuki was already drawing. She glanced at the drawn card and threw it onto her field. When the light cleared it showed a monster wearing hefty gauntlets and wearing white. "Rune Fighter (1650/1200), attack and destroy Vitality!"

Fighter charged forwards and slammed its right fist into Vitality's chest, plunging through the armor. The hero coughed, white blood splattering against the ground. Saint shrugged. "A pity." (Saint: 3750)

The buildings that were crosses glowed and light shot down from them, engulfing the defeated Vitality. It rose into the air and then faded away. "Oh, perhaps I forgot to mention that when a Saint Hero is destroyed City of Saints removes them from play. Also, once when Vitality is in the removed from play pile I gain its attack points as life points. And since that occurs when it's no longer on the field, The Light Boundary does not negate it." (Saint: 5150)

Mizuki grimaced, realizing she had only helped him. _'I have to keep focused; I've got back up so we should be able to win. I can't let his poker face throw me off.'_

Saint pointed to his set card, and a glowing cross appeared in the sky. "Saint Signal activates when a monster on my field is destroyed. I can special summon one 'Saint Hero' from my hand or deck to the field as long as it is level four or lower."

Another hero with armor of light formed on the field, this one with a giant J marked on its chest and a simple short spear made of gold in one hand. "Saint Hero-Joyous (900/1900) is summoned in defense mode."

He smiled and held up his trap card. "If the summon is successful after resolution Saint Signal removes itself from play."

Mizuki looked down at the remaining cards in her hand and then back up at the field. "I end!"

Saint drew and smiled, flicking around his drawn card. "I activate Gift of Saintly Gains. Now each player other than me draws one card, while in exchange I may draw two cards."

At the same time Mizuki and Kaoru drew, with Beatrix slightly behind them. Saint picked up the top two cards of his deck and placed them with his others, smiling the whole time. "After its effect resolves Gift of Saintly Gains removes itself from the game."

The card seemed to fade away from his hand until even the motes of light were gone. Without waiting he turned another card around to face them. "Purifying Beacon requires that I remove one face-up monster on my field from the play, as well as grant each player other than me five hundred life points."

A ripple of light descended on Joyous, making him disappear. At the same time three rays of light shot down from the mixed city and swept over the other three duelists, giving them their life points. "Enjoy the gift my dear friends." (Beatrix: 4500, Mizuki: 4500, Kaoru: 4500)

A card popped out of his deck and he placed it into his hand. "In exchange for those gifts and that offering I may add one card from my deck to my hand, though that card may not be played in this turn. In addition when Purifying Beacon's effect resolves it is removed from the game. And now I activate the effect of Joyous, granting each player three hundred life points per card in hand."

Kaoru held out her hand of three cards and Mizuki showed four, light blossoming around them instantly. Mizuki scowled at Saint even as her life points rose. "What kind of dueling is this? All you've done so far has helped us." (Mizuki: 5700, Kaoru: 5400)

Her opponent chuckled and fanned out his five card hand. "Before you understand that, perhaps I should let you know that this deck and your friend Fortitude's deck are designed in a similar manner. You see, Joyous grants a player with no cards in their cemetery at all an additional two hundred points per card. And I have no cards in my grave." (Saint: 7650)

Beatrix raised her hand of three cards and light also engulfed her. "My cemetery is also empty, so I too gain the added benefit." (Beatrix: 6000)

Saint cleared his throat and a card appeared face-down in front of him, followed by a glowing warrior with a dulcimer clutched in his hands. "Before you understand my strategy, perhaps you should pay attention. One card face down and Saint Hero-Music (500/1900) in defense mode. That's my turn."

Kaoru grimaced and slashed her top card off her deck. The light around them began to flicker and she spun a card in her hand around. "During my standby phase The Light Boundary must rotate again, however I discard Imagined Destiny to force Boundary into upright position!"

The light solidified again, granting them its protection. Or at least her, as Mizuki's monsters were also limited by the effect negation ability. _'Kaoru might get me into trouble with that field card…but for the moment she's giving us the advantage so I can't complain.'_

Once again she looked over to Mizuki and nodded pointedly at the other girl's face-up monster. "Just go for it Kaoru, I'll trust you on this one."

Kaoru smiled back at her partner and Fighter burst into particles. "I sacrifice my partner's Rune Fighter and thanks to Limit Down I can now normal summon Arcana Force XXI- The World (3100/3100)!"

An image flashed through Mizuki's mind of the monster that was appearing on Kaoru's field, only in her mind it was in front of a dark haired man who vaguely resembled her. The monster was massive, bigger than The Judgment, and had a slate grey body that dropped into a point. Its body crested with what was almost a crown, decorated by numerous yellow jewels. "Thanks to The Light Boundary I choose The World's upright effect!"

Mizuki felt herself practically slipping into the past, feeling almost like a little girl as she saw Kaoru grab the next card in her hand. In her mind, it was her father making the move. _'And the card combo he would play now that helped make his career as a duelist…Arcana Image!'_

Kaoru thrust out the card and two little stone dolls hunched over a card-reading table formed in front of her. "Arcana Image activates, granting me two Arcana Tokens (500/500) in defense mode!"

Next she turned another of her cards around, revealing a second magic card. "Suit of Wands X is my next choice, and let's see what it comes out as!"

Her magic card rotated in mid-air, and Saint glanced over at his sister. She nodded and pointed up at the spinning card. "Stop."

It ended up pointed face-up and the cards set on the field began to shake. "Looks like fate is on our side! Its upright effect sends all magic and trap cards set on the opponent's back to their decks!"

She thrust one hand forward and her monsters prepared themselves, the dragon heads gathering flame and yellow light sweeping about The World's crown. "My two monsters will attack Beatrix's Love Baker and face-down monster! Judgment Flare and Over Catastrophe!"

The two attacks shot out, skewering the two monsters and vaporizing them instantly. Kaoru took a deep breath as the light of their fallen bodies swept towards her and surrounded her. "As long as The Light Boundary has its effect when I beat one of your monsters in battle I gain its attack as life points!" (Kaoru: 6500)

Despite that neither of the True Sins seemed perturbed, but Mizuki knew what was coming next. "For the last part of my turn I activate the effect of The World, the deadliest Arcana Force effect! By sacrificing two monsters, such as my two Arcana Tokens, I can skip my opponent's next turn!"

The two stone monsters faded into nothingness and a cage of light slammed down around Beatrix, sealing her in place. Saint frowned at the sight, realizing his sister wasn't even moving. "Stopping time itself, rather impressive technique."

Kaoru smirked and reached for her deck. "Not just that, but when an Arcana Token is sacrificed for the effect of a card with 'Arcana' in its name I get to draw one card, so I'll draw two cards now."

Once the two cards where in her hand she flashed Mizuki a thumbs up and the other girl just smiled back. "Now I end my turn, and since Beatrix's turn is skipped it becomes my partner's turn!"

Mizuki latched her eyes onto Saint and raised her hand to point at him. "You're mine Saint! My turn, draw!"

Her draw was faster than the previous time and she practically snarled as she tossed the card onto her duel disk. A massively muscled man with runes on his muscles formed, flexing heavily. "Rune Berserker (2000/1200) shows the sort of brutality I'm going to inflict on you! But just wait, I'm not done yet!"

With her left hand, duel disk and all, she pointed at a card set on her field. It revealed itself and energy gathered on its surface. "Rune Symbol-Kenaz in the reverse means you eat eight hundred points of effect damage!"

The symbol shot a blue bolt of power from it, crashing into Saint's chest. He winced even as the particles of light dissipated. "Rather needlessly violent of you, but I understand your feelings. After all, I've done quite a bit of damage to people close to you. Like Mister Akugi." (Saint: 6850)

Mizuki's eyes widened and she shook her head violently, her eyes widening as she screamed at him. There were no words, it was just sheer rage and hate and her wail caused the darkness to ripple all around them. When it ended her eyes were burning with hate and she reached for her cards. "You don't get to even say his name you monster!"

Her card glowed in her hand even as she activated it. "Rune Charm-Summon lets me summon this monster from my hand, Rune Blader (2300/2300)! And now, Rune Blader will attack your Saint Hero-Music!"

Kaoru's eyes widened and she stretched out a hand to her enraged friend. "Wait a second Mizuki; don't let your anger distract you! Blader is stronger, save its attack for last!"

Blader darted forward, white armor gleaming as it swung its twin blades down and through the dulcimer wielding warrior. Music shattered and the pieces of light rose into the tops of the cross-shaped skyscrapers. Saint sighed and shook his head. "Becoming so needlessly violent, so unnecessary. I aided your friend Mister Akugi in finding a level of purity and enlightenment that he could never have otherwise found."

Mizuki narrowed her eyes…and then smirked. Saint's eyes widened as Blader jumped straight forward and swung his sword down, slashing Saint across the shoulder. The priest garb was torn and he grabbed his shoulder, grimacing in pain. "What…how did that happen?" (Saint: 5850)

The young True Sin stood up to her full height and looked over at Kaoru, and then back at Saint. "Don't assume because I'm angry I can't think straight. When Rune Blader destroys a defense mode monster that player takes a thousand points of damage. So I had the right pick the whole time."

Kaoru blinked and looked at her like she was crazy. "But The Light Boundary should have negated Rune Blader's effect since it doesn't have 'Arcana' in its name."

Mizuki jerked a thumb at her dual-sword wielding warrior. "This guy here is immune to all non-targeting magic card effects, including those of field cards. Makes him quite a deadly monster."

She threaded her remaining cards through her fingers, keeping her gaze locked on Saint's equally blue eyes. "You know…maybe the eyes are a genetic thing. Every True Sin I've noticed has had blue eyes of about the same shade. Pretty strange…but it doesn't matter."

Saint clapped, now ignoring the shallow wound in his shoulder. "Bravo Miss Mitsuhiro, you're just as observant as I expected. Just like your mother."

Mizuki and Kaoru both started in shock, and Mizuki took a step forward without thinking. "My mother? You know my mother?"

The German man chuckled and shook his head. "I'm sorry Miss Mitsuhiro; I suppose I've said too much. Please, allow this turn to continue. I believe I'll do so, using Music's ability in the removed from play pile to give each player three hundred life points in exchange for giving me one card from my removed from play pile." (Saint: 6150, Mizuki: 6000, Beatrix: 6300, Kaoru: 6800)

A card flickered and appeared in his hand amongst his other three cards. Mizuki gritted her teeth and looked at her second monster. "That's just fine; I'm going to enjoy this part anyways! Rune Berserker, direct attack!"

Her brutish monster ran forward and slammed a flying elbow into Saint's stomach, dropping him to his knees and sending him into a coughing fit as the wind was knocked out of him. Mizuki smirked confidently at the sight. "Looks like you aren't as perfect as you'd like to think. You can be hurt as long as your sister isn't protecting you. Keep that in mind, because it's your turn." (Saint: 4150)

Saint drew and placed a card onto his duel disk. "Saint Hero-Defender (1000/2100) in attack mode. Of course…I'll just be playing Purifying Beacon that I regained to remove it from the game."

Mizuki and Kaoru grimaced as they realized that despite their life gain he was just gaining another card in his hand that he specifically wanted, and since he hadn't played the other as far as they knew that meant he was building for something. (Beatrix: 6800, Mizuki: 6500, Kaoru: 7300)

With a calm smile Saint placed the card into his hand…and then inclined his head to Kaoru. "I end my turn."

Kaoru drew, but she was cautious in doing so because Saint had just ended his turn with no cards on his field at all. _'I don't get it…is he bluffing or just overconfident? I've got enough attack points to finish him off here!'_

Mizuki growled and whipped around to her partner. "Quit hesitating! Destroy him!"

The lights flickered and the card image of The Light Boundary rotated above her. Saint smiled and his eyes gleamed in the light as he pointed at it. "Stop."

Her eyes widened as it stopped spinning…pointing down. "No…that means I can't negate effects anymore…"

Shaking it off she grabbed her three cards and shoved two into the cemetery. "It doesn't matter; we can finish you both off in these next few turns! I discard two cards for the effect of Magic Shard Excavation, recovering and letting me activate Arcana Image!"

The two statues from before appeared, equally as motionless as before. "Since they can't attack I'll just tribute them to the effect of The World, skipping Beatrix's turn again before she even gets out of stasis!"

Even though the field around her had slowly been fading it solidified even further, keeping Beatrix trapped in time. "Now Saint I attack you directly, Over Catastrophe!"

Saint smiled up at the massive yellow beam of light and extended his right hand, which began to glow. "Out of curiosity, have you ever heard the term 'Light of Purification' Miss Kaoru?"

Even as he spoke the attack struck the light of his hand and was dispersed bit by bit. Kaoru grimaced and responded. "No…why?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No reason, I simply thought it was pertinent. You see, I knew a man once who used a Tarot Deck quite effectively. He was at one time quite obsessed with the 'Light of Purification'. But it's rather complicated and history, so I'll skip the lesson."

Mizuki cut in immediately after he finished speaking. "Skip right to the part where you explain why you didn't take damage."

With a bland smile he began to do so. "Of course, once while in the removed from play pile Defender can reduce all damage from the opponent to zero. And if in chain to an actual instance of damage I gain half that amount as life points, assuming my cemetery is empty. Which of course it is." (Saint: 5700)

Kaoru grimaced and glanced over at the frozen Beatrix. "And since it reduces all damage from the opponent to zero this turn I can't hurt her."

She looked down at the two cards she had drawn from the effect of her tokens and nodded her head. "That's fine, I end my turn, skipping hers and going straight to Mizuki's!"

Mizuki drew and snapped the card up. "Rune Symbol-Ansuz lets me view the top five cards of my deck and arrange them in whatever order I want."

She picked up her cards and changed their position quickly, finally sliding them back into place. "Now here's the part I was looking forward to! Rune Berserker and Rune Blader will both attack you directly! There's nothing to stop them this time Saint! Now you'll feel just one millionth of the suffering you've inflicted upon others!"

Rune Blader moved in first, swinging its twin blades down in an x-motion, cutting mirrored lines of red across his chest. He gritted his teeth even as blood trickled out. Then Rune Berserker slammed a heavy fist into his cheek at full force, sending him careening into the dark ground. "And that's what a piece of my retribution feels like!" (Saint: 1400)

Saint lifted his head, turned to her, and had the gall to smile despite the slight purpling of his cheek. "That was quite impressive. Is your turn finished?"

She kicked at the ground and the darkness wailed for a moment. "Yes, I'm done for now. And you're just about done as well."

Their opponent rose to his feet and drew, smiling the whole way. "Actually…it's just about time that I begin. Pure Charity acts like Graceful Charity, however since I have no monsters in the cemetery I need only discard one card."

He deposited the card into the cemetery and then reached out as both it and Pure Charity popped back out. "The card I discarded was Dimensional Fade, and I may remove it from my cemetery to remove one card in any player's cemetery from the game. My choice to remove is Pure Charity."

Still smiling he held up another card. "This is the card I searched for the first time, my magic card Martyrdom Ghost, which simply requires me to allow one player to draw a card other than I and that I have no cards in the cemetery. Beatrix will draw…once she's aware again."

One by one ghostly images of Joyous, Music, Defender, and Vitality all took shape on Saint's field. "With this power I gain tokens of any removed from play Saint Heroes I so choose. Of course they can't attack and are destroyed during my end phase. And luckily for me Martyrdom Ghost removes itself from the game."

Saint smiled and turned his blue gaze to Kaoru, who tried her best not to whither under those eyes. "I know quite well that during your time guarding Miss Paradise you challenged Murk and gained access to The Vault. After all, that's where you got The Light Boundary along with that other secret card you've got lurking in your deck."

Kaoru gulped and glanced down at her deck without thinking. Mizuki looked over at the other girl, and Kaoru just shrugged. "Sorry, not like I had time to say anything."

Mizuki finally shrugged and turned back to Saint. "It doesn't matter, as long as he gets crushed. The more secret weapons you've got the better."

Their opponent chuckled and wagged a finger at them. "If you recall, I used the effect of Purifying Beacon twice. The second card I searched for was from my time at Duelist Academy. You see, I too once one my way into The Vault and availed myself of some of its contents."

Kaoru's eyes widened as she remembered that time down in the caverns. _'No…I should have seen it then! He practically admitted to it that time!'_

_Saint closed his eyes and shook his head, still smiling as he did so. "Murk, it's been quite a while. Although for once I wish you would dispense with the pleasantries and remove your mask, but beggars can't be choosers."_

She shook her head, feeling like an idiot. _'The fact that he recognized Murk should have been a warning bell that told me he had been in The Vault. But if he has…there's no telling what sort of weapon he could have! All the cards in there were sealed for a reason…and I only put The Light Boundary and my other taken card into my deck just to duel him!'_

Saint pointed at his monsters and energy began to swirl around them. "Miss Kaoru, Miss Mitsuhiro, please allow me to introduce my ultimate saint. The heavens twist and thunder roars, signaling the coming of this ancient creature…"

The cities in the darkness shook and just as he said the false skies above twisted, purple lightning crackling throughout the darkness. A deafening sound, part shriek and part roar split the darkness practically in half and the two girls winced at the sound. Saint just smiled broadly and raised his arms above his head. "And the dawn of true power!"

The True Sin Saint's laughter filled up the darkness as a red armored form began to push through the hole in the sky.

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Author's Note: Wow I've been crazy busy, got a new job, moved into my new place (which involved moving out of my old one), semester ended, and lots of other craziness. But here it is at last! Sorry for the delay.

_Next Time: Beatrix and Saint's true purpose is revealed as they push Mizuki and Kaoru into a corner. Despite their desperation it seems as if Saint and Beatrix cannot be defeated, but still a secret lies within the Beautiful Saint that could bring a method to victory. Seeking the inner truth that Saint Beatrix has hidden from them Kaoru attacks with everything she has!_

_See it all in, Virtues of Sinning!_


	88. Virtues of Sinning

Author's Note: The battle continues!

**Chapter Eighty-Eight: Virtues of Sinning**

_Saint pointed at his monsters and energy began to swirl around them. "Miss Kaoru, Miss Mitsuhiro, please allow me to introduce my ultimate saint. The heavens twist and thunder roars, signaling the coming of this ancient creature…"_

_The cities in the darkness shook and just as he said the false skies above twisted, purple lightning crackling throughout the darkness. A deafening sound, part shriek and part roar split the darkness practically in half and the two girls winced at the sound. Saint just smiled broadly and raised his arms above his head. "And the dawn of true power!"_

_The True Sin Saint's laughter filled up the darkness as a red armored form began to push through the hole in the sky. _

A draconic head pushed through, massive jaws open wide and breath wafting out, hot and steamy as it descended. The glistening teeth were razor sharp, and its eyes were set as triplets, a total of three pairs each set close above the other. It moved farther down, circling around Saint and Beatrix, revealing a crimson serpentine body. When at last it came to a rest, head hovering a dozen feet above Saint, it let loose a roar that shook the darkness, massive wings of light spreading out from its back, forming a trio of wing pairs. "Glory Dragon-God of Saints (0/0)!"

Mizuki and Kaoru exchanged glances as they saw the stats of the monster. Mizuki was the first to speak as she looked up at it. "That monster…it looks so much like Saint Dragon Osiris, one of the god cards! I've seen it in videos of the first Battle City…"

Saint chuckled lightly and looked up at his beast. "Yes, in fact God of Saints is one of three cards designed to be like one of the gods. You see, when the gods were designed Pegasus feared their power and thus created counters to them, which he dubbed the Wicked Gods. He feared their power and sealed them away, then hoped to create another set to counter them. A more direct duplication, but also dark, came about in the form of the Legendary Demons, monsters without the immunities of the gods but with perverted forms and great powers."

He raised his right arm up to indicate the massive form of his dragon god, which narrowed its eyes and growled at his enemies when he did so. "Thus the 'Saint Gods' were born, three monsters of great power that are difficult to summon, but were intended to counter the Legendary Demons. Of course after sealing the demons away, he chose to also seal the Saint Gods since they were too powerful for mass production and weren't necessary as long as the demons were sealed."

Glory Dragon fanned its light wings out and energy began to be sucked into them from all around. Saint glanced up and smiled at it. "Ah, speaking of which it seems Glory Dragon has chosen to enact its special effect. For every card in the removed from play pile it gains three hundred points. But if my cemetery is empty, it gains five hundred instead. I have ten cards removed from the game and no grave, so I'll let you do the math."

The wings expanded to an even greater length and both opposing duelists gulped as its attack and defense scores settled at five thousand a piece. Kaoru grimaced, realizing she was in big trouble since her monsters were the biggest targets available. "That thing is a beast…"

"Yes, it is, and I hope you weren't intending to protect your monster with that set of yours, because I believe in peace. So to prevent shady actions, I activate the continuous magic card Chains of Peace, which prevents all set cards from being activated." Mizuki grimaced and snapped her arm out to the side towards her set card, and a magic card showed its face.

"In reaction to your card I'll chain Rune Symbol-Perthro, and its merkstave effect lets me force you to skip your next two draw phases, but on your third one you'll draw four cards total." Saint raised an eyebrow, but continued to smile none-the-less. As soon as a glow encased his deck chains erupted from his face-up magic card and wrapped around the floor of the field.

"Very well, I suppose I should go ahead and eliminate the greatest threat then. Glory Dragon, deal with The World in your true manner. Sovereign Testament!" Glory Dragon's eyes flashed and white light boiled up from beneath The World, shooting through it and piercing it in half. When the tip of the energy swath hit a dozen feet above the head of The World it split in both directions, forming a cross that pierced straight through the Arcana monster. It blew apart, and the cross faded. (Kaoru: 5400)

Kaoru winced at seeing what was perhaps her deadliest monster annihilated in a flash of semi-sacrilegious light. "Damn…"

Saint smiled warmly at her and tapped the top of his deck. "I believe I'll call it a turn. Feel free to take over for me Miss Kaoru and I do apologize for that brutality."

She growled in response and drew, but despite her attempt to remain fierce she felt shaken by the strength of her opponent's monster and his confidence. "During my standby phase, The Light Boundary rotates…"

The German man watched it rotate for several moments before snapping his fingers. The card slowed to a stop, and almost predictably it ended up facing down. Saint shrugged. "It seems your luck has run out."

Without The Light Boundary's aid she felt a little lost, but she had to stay focused. She started to look down at her hand of cards, but suddenly she realized that the ground beneath her was glowing. "What's going on?"

Saint pointed his left arm into the air, one finger aimed directly at the giant draconic head above his own. "Glory Dragon isn't powerful because of attack points, but rather because it has two additional effects. During the opponent's standby phase they receive one hundred points of damage for every card in their cemetery. Its a little effect I like to call 'Stigmata'."  
Mizuki could only watch as Kaoru screamed in pain when the same light as from Glory Dragon's attack shot through the violet-eyed girl's body, lifting her off the ground in a cross of energy. "Kaoru! Saint you bastard, you'll pay for this!"

As soon as the light faded Kaoru slumped to the ground, her arms hanging limp and her breath coming in heavy gasps. Saint frowned slightly and shook his head. "Yes, it's truly a pity. But perhaps she'll come to understand purity through suffering. I regret the pain she must take, but to win this duel I do what is necessary." (Kaoru: 4600)

The darkness rippled as Mizuki glared hatefully at Saint. "That's your logic for everything isn't it? You can live with sin and in sin, committing whatever atrocities you like as long as it achieves your goal of reaching true purity. Isn't that a bit hypocritical though? Doesn't that make you the biggest sinner of all?"

Saint sighed and looked to his sister, still frozen by The World's effect. "Yes, it does. But you see, I'm not entirely egotistical. I've seen the suffering of this world and I intend to end it by creating a perfect world through whatever means necessary. And when that world is created, I shall use my power on myself and completely purify my mind, purging me of all sin."

Kaoru lifted her head, finally recovering, and reached out with her power to him, but found nothing but a blank. With no heart at all it seemed like her power couldn't even reach him. "So you're going to end your own life in perfect irony by purifying yourself because you've committed sins? Then how will you know if you've really created a perfect peaceful world?"

Those bright blue eyes of his focused on Mizuki and his smile became sad, but contained a glimmer of something they had never seen in him before. It was…hope. "Because I have faith in the power of the True Sin I call Hope. Her power will give me a new beginning, just as it will help me give a new beginning to a perfect world."

Mizuki felt her heart flutter in her chest at those words, and her natural curiosity rose again. "My power…what is my power? Why did you choose me as Hope?"

The sadness faded and Saint chuckled, wagging the pointer finger of his right hand at her. "Come now Miss Mitsuhiro, not all secrets are so easily revealed. Impress me a little more, and maybe I'll tell you."

Kaoru met Mizuki's gaze and nodded, feeling somewhat reinvigorated. "I can't take down Glory Dragon, but I can start some set-up! I activate Desperado Manager, which lets me draw two cards!"

She pulled two cards off her deck, giving her four in hand. Then she grabbed three of them and folded them together. "Afterwards I must place three cards from my hand onto my deck!"

As soon as they were on top of her deck she grabbed her last card and slammed it into her duel disk. "Normally this card is ludicrous to use, but some people can make it work for them. For instance, when combined with this card it does wonders. I activate Arcana Vision! This lets me guess cards from the top of my deck, and all cards guessed correctly are added to my hand. Any Arcana Force monsters get special summoned!"

"I guess Arcana Force IV-The Emperor (1400/1400), Arcana Force V-The Hierophant (1500/1500), and Arcana Force VIII-The Hermit (1900/1900)!" A series of monsters all appeared alongside the powerful Judgment, flooding her field with creatures of bizarre shapes. Cards above their heads all began to rotate.

One by one they stopped, The Emperor upright, and both The Hierophant and The Hermit reversed. "For The Emperor's effect all Arcana Force monsters gain five hundred attack points. The Hierophant's reverse effect lets me draw two cards, and The Hermit's effect is meaningless at this point in time since it only works if it is in the only monster on my field."  
She drew two new cards and then pointed at her most powerful monster. "I shift The Judgment into defense mode, and then thanks to Limit Down I can summon Arcana Force XI-The Justice (2100 +500/2100) in defense mode without tribute!"

This monster also began to rotate, and like the previous two also ended up reversed. Kaoru practically smirked at this. "When The Justice is destroyed, it gets removed from the game thanks to its reverse effect."

With her field full of monsters she looked at the last card in her hand and nodded once, feeling confident. "I end my turn."

With that declaration the field surrounding Beatrix dissipated and the beautiful woman blinked a few times and then stretched her arms above her head. "You have no idea how odd it is to not be able to move for so long. Especially after having a body again for the first time in a long time."

Saint smiled at his sister who returned it, but in a more somber fashion. "Dearest Beatrix, its time for you to make your move."

Mizuki practically snarled at the older woman, even as her eyes flicked between the two twins. "He's right; get your turn out of the way so I can get back to beating your brother bloody!"

Beatrix sighed and picked up the top card of her deck, adding it carefully to her hand. It suddenly occurred to both Kaoru and Mizuki that they didn't know what to expect from her, because she had done essentially nothing the whole duel. "I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three and discarding two."

She barely paused before choosing the two cards she wanted to discard. As soon as those cards were in the grave she held up another card from her hand, one familiar to essentially every duelist. "Monster Reborn, revive Beautiful Hero-Supreme Lover (2900/2800) from the grave!"

Her monster was a beautiful man in a tight golden body suit, glittering cape fluttering in a non-existent wind behind his back. She sighed and shook her head despite the appearance of her strong monster. "This monster aided greatly in the defeat of Mister Uzumaki when my brother wielded it. Now I'll use it to clear a path to his true goal."

Beatrix placed a card into her disk directly behind her monster, and a glowing staff with a star-shaped head digitized into Supreme Lover's hand. "I give my monster the equip card Staff of Joy, which grants a unique effect. However, before I do that I'll activate my monster's effect, shifting its mode twice forcefully!"

Supreme Lover knelt into a crouch, and then sprang back to his feet just as quickly. And to the surprise of the two girls the Beautiful Hero's attack points began to shoot up. "And whenever Supreme Lover's mode changes it gains five hundred attack points, plus an additional one hundred for each time past the first its been changed. Meaning for changing modes twice it gains first five hundred attack and then six hundred, for a grand total of eleven hundred attack points!" (Supreme Lover: 4000)

Next she pointed at Kaoru's weakest monster and Supreme Lover raised its hands. "Supreme Lover, attack The Emperor with Beautiful Wave!"

A beam of multi-colored light shot out and struck The Emperor. Kaoru winced…but her despair turned to surprise when her Emperor remained unharmed. "Wait, why wasn't The Emperor destroyed?"

Beatrix smiled as Supreme Lover twirled the staff in his hands swiftly in a circle. "Staff of Joy lets me negate all battle damage by the equipped monster if I so choose in order to gain life points equal to the difference between our monster's attack points. This effect can be activated only during my own turn so he can be beaten in battle…not that you're likely to create a monster with over four thousand attack points before my next turn. And with the boost your Emperor gives itself that difference is twenty-one hundred, so I'll be giving those life points to my dear brother."

The hero pointed his staff at Saint and a blue glow flooded out of it and into Saint's body, shooting his life points up. Saint gave his sister a bright smile. "Thank you dearest Beatrix." (Saint: 3500)

Mizuki frowned and looked over at Kaoru. _'If those two can communicate mentally then it's possible that Beatrix is just acting as support for Saint. However, its just as likely that there's more reason for her to want to negate the damage than just giving life points. Since all of Kaoru's monsters are in defense it would have made sense to get rid of the strongest monster first and ignore Staff of Joy's ability until later. I can only think of a few cards that take advantage of failing to kill a monster…'_

Kaoru continued the thought, unaware that Mizuki was thinking along the same line. _'And since one of the two cards is a continuous card that lets the player draw one card when their monster fails to win in battle, that means it's the more advantageous one for this situation. She's got to have…'_

Beatrix now was the one to finish the thought, thrusting one of her cards into the air. "Unfair Judge, activate now! This card can only be activated at a cost of eight hundred life points, and only at the end of my battle phase after one of my monsters has failed to destroy one of your monsters. Since those conditions are met, I can use its effect." (Beatrix: 6000)  
Light began to pulse off of the five monsters on Kaoru's field and the violet-eyed duelist gulped. "And now since the defense strength of all my defense mode monsters is greater than the attack strength of your selected monster you can attack each monster on my field one time a piece."

"I couldn't have said it better myself. Supreme Lover now attacks all five monsters on your field with Supreme Beautiful Wave!" Five separate multi-colored attacks shot out, each one striking one of Kaoru's defense mode Arcana monsters. And one by one they shattered into tiny pieces, leaving her field empty save her continuous cards.

Kaoru picked up all five of the cards and tucked three of them into her graveyard slot. One of them, Justice, she placed in a pocket of her blazer thanks to its reverse effect to be removed from the game. Then she held up the final card, The Judgment. "The Judgment's upright effect triggers when it's destroyed by the opponent! If it's an effect that destroys it, you take a thousand damage. But since it was battle, you take two thousand points of damage!"

A bolt of yellow energy shot out, piercing into Beatrix and going straight through her, causing her brother to wince. The older woman whimpered and her knees nearly buckled, but she managed to remain standing nonetheless. "Impressive shot…but not enough." (Beatrix: 4000) Selecting one of the last two cards in her hand she played it face-up, putting it into play. "I finish my turn by activating Beauty and Grace, which lets me during each of my end phases, let another player draw one card in order to gain five hundred life points. And during my end phase I use its effect to let my brother draw one card, and I give the life points to him as well!"

Saint's lips twitched into what was quite nearly a smirk as he drew a new card, putting him at three cards in hand despite the effect of Mizuki's Rune Symbol robbing him of a draw phase. "I quite appreciate the aid dearest sister. It appears you and I are back to our starting points." (Saint: 4000)

Mizuki growled and snatched a card off her deck. "But the way I see it despite your monsters I've got the most life points and plenty of chance to crush you both! So don't count us out quite yet!"

The male True Sin pointed at her and a cross of light shot up from beneath Mizuki's feet. "Glory Dragon, punish her with Stigmata!" (Mizuki: 5900)

When the light dissipated she stumbled slightly, and the darkness reached out to balance her. "I won't be done in by a little bit of damage like that Saint! I'm nowhere near finished!" She fanned out her three cards and then flicked one up into the air, snatching it in mid-arc and pointing it at Saint. "Quick-play magic card, Rune Symbol-Wunjo activates, letting me special summon one level four or lower monster from my hand or deck to the field! My choice is Rune Spellsword (1400/1400)!"

The white robed monster slashed his glowing rune sword through the air several times, leaving trails of light. As soon as it was in play she repeated the same throwing process as she had with Wunjo with her next card. "Here's my next piece of the puzzle, Rune Symbol-Nauthiz, which lets me add one monster from my grave or deck to my hand! And since it can be of any level, I know just which one I want."

With the ease of many times at practice she searched through her deck and plucked free a single card, holding it between two fingers of her right hand. She held it up to show her two opponents, but its image was obscured by her hand. All that could be seen was the symbol for a dark type monster at the top and the eight stars. Saint smiled and at this. "You're attempting to distract me from your real intent. It's been more than ten turns and you now have five Rune Symbols in the cemetery that you've successfully activated. In other words, you're going to use a Rune Lay-out."

Mizuki snarled and thrust one hand out, causing five cards to shoot out of her graveyard and hover face-up on the field, links of blue light surrounding them. "Kenaz in reverse, Ansuz in reverse, Wunjo in standard, Nauthiz in standard, and Perthro in standard!"

Kaoru shot a surprised glance at her teammate whilst Saint smiled faintly. _'She's skipping her normal prediction style and just jumping straight to the effect? She doesn't care about formalities or anything else right now, just beating Saint!'_

Blue light completely engulfed the five card lay-out and each individual symbol shot out, creating a massive circle of blue energy around all four duelists. Mizuki placed two fingers on the top card of her deck and narrowed her eyes at Saint. "Now each player guesses the top card of their deck, and the effect that follows depends on who guesses right and who guesses wrong! And my choice is magic card!"

She pulled it free and held it up, revealing Rune Chant, a magic card. Kaoru nodded and picked up her top card as well. "I guess magic card as well!"

Her draw wasn't quite as fortuitous as Mizuki's, as she revealed a trap card. Saint and Beatrix both declared their types at the same time, each one saying 'monster'. And when they drew, they revealed a monster each. Saint smiled and fiddled with his card. "Well, now what Miss Mitsuhiro?"

Mizuki slid the drawn card back into her deck and then the energy shot into the sky. "First each correctly guessed card is shuffled back into our decks, while each incorrect one is discarded. Now I gain one thousand life points for each player that guessed incorrectly. Which is one." (Mizuki: 6900)

The twins returned their drawn card to the deck whilst Kaoru discarded hers to the cemetery. As soon as they were done Mizuki reached for her deck again. "Now each player that guessed correctly draws cards from their deck until they're holding six cards! Let's go!"

Each player but Kaoru continued to draw until they had a nice and full hand. Suddenly Mizuki whirled on Kaoru and pointed one finger at her. "The player that guessed incorrectly now takes five hundred damage and discards cards from their deck equal to the difference between their hand size and a hand size of six cards! Since she's got one card, that's five discards!" (Kaoru: 4100)

Kaoru grimaced and looked over the five cards she was being forced to discard, realizing how bad a situation that would put her in. _'Now I've got twenty cards in the grave…so I'll take two thousand damage during my standby phase if Glory Dragon is in play. Mizuki…she really doesn't care about my position in this duel does she?'_

Once Kaoru had ended her discarding Mizuki held out her right hand away from her hand of six cards, and five cards appeared in it. "After resolution all Rune Symbols involved in a successful Rune Lay-Out are shuffled back into my deck! Then I cannot activate another Rune Lay-Out for at least five turns."

She shuffled her deck together and Kaoru realized how effective the move had been. Not only had Mizuki gotten a fresh hand but she'd decreased her cards in the cemetery to three cards. "Here I come Saint! I offer Rune Blader and Rune Berserker for my newest and strongest monster! Come forth, Rune Sword Saint (2800/2500)!"

Her two monsters vanished in a blaze of light, and then a single sword slashed through that light, cutting it in half. The glow split apart, revealing a man in skin-tight white cloth with long blonde hair tied into a ponytail. He had a complicated mix of Rune Symbols tattooed on his forehead and his sword was a long white blade with numerous complicated Rune Marks down the blade. Saint raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Oh? This one is rather impressive, let's see what it can do."

"It can do just enough, but wait because I'm not through! I activate Rune Symbol-Hagalaz to destroy your Chains of Peace!" Saint smirked as the Rune Symbol appeared…and then a blast of light from his hand struck it, blowing it into pieces.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that quite yet. You see, by removing Saint Hero-Justice (2500/1900) from my hand I can negate the activation of one magic or trap card, provided I remove two cards of the same type as the targeted card from my hand as well. So I'll simply remove my hero and two magic cards to negate your card." The three cards he showed faded away, light shooting into the sky.

As soon as the light was gone it returned, floating as motes down into Glory Dragon's iridescent wings, increasing their size and making the dragon roar in triumph. "Since I now have thirteen cards removed from play my Glory Dragon gains an additional fifteen hundred attack and defense points." (Glory Dragon: 6500)

Mizuki grimaced and snatched another card out of her hand, slamming it into her disk. "It doesn't matter, I can still keep going! I play Rune Symbol-Eihwaz, giving Rune Sword Saint the power to attack twice during this turn!"

The Rune Marks on Sword Saint's blade flashed, glowing blue and turning the blade blue as well. "Now I activate one of Sword Saint's special abilities, cutting his attack in half when he attacks to let him attack directly! You want to be a saint, well try this saint on for size! Saint Sword Slash!"

Sword Saint swung his blade down, sending a crescent of blue light flying past Glory Dragon. The energy struck Saint in the chest, shoving him backwards. He grimaced against the pain, but didn't seem about to go down. "That was an impressive blow, worthy of a saint." (Saint: 2600)

"Then how about a second one to help you make sure he's worthy? Saint Sword Slash!" Sword Saint reversed the direction of his weapon and swung it up in an arc towards his right shoulder, and once again another crescent of blue light shot out. This one hit Saint directly in the gut, forcing him to one knee and making him cough up a small trail of blood. (Saint: 1200)

Beatrix reached out towards her brother, finally appearing truly concerned. "Ancel!"

Kaoru's eyes widened as she heard that one word and saw the German man's reaction. Saint wiped the blood from his lips and tilted his head up to look at his sister, his blue eyes filled with a strange mix of hate and despair and sadness. "Don't say that. Never again, just as I told you!"

Mizuki leveled her right fist at Beatrix and the older woman's eyes widened. "Don't fret Beatrix; I've saved up enough for you as well. Main phase two, magic card activates! Rune Charm-Desperate Foe! This forces one monster on the opponent's field to attack a monster on my own, but it requires I sacrifice one of my own monsters."

Rune Spellsword burst into pixels and the pixels flowed into Sword Saint. "When Rune Spellsword goes to the grave from sacrifice or battle I can choose one of two effects to activate. I choose to grant his attack strength to my Sword Saint!"

Supreme Lover pointed his hands at Sword Saint and fired off his multi-colored attack, sending it straight at the warrior. Sword Saint swung his blade in his left hand, his attack rising to forty-two hundred, and batted the attack away. It shot straight back Supreme Lover and blew it apart. Beatrix grimaced and held up the equip card she had placed on her monster. "When the equipped monster is destroyed in battle Staff of Joy gives me life points equal to the damage I would have taken, effectively canceling it out." (Beatrix: 4000)

Sword Saint lowered his blade and Mizuki lowered her duel-disk clad arm. With her monster at forty-two hundred attack points she seemed pretty confident in herself. "I end my turn."

Saint's deck blinked and he glanced down at his three card hand. "I suppose since my draw phase is skipped I'll move straight to my standby phase. And of course Glory Dragon activates its final effect, giving me one hundred life points per card in my removed from play pile." (Saint: 2500)

He chuckled and his duel disk's field slot popped open. "Allow me to increase the power of my City of Saints with the field equip card City of God's Glory! Now every card of mine that goes to the cemetery, regardless of method, is removed from the game."

The cross-like skyscrapers morphed, becoming massive temples with crosses on the top. Each temple emanated a holy glow that seemed to push back the darkness. "I'll continue by setting one card face down."

Mizuki didn't even bat an eyelash at the card, but Kaoru knew she was thinking the same thing. _'Either that card can still somehow be activated or he's saving it in anticipation of Chains of Peace being destroyed. Either way…he's already prepared. Guess we can't count on him relying too much on his godly card. Damn…'_

Saint sighed and his blue eyes turned to Kaoru, and the violet-eyed girl gulped. "I'm afraid it's most likely over for you Miss Kaoru. After all, Miss Mitsuhiro likely has a method to protect herself or she wouldn't be so confident. But her use of her Rune Lay-out proved quite conclusively she isn't interested in backing you up in this duel. Can you count on her?"  
Kaoru glanced over at Mizuki, and when the other girl didn't meet her eyes Kaoru was forced to look away. "It doesn't really matter does it? We're after the same thing in the end and she's fighting to make sure her friends are safe…and that doesn't really include me does it? So go ahead and attack."

"So be it, Glory Dragon attack her directly with Sovereign Testament!" The dragon opened its jaws wide and light shot out, engulfing Kaoru and her entire field in a massive cross of light. Beatrix bit her lip and looked away, tears in the corner of her eyes.

Saint chuckled and tapped a long finger against his chin. "No need to look away dearest sister. After all, Miss Kaoru was saving her ace in her hand the whole time. Weren't you Miss Kaoru?"

The light faded, revealing Kaoru still standing and apparently unharmed. She was breathing heavily though and was wide-eyed. Apparently the attack had been a close call. "You're always on the ball Saint…I couldn't even sneak The Temperance's discard damage negation effect past you."

He clapped politely and gave her a little nod of his head. "Of course that means in your turn you'll be top decking and also taking twenty-one hundred points of damage. Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to end my turn."

Kaoru reached down and drew her card slowly, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. _'I'm not sure what I'm doing here…I'm not in the same league as these people. My Heart's Eye is totally useless despite my best efforts and I can't make the huge plays they do. Why did I challenge Saint? Did I really think I could make a difference? Why did I get involved, these people don't even consider me their friends.'_

Saint pointed at her rotating field card, and it stopped facing down, negating its effect once again. "It seems you have manner of luck at all left. Perhaps this is the end for you. Especially thanks to the power of Stigmata."

Glory Dragon's power struck her heavily and she felt her energy seeping away and her hope as well. With that pain it felt like she was stripped of any chance at victory. (Kaoru: 2000)

She grimaced and wondered if he was right. _'It's always been this way for me…stuck on the outside. Even my parents couldn't understand my power. They tried to be accepting, to help me when people thought I was a freak despite how I tried to help them. Talking to adults about matters that I shouldn't know about…it scared them and they hated me for it.'_

The frightened but loving looks in her parents' eyes still floated in the back of her head. She imagined those eyes would always be there, just like hers. _'That's why I left…to give them a chance to be free of the strain having an abnormal child caused. And when I came to duelist academy I tried to act normal, ignoring the problems of others unless they came to me.'_

An image ran through her head of her sitting down at a tree with a sobbing girl and talking to her quietly and calmly, trying to comfort her. _'But that was when I met him…Harrison Wilhelm the Third. He dueled me, calling me a warm-up for a more important duel, and I learned something important when I saw the horror and suffering in his heart. I realized that I could see into the hearts of others…but I couldn't see into my own heart. So I decided to take a new tact in helping others, by helping without becoming directly involved.'_

She felt a slight shiver run through her and avoided a minor laugh at herself. _'Yet here I am, directly involved once more and trying to help. But I can't seem to accomplish anything. I just wish I could be as free in mind and heart as someone like Vlad, as dedicated in purpose as someone like Harrison, and as true and kind as someone like Sanzo. I wish…I wish I could help everyone!'_

A purple flash of light swept over her and she found herself still in the darkness…but it was a different darkness. It was simply emptiness, and neither of the other three duelists was there. But there was one person there, standing a few feet away and smiling. "Good morning Kaoru Tsukada, I'm glad to see you."

Kaoru gulped and looked around, finally focusing back on the man standing in front of her. He was just shy of six feet in height, making him easily taller than her. He was fairly handsome, with a thin, kind face and features that indicated he was at least in his early twenties. He had a shock of red hair, a brighter color than her nearly black dark crimson hair. However, what really set him apart were his eyes. They were a strange shade of blue, roughly the shade of a robin's egg. "Who are you…where am I…what's going on?"

The man chuckled, his smile warm and his laugh inviting. It was a laugh that made Kaoru feel welcome…like she could be part of something great just by listening. It was…strangely captivating. "You can call me Adam I suppose. Here is…well it's a form of the darkness, the original, not Mizuki's altered form. As for what's going on…well I came to offer you an exchange. The power to see into the heart of even a True Sin is what I'll grant you."

Despite feeling drawn in by the man Kaoru had seen enough movies and read enough books to feel wary of this. "You're offering me that…while dragging me into the darkness and saying I can 'call you Adam' like it's not your real name. Then you also say this offer is an exchange. What are you, the devil? Is it my soul you want?"

Adam laughed, once again making Kaoru feel more comfortable and relaxed. "You'd be surprised how many times in how many different places and situations I've been asked that or something similar. Your next question, the answer to that is no, I have no interest in the soul. Nothing I could do with a soul anyways. As for your third unasked question, I'm not a True Sin either. There are things in this Universe beyond your comprehension, so attempting to fathom all its secrets is useless. In one Universe, or dimension, or time, I'm not sure which…I tried to explain it all to one person. Didn't go so well."

"If you don't want my soul, then what do you want?" Adam smiled and walked straight up to her and poked her nose with his pointer finger, making a 'boop' sound as he did so.  
"I'm a collector of information, I like to know things. Everything actually, or at least that's my intent. All I want from you in exchange for that power is your eyes and your experiences. I want to be able to see whatever you see, feel whatever you feel, and know whatever you come to know. How does that sound as a deal? After all, don't you need a reason to act?" Kaoru grimaced and turned away, staring in the opposite direction.

"If I need a reason to act, then it's because it's the right thing to do. That's reason enough for me. To help others, to help protect them and do the right thing I have to understand what the wrong thing is and why others do it. For that…to face those foes and do the right thing…I have to be able to see what I can't already see. To do the right thing…I'll make your deal!" Adam smiled and placed one pale hand on her shoulder, and leaned in so his lips were centimeters from her left ear.

"Your wish is my command." He held out his left hand, revealing a small strange purplish thing beating steadily in his hand. It had fluid on it…and the connections for blood to travel in told Kaoru what it was. It was an organ…but not one she had ever seen before.

There was that flash of purple light from before and Kaoru felt like her heart had just restarted. Her eyes burned and she felt…different, powerful. She leveled her eyes at Beatrix, noting the few traces of restrained tears in them, and then she saw. Saw like she had never been able to see before!

Colors flowed off of the woman, brilliant, dark, mixed, all shouting one thing or whispering another. They were emotions…Kaoru could see her emotions and could tell what they were. Yet they were so tangled it was hard to understand, especially since many of them intertwined with Saint, but no emotions seemed to flow out of that man.

Then, as her eyes met Beatrix's, she could see so much more. She saw Saint in the clothes of a priest standing on a makeshift pulpit, speaking to a group of men and women in rags. He was smiling that warm and welcoming smile and speaking fervently, with true belief in his eyes and in his heart. And Kaoru knew she was seeing what Beatrix had seen.  
She saw Saint at a distance at a different time, sitting quietly and talking to a young Latina woman with curly black hair and a plain face. The woman and Saint smiled at each other, and she held out her hands, showing fire cupped between them.

It changed again, and Kaoru saw men in jeeps riding through the town, firing their rifles at anything that moved. They mowed the villagers down, tossing torches and setting the village ablaze. And that was when she saw the same young Latina woman, her eyes crazed and violent, striding forward and sending the flames spiraling to the sky, sending them back upon the men in jeeps and burning them to ash.

But it didn't stop, and the fires grew higher and higher, the woman burning down everything she saw. And she saw the woman draw closer, saw her own hands reach out towards her, and she saw the flash of flame that engulfed her.

Next was a blurred image, difficult to see, but it was Saint just a dozen feet away, holding the Latina woman's face between his hands with tears streaming down his face. Light poured from his hands and into the woman, and finally the fires stopped as she fell to her knees, eyes black and listless, empty. Saint lowered the woman to her back and rushed to where Kaoru knew Beatrix lay, but it felt like it was her staring up at that sorrowful and terrified face.

She could tell he was screaming, but she couldn't rid his lips, the words he was speaking were German and she didn't understand, even if Beatrix did. Finally she felt an emotion not her own…and it was a mix of hope and despair. She could feel Saint's terror flowing into her, and she could feel what he was trying to say. 'Don't worry' he was saying. 'I'll make everything better.'

Kaoru gasped and closed her eyes, shutting off the images. When she opened them she saw those tears in Beatrix's eyes, and saw the mild smile on her brother's face. Finally, gathering her inner strength, she spoke. "I understand…and I accept your pain."

Beatrix stared at her wide eyed, understanding and she looked to her brother. "I know…everything will work out, I know it."

Saint frowned and looked between the two. "What are you talking about? Accept what pain?"

Kaoru raised her one card in hand and glanced over at Mizuki. "Mizuki…this is your duel, it always has been. But the pain of losing a loved one…Saint once knew it. He's felt the pain you have…and he's trying to stop others from feeling it. Even if his methods are wrong…all three of us are a lot alike. We just want to help…but we don't know how. Mizuki…I hope you'll see the method to help him…and I'll pave the way for you with a message!"

Mizuki looked confused beyond belief, not sure where all of this was coming from. "Kaoru, what are you talking about? What's gotten into you?"

Kaoru placed her right hand against her stomach and felt a pulse from within. She looked between the other three and smiled a faint smile full of hope. "Sin. I finally understand…and I'll show you all…I'll show you the virtues of sinning!"

She snapped the card she had drawn above her hand, revealing a magic card. "Cup of Ace now rotates, and what it stops on will determine my fate! Beatrix…I leave it to you to decide!"

Beatrix looked up at the spinning card and nodded once, despite the wide-eyed look from her brother and the confused look from Mizuki. "Stop."

The card stopped, facing upright. "Cup of Ace now lets me draw two cards!"

She drew once, and then a second time. What she saw was all she needed to see. "I activate Movement of Fate-Arcana Summon! This lets me special summon one Arcana Force monster from my hand and let that monster attack without chain this turn!"

Taking the last card in her hand she threw it down on her duel disk and a massive figure exploded from the ground. It was a large black armored shape with hunched shoulders and a square head with one yellow eye. Its arms were thick and bulky, ending in flat panes of glass and three metal claws. However, reaching up from its shoulders were two mechanical dragon's heads. "The ultimate arcana, Arcana Force EX-The Light Ruler (4000/4000)!"

Saint's eyes widened and he looked to his sister, who had an accepting look on her face. "ILSE!"

Kaoru pushed back the tears and declared her strike. "Light Ruler, direct attack, Wave of Light!"

The twin dragons sent streams of light at the woman, striking her head on and sweeping her away. As the blasts whittled away at her life points Kaoru felt one last thing from the woman. Thanks. (Beatrix: 0)

Beatrix crumpled to the ground, her life points and her energy depleted. Saint's eyes were shaking with horror, seeing his sister fall like that. He turned towards Kaoru…and he smiled once again. Yet now Kaoru knew what it was. That smile wasn't Saint's method of deception; it was his method of blotting out his pain. He smiled all the time because he didn't remember how to do anything else. "You've harmed my sister…and I suppose you've harmed yourself at the same time, thanks to the second effect of your magic card."

Saint walked across the field and Kaoru lowered herself to her knees, looking over to a shocked Mizuki as her Light Ruler dissipated. "Yes…as my turn ends my monster is destroyed and I take half its attack as damage." (Kaoru: 0)

Mizuki reached out towards her, feeling like she couldn't move. "Kaoru…don't! Don't leave me alone!"

Kaoru smiled at the other girl even as Saint's hand was placed against her head. She accepted the touch completely, unafraid. "If people were never alone they wouldn't know how to care for others. If they didn't care for others, they wouldn't have a chance to do great things. And I know you'll do great things Mizuki. I believe in you, and so does everyone else, even if we only live on in your heart and in your head. As long as you remember us, Saint can never get rid of us."

Light flooded out of Saint's hand and through Kaoru's body. She stared up at him with blank eyes and a smile still filled with hope, and then she collapsed onto her side. Saint stared down at her for a moment, and then looked back up at Mizuki, smiling warmly at her. "Shall we continue now that we're alone Miss Mitsuhiro?"

Mizuki shook and met his eyes, her still blue eyes glistening with tears that she was no longer holding back. "We'll continue Saint. But Kaoru was right. I'm not alone! The only one alone…is you!"

She placed her fingers on her deck and her eyes began to glow. "Let's end this now Saint, now, alone; you'll face the army that lives in my heart! As long as I'm still here, Kaoru, Sanzo, and Shiro are all alive and well! And together we'll defeat you!"

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Author's Note: Yar! Another chapter, leaving only two chapters left in this arc!

_Next Time: With Beatrix defeated all that remains is Mizuki and Saint, battling with everything they have. Saint speaks only of purity and virtue determining a duelist, and Mizuki must determine for herself whether she's a pure duelist while the darkness enchroaches around her. Her desire to be pure in the darkness sparks something within her...but what is this strange power that she has touched? And will it be enough to defeat Saint?_

_See it all in, Purity and Virtue; Battle of Saints!_


	89. Purity and Virtue: Battle of Saints!

Author's Note: And now, the grand conclusion of the duel!

**Chapter Eighty-Nine: Purity and Virtue: Battle of Saints!**

_Saint walked across the field and Kaoru lowered herself to her knees, looking over to a shocked Mizuki as her Light Ruler dissipated. "Yes…as my turn ends my monster is destroyed and I take half its attack as damage." (Kaoru: 0)_

_Mizuki reached out towards her, feeling like she couldn't move. "Kaoru…don't! Don't leave me alone!"_

_Kaoru smiled at the other girl even as Saint's hand was placed against her head. She accepted the touch completely, unafraid. "If people were never alone they wouldn't know how to care for others. If they didn't care for others, they wouldn't have a chance to do great things. And I know you'll do great things Mizuki. I believe in you, and so does everyone else, even if we only live on in your heart and in your head. As long as you remember us, Saint can never get rid of us."_

_Light flooded out of Saint's hand and through Kaoru's body. She stared up at him with blank eyes and a smile still filled with hope, and then she collapsed onto her side. Saint stared down at her for a moment, and then looked back up at Mizuki, smiling warmly at her. "Shall we continue now that we're alone Miss Mitsuhiro?"_

_Mizuki shook and met his eyes, her still blue eyes glistening with tears that she was no longer holding back. "We'll continue Saint. But Kaoru was right. I'm not alone! The only one alone…is you!"_

_She placed her fingers on her deck and her eyes began to glow. "Let's end this now Saint, now, alone; you'll face the army that lives in my heart! As long as I'm still here, Kaoru, Sanzo, and Shiro are all alive and well! And together we'll defeat you!"_

Saint could feel the power funneling out of her body and around it as she drew her next card. Yet despite that phenomenal power he was merely intrigued, and not worried. "Glory Dragon, show her what you can do. Stigmata activate!"

Mizuki winced as the light burned through her body, cutting a small chunk out of her life points. Luckily she still had plenty left, so she wasn't out of the game yet. "I hope you're ready Saint, because here I come!" (Mizuki: 6000)

She lifted her drawn card, showing a very familiar quick-play. "Rune Symbol-Fehu allows me to draw two cards!"

Again she drew, doubling her hand size. "Activate magic card, Rune Mark-Bond of Power! This doubles the base attack strength of one monster on my field for the duration of the turn. Rune Sword Saint (7000) is now ready! I activate his effect, cutting his attack in half in order to attack you directly!"

Sword Saint's attack points lowered to thirty-five hundred and he slashed his blade down, sending that arc of energy straight at Saint. The professional duelist smiled and snapped his fingers, dissipating the blast instantly. "I'm sorry Miss Mitsuhiro, but I activate the effect of Dimension Shield from the removed from play pile. Once, while removed from the game, I can use it to negate one attack."

Mizuki nodded, realizing quickly that the card must have been removed when Saint removed his Saint Hero-Justice from the game to negate her Rune Symbol. "Alright then Saint, I'll toss two cards face down and set one monster in defense mode. End turn!"

Saint tapped his deck, indicating that he wasn't drawing. "For the second and final time my draw phase is skipped. Now next turn I'll be able to draw four cards, completely replenishing my hand. Also, I now gain life points from Glory Dragon's effect." (Saint: 3800)

He raised one hand and pointed it at her Sword Saint. "Sovereign Testament!"

The blaze from Glory Dragon erupted beneath Sword Saint, spilling out and forming a cross. Despite the destruction of her strongest monster, it seemed that Mizuki was laughing. "Sorry Saint, but when Sword Saint is destroyed I gain half the damage its dealt while on the field as life points. So I gain fifteen hundred life points even while I take twenty-three hundred damage!" (Mizuki: 5200)

Without even batting and eyelash Saint motioned for her to take her turn. "I believe we'll continue, and I believe Stigmata will activate." (Mizuki: 4000)

Although she had taken damage, she still felt like she had at least the ability to hold out. "Saint, get ready, I'm going to build up to your defeat real fast! I activate Rune Symbol-Jera, which lets me add one card from my grave to my hand!"

Saint raised one eyebrow, curious to see which card she would choose. He got his answer quickly as she instantly activated her retrieved card. "I activate Rune Symbol-Hagalaz, and use its effect to destroy Chains of Peace!"

The continuous magic card blew apart, and its particles flew directly into the sky. "My field and field equip allow me to remove Chains of Peace from the game. And, because another card is in the removed from play pile, Glory Dragon gains an additional five hundred attack points." (Glory Dragon: 7000)

"I'm not finished yet Saint, heck I've barely started. Now…I could have tried to destroy your field and fields equip, but I know that waiting in your deck is Battlefield Savior, which can be removed from the game to prevent the destruction of a field card. Heck, I'd bet you have three."

He clapped at her deduction, looking amused and pleased. "Excellent work Miss Mitsuhiro, yes I do in fact have Battlefield Savior in my deck. And since you must destroy the field equip first, it carries an additional layer of protection. But you knew that, so the reason you mentioned destroying both was because you knew you had a way to do so. So by that method, I can assume one of your face-down cards is a way to gain access to cards from your grave."

Mizuki responded by reaching onto her duel disk and flipping up her set monster. "You're just as good at deduction as I am Saint, so let me show you what I've got! The flip effect of Rune Researcher (400/400) activates, letting me add two Rune cards from my grave to my hand!"

She held up one of the two cards, and it flashed blue. "Rune Symbol-Fehu once again triggers, letting me draw twice!"

As soon as those cards were in her hand she held up the other card she had gotten back. "Rune Symbol-Jera and I'll use it to take back Fehu to activate once again!"

Just that quickly she had four cards in her hand, and she was already grabbing one of them and throwing it down. "Rune Caster (800/1200) comes out to play! And I'll immediately activate his effect, letting me once per turn add one 'Rune Symbol' from my grave to my hand!"

The card appeared in her hand, and yet again for the turn she played her Fehu, drawing two additional cards. "Next I activate one of my unsealed set cards, one you should recognize, the Rune Symbol-Perthro!"

A blue light engulfed Saint's deck and he frowned slightly, understanding what that meant. "I see…that card returned to your deck after your Rune Lay-Out. And since I've already had my second skipped draw phase this will skip my next two. And since the additional draws only come in the third draw phase, I won't get those draws in my next turn since my draw phase is skipped. Forcing me to rely solely on my powerful monster are you?"

Mizuki smirked and threaded her four remaining cards through her fingers, feeling her confidence brimming up. "Something like that. Next I'll set two cards face down and activate Rune Symbol-Kenaz to gain 1200 life points. With that I'll end my turn." (Mizuki: 5200)

Saint made no motion to draw, but light did flow from Glory Dragon into his duel disk. "First new draw phase to be skipped, thus proving me wrong from my previous turn's statement." (Saint: 5200)

He reached out with his right hand and pointed with one long finger at his face-down card. "Since my own Chains of Peace is no longer restricting me, I believe I'll activate my face down card. At a cost of half my life points Return from the Different Dimension activates!" (Saint: 2600)

The dark haired girl gulped, recognizing that card and knowing its effect. "That means you get to summon as many monsters as you can from your removed from play pile…"

"Correct! I summon Saint Hero-Justice (2500/1900), Saint Hero-Vitality (1400/1600), Saint Hero-Joyous (900/1900), and Saint Hero-Defender (1000/2100), all of them in attack mode." The three heroes from before joined the massive dragon. And accompanying them was a heavily armored warrior in armor of light, holding a blindingly white sword and shield. That must have been Saint Hero-Justice.

He pointed one finger and Joyous launched itself forwards at Rune Researcher. "Joyous, take out Rune Researcher!"

The researcher was cleaved in half, and Mizuki immediately snapped her arm out to her leftmost set card. "Reverse card open, Rune Blessing-Pure Life! When a Rune monster is destroyed I can select one face-up monster on the field and gain its attack as life points, and my choice is Glory Dragon!"

Glory Dragon roared violently as purple motes of light floated off of its crimson armored form, each mote descending and being absorbed by Mizuki's duel disk. Since there were four fewer cards in the removed from play pile its attack as less than previous, but still quite powerful. (Mizuki: 10200)

She picked up her Rune Researcher off her disk and showed it to Saint, looking determined and focused. "When Rune Researcher is destroyed as a result of battle and goes to the cemetery all life point damage to me for the rest of the turn is reduced to zero. Of course I still took damage from its destruction, but that's just fine with me."

Saint smiled slightly and moved his hand to point at her sole remaining monster. "Saint Hero-Vitality, take out Rune Caster."

Vitality bum-rushed the caster and cut clean through its neck with its short golden sword. Caster groaned once and then burst into tiny pieces of light. The dust from its destruction was sent shooting in all directions when the card that was previously next to Mizuki's Rune Blessing activated. "Rune Blessing-Rebirth now lets me special summon one monster from my grave since Rune Caster was a level three!"

Light exploded from the card, forming into a very familiar magic using warrior. "My choice is Rune Sword Saint (2800/2500)!"

The German man stroked his chin as he glanced at each of his monsters in turn. "That would seem impressive, however while Justice cannot defeat Sword Saint, Glory Dragon can still do so easily."

Mizuki nodded and depressed a button on the top of her disk. "That's where my final trap comes in, Rune Curse-Lethargy! Since a Rune monster was destroyed the battle phase now ends immediately!"

Her opponent chuckled and folded his arms across his chest, managing to appear both imperious and amused at the same time. "Very well, I end my turn, and thus the next effect of Return from the Different Dimension activates. All monsters summoned by its effect are removed from the game during the end phase of the turn they were summoned."

The four monsters turned into light and were reabsorbed into the wings of Glory Dragon, pushing its attack strength up to seventy-five hundred. "I activate Vitality's effect, gaining its attack points as life." (Saint: 4000)

Mizuki frowned, realizing he could still activate the effect of Defender to protect his life points during one turn, and when he had a better hand size he could use Joyous. _'And as far as I know Justice only had that negation effect. Still, removing those monsters again gives him an additional advantage.'_

She reached for her deck and drew, grimacing as the cross of light formed around her, burning her life points once again. This time it was a heavy blast, since she had nineteen cards in the grave. _'It's steadily getting worse. I have to take out that Glory Dragon or his life points quickly or I'm finished.'_ (Mizuki: 8300)

"Saint, I hope you've been keeping track of the turns! Its time…for another Rune Lay-Out! Kenaz in reverse, Perthro upright, Jera upright, Eiwhaz in reverse, and finally Hagalaz in reverse!" The five cards appeared on her field and began to glow, granting her the power of the lay-out.

Mizuki folded her three cards in hand together and cast Saint a deep glare. "At this time I now take all cards in my hand and shuffle them back into my deck, afterwards I draw one card. The result of the Rune Lay-Out is determined by the type of card I draw."

She pulled her deck free and inserted the few cards into it, and then began shuffling rapidly. Finally once she was satisfied she slipped it back into place and grabbed the top card. "Here we go Saint, I draw!"

Her card flashed a yellow color and she smirked, flipping it around. "I've drawn a monster card, so now I activate the power of my lay-out! The drawn monster is special summoned, and then I can special summon as many monsters as I can from my cemetery to the field!"

The card she had drawn was placed onto the field and light burst free from it, shooting up into the air. The light faded and revealed a monster in white robes interlaced with gold. Upon his head was a circlet of gold that seemed to have moving runes on it. "Rune Lord (2500/1900) in attack mode!"

Three more cards slid out of her cemetery and she tossed them out onto her duel disk. "Rune Caster (800/1200) in defense, Rune Fighter (1650/1200) in attack, and lastly my Rune Guardian (1000/2000) in defense mode!"

All in a flash she had a field full of monsters, just like Saint had possessed in his previous turn. "Now the last effect of my Rune Lay-Out, we each take two hundred damage for each monster successfully special summoned from the cemetery!" (Saint: 3400) (Mizuki: 7700)

The five Rune Symbols she had used popped out of her cemetery and she picked them up. "Since the Rune Lay-Out has resolved I shuffle the five Rune Symbols used back into my deck, and cannot use a Rune Lay-Out again for another five turns."

Once more she shuffled her deck. However, once she was done she reached for her grave again and pulled out a card. "I activate Caster's effect, pulling Rune Symbol-Fehu into my hand and activating it! So now I draw two new cards!"

She drew twice in quick succession and then pointed the two cards at her newest monster, the Rune Lord. "I activate Rune Lord's effect; letting me sacrifice cards on my field equal to the tribute cost to special summon a Rune monster from my deck to the field! I'll offer Rune Guardian and Rune Fighter in order to special summon a monster of level seven or more!"

The two monsters burst apart and Mizuki caught a card from her deck, throwing it down next to her Rune Lord. "Come out, Rune Paladin (2600/2400)!"

Her heavily armored magical knight appeared, swinging his long sword. It offered the Rune Lord a bow, and then inclined its head slightly to Sword Saint. Saint himself smiled as he surveyed her four monsters. "Quite amazing, you've managed to summon your three strongest monsters so quickly. But, can those monsters really aid you?"

"Let's find out! Sword Saint, cut your points in half and go directly! Make him really feel it!" Sword Saint swung his blade and the light stream struck an invisible barrier in front of Saint. The energy attack was nullified after just a few seconds struggling against the barrier.

He chuckled and wagged a finger at her. "As you may remember, I can use Defender to negate all damage you can inflict for the duration of one turn."

Mizuki nodded once and held the two cards in her hand up to her eyes. "I know, I was just getting that out of the way. I set up two cards and end my turn!"

Saint tapped the top card of his deck, skipping his draw phase for the second time. "I gain life points from Glory Dragon's effect." (Saint: 5500)

Suddenly a heavy wind swirled around the massive shape of Glory Dragon, it roared as the winds began to push it up into the air. Saint's eyes widened at this, not quite sure what to make of it. "What's going on?"

His opponent smirked and revealed that one of her two set cards was now face-up. "Nothing much, I just activated the effect of my set Rune Symbol-Wunjo! And since it was set before activation I get its reverse effect, sending one monster on the opponent's field back to their hand. Your monster may be powerful, but it lacks evasion abilities and that's why it's about to say goodbye!"

To Mizuki's surprise Saint merely shrugged. "Is that all? Here I was worried for a moment. Once while in the removed from play pile, provided he was not removed by his own effect, Justice can negate the activation of one magic or trap card simply at a cost of removing one card in my hand from the game. So I'll remove my final card to negate Wunjo."

The last card in his hand vanished and the winds died down, leaving Glory Dragon unharmed. In fact, since another card was removed from the game Glory Dragon began to gain attack points, rising to eight thousand. Mizuki grimaced, realizing she was in big trouble. "Dang it…no matter how hard I try I can't seem to take that beast down, and now its attack points are even more insane."

Saint reached out with his left hand and stroked the scales of his dragon. "Can't you see? It's hopeless now. I wouldn't dare suggest surrendering, that would be a cowardly method. However, perhaps you should understand something. If you do as I say, once you've finished completing my tasks I will tell you how to bring your friends back to normal."

Mizuki's eyes widened and her arms dropped to her sides. For a moment the blue color of her eyes shifted back to green, but it was returned to blue just moments later. "I…what? If that's true…what were you going to want me to do? Maybe I can…I…maybe we can work it out."

The German smiled slightly. "Perhaps we can. You see…I can teach you how to control your power, help you understand it and bring it into perfect alignment. Of course should you not agree, I suppose I can simply continue to purify your friends? Hmm…and perhaps Miss Sayako as well…"

The green completely returned to Mizuki's eyes and she let her shoulders drop, her heart fluttering in her chest. "Mother…you can't do that to my mother! You can't do that to my friends!"

With a shrug the True Sin lowered his hand from Glory Dragon's body and let his smile fade. "It's rather simple then. All you have to do is accompany me to create perfect people, incapable of sin. You see our powers are complimentary. As soon as I heard about the existence of your ability I knew I had to have it. After all, who else could create perfect personalities for those I purify?"

Mizuki felt like a heavy weight had just slammed down on her shoulders, and a series of thoughts flashed through her head. _'Nightmare…multiple abilities…'_

Saint began to smile again, the feature growing so broad it looked like it would encompass his entire face. "Yes, your power is Sentience Generation. You can form complete human beings within your own head and place that sentience onto another. Memories, personality, everything that makes up a person's soul. A complete and perfect individual, created within your mind. And with the mold I can show you, you'll implant the personalities I desire to create a perfect world onto all those I purify."

He raised his arms up to the darkened top of the darkness game, his blue eyes wide and vibrant. "And together with Miss Paradise's ability to accelerate the growth of life we can make a beautiful paradise world where everyone is equal, and where no violence occurs! Never again will anyone see others butchered in front of their eyes, or have to see loved ones fade away. Never again will I have to make a choice as to who should live and who should die!"

His arms dropped and he lowered his head to face Mizuki, his eyes suddenly sad and his body slumped. "Never again will people as wonderful and pure as my sister have to suffer because of the cruelty of others. Never again will a kind man like your father be destroyed by the pressures of humanity's inhumanity. And never again will someone as pure as you have to be corrupted by the darkness just for the greed of others. After all…once the perfect world is created…I can be purified as well."

The True Sin reached up and brushed his fingers against his own cheek, appearing distant, like he was off in his own world. "I'm not a cruel man Miss Mitsuhiro, nor am I a hypocrite. When paradise is achieved I too will become equal with everyone. I do not plan to rule or anything so foolish. And you can be pure again too, not smothered in the darkness as you are. And before the end I'll teach you the method to restore the sentience of your friends, but in the right way so that we can all be happy. Don't you want that Miss Mitsuhiro? You're the world's Hope, and you are my Hope as well."

Mizuki stared at the ground, tears welling in her eyes. "I can't make that decision…I don't have the right and neither do you. I'm sorry…but paradise…I can't imagine it being a paradise if it's achieved that way. It can't be a paradise if everyone is the same. Shiro…Kaoru…everyone…forgive me but…I refuse Saint!"

As her eyes flashed back to blue she saw something that she had never seen come over Saint's features. It was…anger. He practically snarled as he thrust one hand out towards her Rune Sword Saint. "Glory Dragon, crush her monster! Sovereign Testament!"

The refocused girl jerked her arm out and her final set card flipped up and a tower of blue light shot up around her three monsters, causing the light from Glory Dragon's attack to fade. "Rune Charm-Purity Shield prevents one monster from receiving battle damage during this turn, and then lets me draw one card!"

Saint narrowed his eyes at her and then let his anger seem to fade. "Very well then, my turn ends."

She drew again, giving her two cards in hand. She groaned as light erupted around her thanks to the power of Glory Dragon, further burning her life points. "Damn…it hurts…" (Mizuki: 6200)

Shaking it off she pointed at Rune Caster and a card shot out of her cemetery. "Thanks to my monster's effect I retrieve and activate Rune Symbol-Fehu to draw two more cards!"

Quickly pulling the cards into her hand she narrowed her eyes and then pointed at her Caster, which knelt into defense mode. "I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."

Her opponent pulled four cards off his deck all at once, and waved them back and forth at her. "Thanks to the effect of your Rune Symbol, since it's the third time after activation I now draw four cards in this draw phase. Also, in my standby phase Glory Dragon grants me further life points." (Saint: 7100)

He held out his right hand and a card shimmered, appearing in it. "Next, since it is the standby phase after this card was removed from the game the magic card Treasure from the Different Dimension activates its effect. It returns to my hand and each player draws two cards."

That gave him seven cards in his hand, while Mizuki had four in hers. She frowned, realizing he had removed Treasure from his hand for Justice's effect. "At this time I activate Mining the Different Dimension, which lets me remove two cards in my hand from the game to add one magic card from the removed from play pile to my hand."

Three of his cards flashed out of existence and then another card appeared in his hand. Mizuki bit her bottom lip as Glory Dragon's attack points rose once more. "I activate Chaos Greed, and since I have the appropriate cards out of play I may now draw two cards. And thanks to my field effect, Chaos Greed is also removed."

Once more he was at five cards in hand, while Glory Dragon increased its attack to nine thousand. "Magic card activate, Dimension Distortion! Since I have no cards in my cemetery I can now special summon one monster from out of play! Come forth, Saint Hero-Justice (2500/1900)!"

He slapped an additional card down and a warrior in glowing armor holding a box with a red cross on it formed. "Saint Hero-Healer (1300/1200) in attack mode!"

"Glory Dragon, attack Rune Sword Saint!" Mizuki snapped her arm out, triggering her set card. A glowing runic symbol shot out and got in the way of the beam of light, blocking its path.

"Rune of Defense negates your attack!" Saint nodded and motioned to the Healer, who opened his box and sent a stream of what looked like gauss fly out and wrap around Rune Caster. It pulled the caster up and into the box, then shut, causing it to vanish from sight.

Next Saint pointed to Justice, which raised its sword and charged straight at her crown-wearing monster. The two monsters clashed together and then blew apart.

"It seems strange to suicide Justice into your Rune Lord even if he is removed from the game afterwards. However, this is the truth of why. I activate Healer's effect, removing him from the game when a Saint Hero is destroyed to special summon that monster back to the field with an additional three hundred attack points!" Healer vanished in a puff of light and the pixels still floating around from Justice reformed into Saint's powerful monster once again.

"Since Justice was special summoned back to the field during the battle phase I have him attack and destroy your Rune Paladin!" This time Justice swung his sword straight down through the targeted monster, cutting him in half. Paladin blew apart and Mizuki bit her lip again as her life points dropped, albeit by a small amount. (Mizuki: 6000)

Saint chuckled slightly and slipped one of his three cards in hand into his duel disk. "I believe I'll simply conclude my turn by placing that single card face down. Let's see what you can accomplish Miss Mitsuhiro."

Mizuki grimaced and snapped a new card off her deck, gasping in pain as she was slammed by the power of Glory Dragon's sacrament ability. And since she had four new cards in her grave it was even more intense. (Mizuki: 4100)

She held aloft her drawn card, energy flowing back into her. "I play Rune Symbol-Kenaz to gain twelve hundred life points!" (Mizuki: 5300)

As soon as her duel disk had finished counting off the life points she raised another of her cards and her face down card crumbled. "By sacrificing one card on my field Rune Symbol-Raidho can let one monster on my field attack directly during this turn! So I'll skip activating Sword Saint's effect and have it attack you directly!"

Sword Saint sent its attack of blue energy streaking towards Saint, who smiled and motioned to his set card. "Reveal trap card, Purification Barrier! By removing the top two cards of my deck from the game I can negate one attack."

Glory Dragon lowered one wing and the energy crashed into it, accomplishing absolutely nothing. Mizuki grimaced, watching as both the two cards were removed from the game and so was Purification Barrier. Glory Dragon roared, its attack strength rising to eleven thousand five hundred points. "Damn…I'll place one card face down and end my turn!"

Saint picked up his next card and then held out his hand, allowing light to surge into him. "Ah, glorious life points thanks to my Glory Dragon. Do you think you can keep up Miss Mitsuhiro?" (Saint: 9400)

As soon as the light was finished a card flashed into his hand and he flipped it around, displaying its image. "Treasure from the Different Dimension once more returns to my hand and we draw cards."

"I summon Saint Hero-Cavalier (1200/1000) in attack mode. And now, Glory Dragon will attack your Rune Sword Saint!" A giant cross of light ran straight up the center of Sword Saint…and then ripped it in half. Sword Saint cried out and then was silenced as its pieces were obliterated by the energy as well.

Mizuki's eyes flashed an even brighter blue as she slapped her hand down on her duel disk. "This is the end of Glory Dragon! Rune Curse-Death negates all damage from the battle and then destroys your dragon, dealing you half of its original attack strength as damage! And since its original attack strength is whatever it based on the cards removed from play, you'll be taking half of its current attack as damage!"

Cracks ran all along the dragon's body…and then it split apart, sending flames shooting everywhere. The pieces of it rained down on the field, shaking the ground and forcing both duelists to dodge whenever the pieces came too close. "And that's the end of your mighty dragon Saint!" (Saint: 3650)

Saint smirked and snapped up one of his hand cards. "I'm afraid my Glory Dragon isn't so easily finished! I activate Trap Booster, discarding Treasure from the Different Dimension as its cost so I can activate one trap from my hand!"

He slammed the next card into his duel disk and a beacon of light shot into the sky. "Saint Renewal activates when a monster with 'saint' in its name is destroyed. I can special summon that monster from the cemetery or out of play, although it cannot attack during this turn. So be reborn, Glory Dragon (13,000/13,000)!"

The light split apart, revealing the massive draconic form of Glory Dragon once again. And its wings of light were even more massive than before, demonstrating its huge level of power. "No…I can't take it down can I?"

Suddenly Cavalier began to glow, and light flooded down from the wings of the Glory Dragon and into its blade. "Once during the duel I can activate Cavalier's effect when a monster is special summoned from the removed from play pile. I can increase my life points by the original attack points of all monsters on my field that have been out of play. Meaning I now gain the attack of Justice and Glory Dragon as life points!"

Cavalier turned and pointed his blade at Saint, sending a huge stream of power pouring into Saint's body. He opened his arms, accepting the light as it empowered him, shooting his life points far past their previous levels. "I must thank you Miss Mitsuhiro, you've actually helped me." (Saint: 19,150)

He raised one hand, pointing a long finger at Mizuki's now defenseless field. "And now…Justice and Cavalier, attack her directly!"

She screamed as two swords swung down and struck her simultaneously, sending her flying onto her back, blood spurting from wounds on her shoulders. (Mizuki: 3300)

Saint didn't even bat an eye as the spectral form of Rune Guardian arose from Mizuki's grave, protecting her life points. Weakly she uttered out the move. "By removing Rune Guardian from my grave, all damage to my life points this turn is halved…"

Mizuki blinked to get blood from her eyes, even as she saw that Justice was standing over her. On his side of the field Saint had raised the final card in his hand up and was smirking darkly. "From my hand I activate Just Punishment, which allows one Saint Hero on my field to attack a second time during this turn if one of my monsters has fallen. Since you destroyed Glory Dragon this turn, all I do is sacrifice Cavalier and here is your just punishment. Justice Blade!"

The golden steel plunged into her side and the world flashed white and red, pain shooting up her spine and to her limbs, causing them to spasm. Saint remained blank faced as Mizuki voice came from her lips shrill and agonized. "This is what results when you deny purity. This is the world of suffering that you are accepting in place of the potential paradise I can offer. A world where innocent living beings must scream in agony and die by the sword, by the gun, or by whatever technological terror mankind has constructed to slay their fellow man." (Mizuki: 1900)

He lowered his arm, his blue eyes practically burning with fervor and disdain as he stared her down. "Truthfully I thought you were the one person I had met with the purity and power to both confront me as an equal and stand at my side in the cause of justice. But apparently I was wrong. You've become so covered in darkness that you lack the purity and power to stand up to me, and to stand up to injustice. My turn is over Miss Mitsuhiro. Know that your friends will scream as you have screamed and then they will be purified. Carry your memories of them for the short time you may have them, for soon they will be gone. That is your choice."

Her little frame shuddered again as Justice withdrew its blade and hopped back to standing in front of Saint. She tilted her head up even as she pressed her hands against her abdomen. Her vision wavered and she drew her hands away, both shocked and dulled to the sight of the crimson liquid that covered her hands. It felt like her head was sinking, her body growing heavier, her eyes weighed down by skyscrapers. _'Is this…what dying feels like?'_

One by one images of her friends flashed through her head and she tried vainly to lift her hand up to reach them. _'I'm sorry everyone…I wasn't strong enough…I'm not good enough…it's my fault…'_

A trench coat clad teen with white-blonde hair stood over her, his body almost see thru as he sneered down at her. _"Blaming yourself is the quickest path to actually losing. When you walk down the road of self-hatred you can't turn back. Instead, set your sights on the one truly responsible and crush them down with all of your might. _

She whimpered and tried again to rise, but the blood she was losing made it too difficult. _'I'm sorry Harrison…I'm not as strong as you, I haven't got anything left…'_

Harrison's form was replaced almost immediately by a handsome youth in an Obelisk uniform, his teeth glinting and his silver hair shining. _"If you haven't got any strength left, let others help pick you up. A hero doesn't succeed just on their strength alone, they have the support of everyone to give them power. The same goes for you."_

Tears welled in her eyes and she shook her head even as her vision wavered further. _'But my friends have been vanishing one by one because we didn't have the strength. Even you…even you are gone. Where should my strength come from then?'_

Sanzo shimmered out of sight, replaced by the somewhat somber but still smiling face of her closest friend, the boy who loved her. _"I'm not the brightest person ever Mizuki, but I know that's dumb. Didn't you listen to Kaoru? Your friends and family, they always live in your heart. Even me, whether you want us or not we're here, right with you as always. So stop complaining and stand up Mizuki, we're by your side!"_

All of her friends…they were all there for her. She saw faces, saw bodies, saw smiles, laughter, tears, anger, she saw every last bit of it.

_"__Holding in the darkness? No, it's impossible to do that sort of thing. One of the few truths of this world is that the darkness cannot be held back. You just have to beat it into submission so that it understands who the master is. That's how you control the power of a Darkness Game and unleash it at your command."_

_"__Come and defeat me with all of your power, surpass your worries and soar straight up to the heavens just as your title implies! You are the Rising Star of Duelist Academy, and that name carries with it all your glory and beauty! Face me with all of that!"_

_"Who am I? I'm the thing that everybody fears, that the hide from in the darkness, that they want to wash away with their petty dreams. I'm a true sin, Nightmare!"_

_"But I will be reborn from the fires of hell and rise as a king on top of dueling world! All I have to do is take that step and defeat you, and then I will get the sponsor I need to rise to the top! Rising Star, you are my stepping stone!"_

_"If people were never alone they wouldn't know how to care for others. If they didn't care for others, they wouldn't have a chance to do great things. And I know you'll do great things Mizuki. I believe in you, and so does everyone else, even if we only live on in your heart and in your head. As long as you remember us, Saint can never get rid of us."_

_"Watching you duel all last year I felt myself thinking 'I don't deserve this title'. The one who seemed to deserve it was the one who was rapidly rising through the ranks and surprising everyone. The Rising Star of Duelist Academy, you!"_

_"If you hold back on me Mizuki-sama I'll never forgive you! No matter how much I respect you and no matter how much I care about you nothing can take back the pain of being looked down upon by someone you admire! So don't hold back!"_

_"Wouldn't it be nice…a cloudless sky. Where nothing blocked the sunlight and we could all just enjoy that warm feeling? I think that's kind of what love is like…a cloudless sky; it's warm with nothing to stop that warmth from covering our skin."_

_"Mizuki!"_

_"Mizuki!"_

_"Mitsuhiro-chan!"_

_"Mizuki-sama!"_

_"Rising Star!"_

_"Miss Mitsuhiro."_

_"Little Rising Star!"_

_"Mizuki-chan!"_

_"Mizuki Mitsuhiro."_

_"Rising Star!"_

Mizuki's heart began to slow and her eyes remained wide open, staring at the endless blackness that was the darkness game above her head. Her eyes were burning a bright blue and her body began to shimmer. _'Purity…'_

A doll-faced girl, concerned about others and just acting out of the goodness of her heart, always in touch with her feelings. Never one to hurt others. _'Power…'_

A grim-faced teen, clad always in a somber darkness of his own past, his hatred, and his self-loathing. Stuck on a path that would end in terror and pain, no matter what he did. _'Purity…power…'_

Those images flashed through her head as her body began to glow brighter and brighter. With it, an image of a wild-haired woman clothed in pure darkness, her eyes filled with hatred and evil. _'Pure…power…'_

Mizuki's chest rose as she gasped, taking in a deep breath as the light from her body completely engulfed her.

'_Purity…pure…power…pure…power…pure…power….PURE POWER!"_

Saint held up one hand to block out the light, but he didn't have to hold it up for long. The light quickly faded, revealing Mizuki standing once again, her hair floating down her back and her jacket discarded. The bleeding seemed to have stopped as well, and her blue eyes were shining with…joy. "Yahoo! Now this…this is quite the feeling!"

The girl did a twirl and then stopped, facing Saint with a huge grin on her face and a manic look in her eyes. Her hair fluttered in front of her face and she frowned. Reaching down she tore a strip off her skirt and reached back, using it to tie her hair into a ponytail behind her head. "Yeah, that's a bit better. Heh…last time I barely got to even be aware and now…now I'm for real Sainty old boy! Last time I got to use my power to nearly kill ya…and now I'm gonna do so for real!"

An image flashed through Saint's head of Mizuki, a ball of energy clutched in her hand, staring at him with absolute hatred. "You're the one…the one with the power of material conversion…"

"Got it in one Sainty! Allow me to introduce myself, the one, the only, the glorious and almighty…Diva!" She did a bow and snapped her fingers, causing gouts of energy to erupt from behind her, sending showers of light into the air, framing her in a dramatic background.

Diva raised her head and smirked, placing her fingers on the next card of her dueling deck. "It's my turn Sainty, and I'm going to annihilate you! Here we go, draw!"

She pulled the card off her deck and out to the side, sending a blast of pure force streaming across the field. Saint's eyes widened and he crossed his arms over his chest, even as the force of the draw hit him. He dug in his heels and still the force pushed him back until he struck the scaled body of Glory Dragon. "Such an incredible draw force…but all for naught. During your standby phase the power of stigmata will strip you of more life points than you have. It's over Miss Diva."

The dark haired True Sin smirked as she slammed her drawn card into her duel disk. Even as the cross of light erupted around her she laughed, reaching for her deck and drawing again with equal force. Saint found himself pushed up against Glory Dragon even harder. "Not quite Sainty, I won't lose from some stupid dragon's effect!" (Diva: 100)

When the light faded she grinned and an image of a Rune Symbol appeared above her head. "During my standby phase in chain to Glory Dragon's effect I activated Rune Symbol-Sowilo to draw one card and gain five hundred life points. Which means I gained just enough to survive the damage."

She smirked broadly and flipped around three cards from her hand. "I activate Blank Rune as Kenaz, then Rune Symbol-Jera to get it back and activate it again, and finally Rune Chant to get back Kenaz and play it again! Which means I think I'll be gaining thirty-six hundred life points." (Diva: 3700)

Plucking one of the last two cards in her hand out she flipped it up, still grinning. "The second to last card in my hand, Rune Symbol-Isa to prevent the activation of magic and trap cards during this turn. Of course that doesn't matter, since neither of us have magic and trap cards do we?"

Saint felt something strange building up and he looked at the final card in her hand. "You emptied your hand for that one card…didn't you?"

"Somebody is real clever aren't they? You know…the big guy, Vlad; he told Mitsuhiro something kinda interesting. He told her 'Saint is just one of seven'. He told her that strong though you were, you were in fact going against the desires of your closest companions. And frankly, while that may not have helped her out much, it helps me out plenty. It means that strong as you are, there are guys out there even stronger, and I can't help but look forward to that!" She slammed the card onto her duel disk and light shot forth from it, and even Glory Dragon seemed to be pushed back by the power.

"When it's the last card in my hand by removing every Rune Symbol in my cemetery, field, and deck from the game I can special summon this creature, Mitsuhiro's ultimate weapon! The deadly Pure Rune-Goddess of Fate (0/0)!" The summoned monster was a being of pure light, so bright that Saint couldn't look directly at it. But he could tell that it had at least a generally female form.

He grimaced and pushed back against the force of that monster. "And what does this monster do for such a hefty price?"

Diva smirked broadly and made a slashing gesture with her hand. "Step one; it destroys all monsters on each player's field besides itself! And guess what? Step two is that we each take our monster's attack points as damage!"

Threads of light shot out from Goddess of Fate and stabbed into Glory Dragon and Justice, piercing them heavily. The threads then exploded from the inside of the monsters and tore them apart, causing them to turn to motes of light. Saint winced and grasped at his heart, his life points drastically falling. (Saint: 2350)

She chuckled and planted her hands on her hips. "Guess since that's my last card I'll have to end my turn, won't I?"

Saint frowned and drew, then held up his hand. "You may be strong, but this isn't over quite yet Miss Diva. Treasure from the Different Dimension returns to my hand and we draw two cards."

Each player slid two new cards off their deck, and Saint held up one of his drawn cards. "I activate a second Dimension Distortion, raising Glory Dragon (15,000/15,000) once again! You see, you cannot stop it."

The dragon roared and shook the dimension once more. "Glory Dragon, attack her Goddess of Fate with Sovereign Testament!"

Diva snickered and wagged a finger at Saint. "Sorry, but as long as Goddess of Fate is in play neither player can take life point damage other than from its initial summon effect. In addition, neither player has a battle phase as long as it's in play."

The older True Sin adjusted his collar and slipped a card into his duel disk. "Very well, I set one card face down and conclude my turn."

She snagged her top card and then laughed as Goddess of Fate began to reach out with those glowing threads again. "During my standby phase after its successful activation of its effect the next step occurs! I take a special group of cards and shuffle them into my deck."

She opened the deck holster on her thigh and raised a decent sized stack of cards, and then began to shuffle them into her deck. "Next, Goddess of Fate is placed in the sealed from play pile, a place beyond even the removed from play pile where nothing can be accessed."

The light faded, leaving Diva's field totally empty. "And lastly, I shuffle my hand into my deck and draw five new cards!"

Energy poured off her body as she drew her brand new hand, and once more Saint had to brace himself to avoid being completely blown over by the force of her draw. "You ready Sainty old boy? I summon Pure Rune-Soldier of Fate (1600/1700)!"

Saint's eyes widened in surprise when an older one of Mizuki's monsters, the Rune Soldier, descended onto the field. He raised his sword and the runes on it began to glow, engulfing him in light until he was completely covered by it. "Pure Runes? What is this nonsense?"

Diva laughed and held up another of her cards. "You wanted purity; well this is where it gets you! I activate the effect of Pure Rune Symbol-Uruz which lets me reduce the attack or defense of one monster in play to zero!"

The German man snapped around his Treasure from the Different Dimension, and it blew apart. "By removing my magic card I use Justice's effect in the removed from play pile to negate your magic card!"

Uruz crumbled, but Diva didn't seem worried. Instead she simply slid another card into her disk. "Pure Rune Symbol-Jera lets me pick up a card from either player's cemetery and place it into my hand! So come back to me, Pure Rune Symbol-Uruz and do your dirty deed!"

Glory Dragon shrieked as its triple sets of light wings shrank into nothingness, leaving it floating in mid-air with zero attack points. "Here we go, Soldier of Fate, attack Glory Dragon!"

Saint pointed at his set card and a ripple appeared in front of him as it activated. "Negation Field lets me negate one attack and end the battle phase, and after resolution my card is removed from the game!"

Soldier of Fate plunged straight through the ripple in the air and ran straight up Glory Dragon's serpentine body, dragging its blade through the dragon's form as it ran. When it reached the top it pulled its sword out in one giant arc. "Not quite Sainty old fellow, Soldier of Fate is totally immune to trap cards, meaning your card is worthless!"

The Pure Rune monster did a back-flip off of Glory Dragon's head, managing to land in a crouch even as the dragon's body split in half. Saint stared in horror as the cloven dragon's two pieces turned to dust and was removed from the game. "You defeated it…so easily?" (Saint: 750)

She shrugged and snapped the two cards in her hand together. "Guess I did. Now I set one card face down and end my turn!"

Saint's lips twitched up into a smile for a brief moment, and then he drew for his turn. "You are quite the opponent, I will admit that. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm defeated."

Treasure from the Different Dimension once again appeared in his hand and the two duelists drew their cards. He smiled and held up one of his cards, revealing a very familiar card. "Pot of Greed activates, allowing me to draw two cards."

He held up one of the newly drawn cards, showing a Kozaky taking a scalpel to Pot of Greed. "Research on the Pot of Greed now allows me to draw an additional two cards."

Saint sighed and shook his head, holding up one of his drawn cards. "It appears I shall be inflicting quite a bit of pain upon you this turn. I activate Tribute Supplement, which allows me to discard cards from my hand to make tribute summons this turn, and at a cost of half my life points I can make as many as I wish this turn." (Saint: 375)

Four cards vanished from his hand, entering the removed from play pile. Finally he took the last two cards in his hand and placed them down onto his duel disk. "These two monsters must be tribute summoned upon their initial summoning, but they are quite potent because of it. First, I summon Saint Beast Seiryuu-Azure Dragon of the East (2800/2300)!"

A blue serpentine dragon with a long mane of golden hair along its back floated down from the sky. Its clawed hands reached out and scrapped the ground as it flew, long tendrils dangling from its lips. Diva bit her thumb, still smiling as she did so. "Trading out one dragon for the next are we?"

Saint said nothing as he raised his right hand to the sky, signaling a burst of flame from above. "Saint Beast Suzaku-Phoenix of the South (3000/2500)!"

This time it was a giant bird with feathers of flame and a golden crest along its back. Its beak was glinting in that light like a diamond and its eyes seemed nearly as sharp as its beak and talons. "Together these two make up half of the four Saint Beasts, guardian of the four directions. And now…Seiryuu attacks with Blue Flames of the East!"

The azure dragon opened up its mouth and sprayed out blue fire which actually began to freeze the ground beneath it as it traveled. Suddenly Diva's set card shattered like fallen ice. "When Seiryuu attacks one magic or trap card on the field is destroyed, making your Soldier of Fate defenseless!"

Flames engulfed Soldier of Fate, ironically freezing him solid. Moments later he collapsed in on himself, turning into just chunks of ice all over the ground. The chunks melted away, leaving nothing remaining. "When Seiryuu destroys a monster in battle, that monster is removed from the game." (Diva: 2500)

Saint now pointed with his right hand straight at Diva, who stood staring at him, her teeth bared and her eyes narrowed. "Suzaku, annihilate her with your Crimson Flames of the South!"

A stream of a deep red fire burst from the bird's mouth, swarming around Diva to create a vortex of flame. Saint lowered both arms, watching dispassionately as they ate at her. "That's the end."

A laugh came from within the flames and suddenly the fire tornado dissipated, revealing Diva standing mostly unharmed within, though looking a little burnt. "Sorry Sainty, but I don't go down that easily. All I had to do was discard Rune Charm-Illusion and my life points were reset to thirty-seven hundred right before your attack. Thanks for letting me draw it with your Treasure of the Different Dimension!" (Diva: 700)

With no cards left in his hand a frustrated Saint was forced to end his turn, giving Diva a chance to recover. "Victory is impossible girl, the sooner you understand that the better."

She drew and burst out laughing. "Don't act so overconfident Sainty, it makes you seem weak! After all, the one here who is the purest is the one who's going to win! It's all over, and victory belongs to me! Go, Pure Rune Symbol-Berkano!"

Light swirled around the field and began to flood from her magic card into the sky. "Berkano allows me to special summon one monster from the opponent's cemetery or removed from play pile to the field! So let's give a glorious welcome to the magnificent Glory Dragon-God of Saints (0/0)!"

Saint stared up in horror as the massive dragon now descended onto her side. She laughed brightly and jumped straight up, alighting upon its head. It lifted its head, taking her up into the air with it. "I may have cards in my cemetery, but I've still got twenty-six cards in my removed from play pile! That gives Glory Dragon (8400/8400) more than enough power to end this!"

"Impressive…Miss Diva. But truth be told, if anyone was going to defeat me, I would have much rather fallen to Miss Mitsuhiro. She is the pure one, despite all that anyone might say. You…are just a personality she created with her power. You're nothing to me at all, just proof of the glorious ability Miss Mitsuhiro possesses." Diva glared at Saint for a moment, and then slowly began to laugh harder and harder until she was laughing manically.

Diva reached up to her head and pulled the tie free, letting her hair loose. As she did so the crazed look in her eyes faded, revealing a much calmer countenance. "That's fine Saint…I just needed her power to recover…but the truth is…just what Kaoru said. My friends that give me the strength to continue are always within me. The power of the darkness transmits electrical signals, including everything processed by the human brain. Meaning anyone who's ever been in a darkness game with me…their entire being is within me."

Mizuki looked down at Saint and sighed, looking down at her hands instead. "And just like Harrison taught me, I had to learn the truth. The truth was, those hearts were partitioned away within me, ready to be called up. All I have to do is know that they exist and trust that my heart exists with theirs. I may not perfectly understand my power, but thanks to the people who have taught me and revealed secrets to me and trusted me I've learned just enough to put it all together and trust myself. And so I understand…thanks to that power…how to bring my friends back."

A single tear slid down her cheek as once again she met Saint's eyes. "And thanks to that power I also understand…your pain, your plan, all that happened to you. And I understand that you probably didn't have to go through the method you did against me, testing me just to discover a way to make me help you. You knew you could use my friends. But instead, you were testing me to see if I was pure enough to resist temptation. Pure enough…to be worthy in your mind of defeating you."

Saint said nothing; he just continued to meet her eyes. But Mizuki could tell he wasn't seeing her anymore. He was seeing the faces of his sister who had nearly died and only lived within him, and the face of the woman he had once loved, the woman who had nearly killed his sister, and the woman he had stripped of all that she was. Mizuki felt more tears coming as she understood more than she could have wanted to. "And I understand that only when someone pure enough defeated you…could you willingly accept the choice to give up what you cherished even when you didn't want to. Your life…in favor of hers."

After all that, Saint began to clap very slowly, smiling once again. "Bravo Miss Mitsuhiro, you truly are my Hope. If you understand, then isn't it time you end this? Isn't it time we end this?"

Mizuki nodded and then held out her right hand, fist clenched. "Glory Dragon…attack Suzaku with Sovereign Testament!"

A giant cross of light split through Suzaku, tearing the phoenix in half. Saint merely continued to smile as the bird evaporated into nothingness. "Congratulations Miss Mitsuhiro, congratulations." (Saint: 0)

Glory Dragon lowered its head, allowing Mizuki to dismount. As she did the dragon and the city and everything else began to fade. She watched, tears still in her eyes as Saint…no Ancel, walked over to his sister and held her in his arms.

The True Sin who had abandoned the name Ancel and accepted only himself as a sinner cradled his fallen sister's body, a body that only existed in the darkness. "Ilse…thank you so much for always being with me to give me the support I needed. And thank you for understand that I was always too weak to give up my own life in order to let you live again. But it was my pacifism, my weakness that let Mariah hurt you, let her descend as far into madness as she did. It was my fault…and its time I correct that mistake. Without me…you can finally live again."

He lifted his left arm off of her body as the darkness game began to collapse and placed his left palm against her cheek. With a faint smile he looked up one last time at Mizuki and then pressed his forehead against his twin's. "Thank you Hope…perhaps you can make the paradise that I couldn't. I still believe, even now, that it was the right path. Farewell, Mizuki Mitsuhiro."

Light covered the two German twins and Mizuki looked away, even as the Darkness Game fully dissipated. When it was gone, she looked up again and saw the man she had come to understand kneeling, nothing in his arms. The man looked up and around, bewildered, and then placed his hands against his face, a panicked look overcoming him.

"Brother! Brother where are you, I can't feel you! Brother!" Mizuki fell to her knees and looked off to her left, where she could see Kaoru and Sanzo lying not far apart from each other.

"I'm tired. But…I can't rest yet…not yet. There's still one more thing to do." Even as she picked herself up and walked over to her friends she couldn't help but feel her heart ache as the now singular Beatrix let tears flow from those blue eyes.

"Alone…I'm….alone." Somehow, despite the knowledge that the personalities and perhaps even souls of her friends were duplicated within her she couldn't help but agree.

She was surrounded by people, but utterly alone.

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Author's Note: Thus concludes the climax of the Virtues of Sinning arc, leaving only the dénouement. This was the longest chapter in all of Rising Star so far, and I hope you enjoyed it. But it's not quite over yet, so let's get to that final chapter of this arc!

_Next Time: Saint is gone and the year is coming to an end. It seems as if everyone has aged over the past year more than they should have. Goodbyes are said as Sanzo and Harrison move on to the Pro Leagues, graduating from the academy. But even though all seems well, secrets still remain unrevealed. For now they must all bid Duelist Academy goodbye, but after this year they will never truly leave._

_See it all in, Bygone Days of Youth._


	90. Bygone Days of Youth

Author's Note: And now, the conclusion to the second season of Rising Star.

**Chapter Ninety: Bygone Days of Youth**

"I've prepared all necessary papers; it will be quite easy to take it through customs at this point. You have no need to worry." The voice, a cool and intellectual voice, emanated from a miniature version of the statue of David, sculpted into the ground and only two feet in height.

"Thank you, your efforts are appreciated. Getting my art onto the plane would have been problematic without your pull." This time the voice, now with a dark tinge to it, came from a potted rose bush.

"Oh me, oh my it appears that we have a visitor. Fifth-san has come to visit us. He should know better, skipping school like this. Tut tut Fifth-san." The newest voice, a musical and feminine one, arose from a flute set end-up on a metallic three-legged stand.

A light shot down from above, illuminating both the room and the figure that was now standing in the center. He stood roughly six feet in height and had his hands clasped behind his back. With broad shoulders and piercing green eyes the blonde figure that was Mr. Shadow would have been intimidating had there been anyone else in the room. Instead he was surrounded by seven objects, only three of which were currently lit. "I've come to provide information and couldn't reach my node, so I chose to appear in person. Saint Beatrix has betrayed our cause and has been summarily defeated. He chose to use his power to purify himself, leaving only Beatrix remaining."

The statue of David shone brighter than the others as it 'spoke'. "Although the betrayal doesn't come as the greatest surprise, I must express surprise that he was defeated. Who defeated him?"

Mr. Shadow stared blankly at the statue and his eyes shone in the light. "Likely no one of consequence. I'll investigate the matter further personally and make sure to deal with that person should they prove to be a threat."

He turned and strode out of the room and the main light dimmed, leaving only the three stray objects illuminated. Finally, the rose bush offered its opinion. "Leech is lying, or at the very least excluding information from us. Just as I've always said, trusting someone who refers to themselves as 'Mr. Shadow' is unwise."

The musical voice came from the flute, giggling slightly before it spoke. "Oh me, oh my Black Thorn, you're quite distrustful. You know that he calls himself that because of his birth name. It's such a pity though that you're right, he is keeping something from us."

"It's fine, we will simply contact Deceiver and have him keep tabs on Mr. Shadow. And perhaps…perhaps we should look into recruiting someone to replace our sixth member. There is no absolute need for there to be seven of us, but dynamics are dynamics." Suddenly a light struck a flat screen television against the wall as it turned on.

A new voice spoke with a tone reminiscent of gravel. "My sources have indicated that, despite how shocking it may be, a new True Sin has been born into someone who previously did not possess the Xanadu Organ. We should make efforts to recruit this girl…"

The screen displayed an image of a girl with hair so deep red it almost appeared black and eyes a strange violet color wearing a white skirt and white blazer with blue patterns in them. "This girl, Kaoru Tsukada."

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"Hey boss, the newest Pro League update was just reported in. You'll never believe what happened!" The speaker was a thin humanoid figure dressed in a ragged t-shirt with one sleeve, his body thin and a strange grey color. His eyes were sunken and his hair was a mess of long black dreadlocks.

He stopped his rush, his yellow eyes peering down from a railing into a large open space with messy couches surrounding a TV. Sitting on one of the couches with a single long arm draped over the back of it was a tall and handsome human looking figure. However, one obvious feature set him apart from a human. A single spike of bone protruded from his forehead and then arced around in both directions ending at a point that touched together, creating a sort of halo of bone. "I'm watching the news. You know I don't like to be disturbed while I'm watching the news."

The thin grey creature winced, looking genuinely frightened. However, the handsome humanoid he was speaking to smiled up at him, tapping his triple-jointed fingers against the back of the couch. "I'm kidding Jeral, what did you find out that's got you so excited?"

Jeral grinned big and hopped up and down as he announced his brand new news. "Three high ranked Pro Duelists were handed defeats by non-participating Pro ranked duelists, but it's who lost that's the big deal! The ones that I'm talking about are the incredible duelists, Lust…Greed…and Pride!"

The boss quirked an eyebrow, obviously intrigued. "Oh? If its logged than that means whoever defeated them used a duel disk registered with the Pro League. So if it wasn't an official match, who did it? Who beat those duelists…particularly who defeated the supposedly unbeatable Pride?"

"Well Lust and Greed were both beaten by the same person, but its kind of weird. They were defeated by Nobunaga Mitsuhiro; a former Pro Duelist who I guess still has his duel disk registered. But…he's that famous human mathematician. And I thought he was dead." The boss merely shrugged, not really having a genuine answer.

"Forget it; anybody can use the duel disk of a former Pro as long as its memory was never blanked. It could be anyone, hell even one of the other Seven Sins. But tell me Jeral, who defeated Pride?" Jeral scratched his head, sending little white flakes dropping to the ground.

"That's also really weird. The duel disk used was registered to a former Junior Pro Champ, who won a few big name tournaments, particularly in Germany about three or four years ago. In other words, he's technically not even a Pro Duelist, but still officially registered. The name is familiar though…it's Harrison Wilhelm the Third." The boss blinked once, and then burst out laughing.

Jeral cocked his head to the side, not exactly sure why his boss was laughing like that. "Uh…boss? Vorea'sesaki? What's the big deal? What's funny?"

Vorea'sesaki stopped laughing and grinned broadly, displaying slightly sharpened teeth. "Looks like you've grown strong kid. Are you about ready though, to face me? I'm ready now…to bring a resolution between you and me."

He hopped over the couch and then bounded straight upwards and landed in a crouch on the railing, right in front of Jeral. The lesser demon stumbled backwards in surprise. "What's up boss? You going somewhere?"

The greater demon stepped down and swung his left arm out, sending a wave of force that shoved open the glass doors leading into a broken street. "Come on Jeral, we're going to Man'yoshushi. I'm hungry."

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Thousands of miles away in a plain white sterile room filled with blinking machinery lay a young boy, a teen, beneath a simple blue sheet attached to cords and tubes that kept him alive.

There was a sudden beep separate from that of the machinery and the boy's eyes fluttered open, revealing plain blue eyes. He groaned and the machinery started to go frantic. He blinked a few times groggily and then patted his chest. "I…I'm awake? I…I'm really awake! I'm alive!"

As the machinery began to beep louder a group of men and women rushed into the room, some in white lab coats and others in blue scrubs, apparently doctors and nurses. "I'm alive! I'm really totally alive!"

Despite the cords and needles stuck in him he began to roll from side to side, laughing hysterically his eyes as wide as they could go. One of the doctors stepped up, taking charge. "He's in a mild state of shock, I want him on a minor dosage of droperidol, Nurse Richards get his vitals and find out his weight, I don't want this kid to take too much, he's an important patient."

Some of the men and women in the room moved to grab him and hold him down so that he wouldn't hurt himself. A brunette male nurse who had the boy's arms pinned down looked the boy directly in the face and spoke in calm tones despite the situation. "You have to calm down or you're going to hurt yourself Mr. Emerlo."

Tobias Emerlo stopped rolling and smirked broadly in an almost insane manner. He reached up with one hand and ran his hands through his hair, stopping at one point. He grinned even broader and tapped that part of his head for a moment before relaxing with his head against both hands. "Yeah, I'm calm. Totally calm in fact."

He flicked one leg over the other and grinned again, looking totally satisfied. "Why wouldn't I be calm? I'm rich, powerful, influential, got a whole brand new life ahead of me, and best of all I'm totally alive. Yeah, it's time for a start."

Letting out a deep sigh Tobias closed his eyes, enjoying the thoughts running through his head. The doctors and nurses exchanged strange glances, not sure whether the boy was still in a state of shock after waking up from a months long coma. "Mr. Emerlo…are you sure you're alright?"

Tobias smirked and switched which leg was over the other. "Of course. After all, the one who covers all bases in order to get what he wants is absolutely…me!"

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A softly smiling pretty girl with blonde hair floated in the middle of an Obelisk Blue's room, emanating from a holographic projector on the floor. "Mom and dad say…that maybe I can try attending next year, but I'll still technically be in my second year because of my long absence. But I don't know if I'm cut out for it big brother."

The silvery haired and white clad Obelisk that was Enzeru Yukio gripped his knees tightly with his hands. He was tempted to jump up from his seat on his bed and tell her she shouldn't give up, but he couldn't do that. "Aya…even if that's your choice I want you to know that I love you and I'm just glad that you're okay. I know things aren't the same…but it's wonderful to see you actually smiling again. And please…just call me brother or Enzeru."

Aya kept her smile on, but Enzeru could see the difference. It was a smile put on purely as an act for him. He could see the sorrow and the fear, the nervous twitch in her eyes. Her inner self, her confidence, all that she was had been broken and simply winning a duel against the cause of that couldn't fix it. _'Despite all my efforts…I didn't accomplish anything. What good is a big brother who can't help his siblings? It's the truth I have to accept, I've failed as a protector and now I have to redouble my efforts.'_

When he first learned from Mizuki what her power entailed he desperately tried to convince her to restore his sister and his brother to their normal states. To his dismay she told him that she had never been around them in a Darkness Game so the information hadn't been entered into her mind. There was no personality stored within her to reboot them with. _'I wasn't able to achieve a happy ending for my siblings. Aya is a broken mess trying to slowly recover herself and Kane is…'_

His dear brother Kane, the youngest (albeit by just a few minutes) of the Yukio triplets had faced Envy and taken a dreadful defeat with her power at full blast. Without the regenerative ability Enzeru possessed the damage to his mental state had been tremendous. When he was awake Kane was twitchy and nervous, unwilling to be around anyone but Enzeru without fearing for his own safety. And when he slept, as he was doing now in the hospital ward back home, he obviously had horrible dreams, because he never stopped jerking in his sleep.

Enzeru, despite all his efforts, was a mess himself. He had felt magnificently triumphant, until he saw the state his brother was in directly after his battle with Envy had ended with his victory. Then he had been turned into gold for a week by a purified Shiro who was apparently somehow the Sin called Greed at the time. By the time he had returned to normal Saint Beatrix had been defeated, and apparently all that was left was the mess that was Saint's sister, now holding his body as her own. Mizuki had managed to restore those whose personalities had been purified, but nothing could save Enzeru's siblings.

But he wasn't alone in his torment. There were dozens of student's parents who were in an outrage, furious with the school for what had happened. Apparently fourteen students had been placed into severely depressed states, although they couldn't pinpoint why and parents were blaming the school. Yet most severe of all was one student, whose parents were wealthy and influential. The parents of Alec Masters were up in arms, because their only child was in a nearly vegetative state, barely responsive.

Even as he continued his small talk with his sister, Enzeru couldn't help but think one thing. The truth was, no matter what they tried to show in movies and television and stories…not everyone gets a happy ending.

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Mizuki Mitsuhiro sighed, kicking her legs back and forth as she stared down at her reflection in the water. Sitting next to her on the dock, similarly swinging his legs was her best friend Shiro Akugi. Despite having managed to bring him back from 'purification' it didn't feel the same. Although it was perhaps because her defeating him in that duel, making him give up on her, had put a sort of distance between them.

She sighed, ignoring the look he gave her out of the corner of his eyes. He had been doing that every few minutes since they came out here to sit, after she had said she just wanted to sit and not talk. _'That's not really true…its me who put up that distance between us. I…I'm afraid of him getting close. There's a monster in me…and I don't even really know who I am. It's almost funny…considering he's tried to help me with these issues before.'_

But now, now she really couldn't be helped by a few inspirational speeches by the over-dramatic green haired teen. He couldn't relate to the issues she was facing, and she didn't know anyone who could. _'A lot of my life has been a lie. And…because of my ability to partition and create new personalities for all I know my own current personality and memory was created by me before I came to the academy.'_

Trying to get perspective she had spoken to Beatrix, trying to understand how the woman felt with her strange situation. After all, Beatrix had lived as just a mind and memory within her brother's own body, and now her brother was gone leaving her a woman trapped in a man's body.

Beatrix's response hadn't been terribly helpful. She had told Mizuki that their situations were vastly different. That Mizuki was young, regardless of her memory and she should accept that. That she had much to look forward to and could even make her forget the things that were horrible.

Mizuki sighed and tilted her head up, looking at the white puffy clouds that covered the breadth of the sky. _'And according to her my entire body acts like a conductor for neuro-electric pulses or something like that. So essentially my entire body acts like a storage device for memory. I've got more storage space than millions of super computers. But she…she's just stuck with one body, one mind, one memory.'_

The older 'woman' had dropped her head and told Mizuki that her memories were something she couldn't be free of, and she had seen and experienced everything her brother had done and felt. Her words had been strong and pained.

_"My brother was always a compassionate person. So many times he tried to help the needy or the starving or victims of brutal crimes. No matter how much he tried he couldn't stop anything or save anyone, he could only offer a temporary comfort that did nothing. And it pained him more than I've seen anyone hurt by the troubles of others. I suppose in part that's why my brother concocted his plan. His heart wouldn't accept the things he saw, he couldn't handle the horrors. As kindhearted as he was, trying to comfort a little girl with powers beyond her control, a victim of rape twice by the age of thirteen…was just too much for him. Ancel was the kindest man I've ever known…he hurt when others hurt. Just like you, Mitsuhiro-san."_

The comparison was a strange one, as Mizuki had never considered herself anything like Saint. But to know that a man like Saint could genuinely love and feel true compassion instead of just being a cold shell with a warm mask was…shaking. _'Even those we come to hate, even those who seem wrong beyond anything else…isn't one-dimensional. Saint was always an enigma, and even now I really don't understand him. I can't help but think that even though I won the duel, he won the battle.'_

_"Mitsuhiro-san, perhaps you can understand me now. The truth is…if it weren't for my brother's memory, I would end the pain I had experienced. I would eliminate my memories the only way I can by eliminating the source. But for his sake I'll live on and keep those memories, despite the pain. So respect your ability, respect your memory and just live on. To be honest…I envy you."_

Despite those words, Mizuki just didn't feel it. She was exhausted, tired beyond all belief and her mind was whirling. She was by no means contemplating suicide, but she couldn't find herself feeling happy even though the struggle had ended. "Shiro…do you remember everything that happened last year…with Tobias?"

Shiro jumped slightly, surprised that she had spoken and addressed him. After a few moments he regained his composure and smiled brightly at her. "Of course! I remember it just like it was yesterday…"

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_Tobias Emerlo, teen in a red uniform with a long dark goatee laughed maniacally as he swung from a rope, holding Mizuki under his arm clad in a pink gown. "Hahaha, I am kidnapping you for reasons that are too boring to explain Mizuki!"_

_Mizuki wailed and tried to beat at his chest ineffectively. "No, you can't kidnap me, it's against academy rules!"_

_Tobias laughed darkly as he continued swinging on the rope, passing over trees. "Screw the rules, I have money!"_

_Suddenly they were stopped by a trio of figures in his path. They were none other than Sanzo, Harrison, and one figure in the background. "Come to be in my way and take this beautiful maiden from me? Bring it on!"_

_Sanzo and Harrison screamed and charge Tobias but he casually smacked them aside and to the ground with barely a motion of his hand. "Ha, you are too weak to defeat me because I am a villain and you are lame!"_

_Sanzo and Harrison looked up pitifully at the third shadowed figure and cried out to it. "Please Shiro-sama, you must save the day because you are great and we suck!"_

_Shiro stepped forward out of the shadows, his body rippling with muscles and his hair a flowing moss green color. Tobias gulped as Shiro laughed dramatically and jumped forwards, picking Mizuki up with one hand and setting her behind him. "You can't do this, I can't be defeated! It's against the rules for you to defeat the villain because you're just a side kick!"_

_Shiro lunged forwards and karate chopped Tobias' neck, dropping him to the ground. "Screw the rules, I have green hair!"_

_Mizuki cooed and jumped at him, snaking her arms around his neck. "Oh Shiro-sama, you're so dreamy! Take me now, right here!"_

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Mizuki stared at a grinning Shiro and then dropped her head into the palm of her hand. "None of that stuff actually happened…you know that right? Do you, I don't know, have brain damage or something?"

Shiro shrugged, still looking quite pleased with himself. "Well my brain was wiped by that Saint jerk, so there is a chance that's the case."

The dark haired girl sighed and shook her head, willing herself to brush aside his possibly deliberate stupidity. "All of that craziness happened because Tobias wanted something from me. And all of the insanity and horrors of this year happened because Saint wanted something from me."

"Hey Mizuki-chan, what's with that stupid looking mopey face? Want me to light it up for ya?" Shiro and Mizuki looked up to see the red haired and red uniformed form of the attractive but young Miharu Kanzaki, otherwise known as Inferno.

Shiro perked up at the sight of the girl, apparently forgetting how uncomfortable he was with her young age when he saw what she looked like. "Hey Miharu, you're looking awfully hot today. And I don't just mean because you can light stuff on fire with your brain. I mean you've got a smoking body, and not just because of the previously mentioned fire!"

Her left eye twitched and Shiro stopped for a moment, realizing his mistake. "Huh…I'm really off my game right now aren't I?"

Miharu pointed one finger at Shiro and a streak of flame shot out, catching his blazer ablaze. "You have no game, now shut up."

Shiro screamed in terror and jumped to his feet, running straight past Miharu with his arms in the air. "Oh my god, I'm on fire! I'm on fire!"

They saw his burning form desperately trying to shrug off his jacket even as he trailed out of sight. Miharu blinked rapidly, and then glanced back to the dock. "He was like two feet from water…it wasn't even supposed to be dangerous to light him on fire like that. How dumb is that guy really?"

Mizuki cut the True Sin's thoughts off when she spoke. "You don't like me because I beat you in a duel and because you just don't like anybody. So the reason you came here was because you want something. You're here to ask me if I'll come with you and Frost to the Colony, aren't you."

The True Sin placed her hands on her hips, looking slightly frustrated and out of sorts. "Uh…well yeah actually. How the heck did you know that?"

"Because Vlad told me that you probably would. Sorry but…not right now, nor at the end of the year. I can't until I'm ready, and I have to deal with certain things myself before I'm ready." The red-head glared down at Mizuki for just a few moments before spinning around starting to walk away.

"Whatever, answers like that don't mean crap to us. That may be your answer for now, but sorry it's just not going to cut it. Sooner or later you're going to come with us. After all, you're a True Sin as well and True Sins just can't mingle with mundanes without getting hurt or hurting them. You can't expect the brilliance of our superiority not to get in the way of dealing with lesser beings, can you? So just sit there and deal with your fake normal life until you come to terms that your place is with us. See ya Mizuki-chan." Waving a hand Miharu departed, walking into the woods and away from Mizuki, leaving the girl to think alone.

Mizuki sat alone at the dock for several minutes, laying on her back and staring up at the sky. She couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe Miharu was right. After all…her involvement was the reason so many people had been hurt or thrust into terrible situations. _'Even people not close to me have been hurt because of what I am. The answer is pretty simple…'_

"That depressed look is rather strange to see on your face Rising Star. Wipe it off before I think you're joining my way of thinking. After all, the two of us are nothing alike." Mizuki tilted her head to the left, finding Harrison standing at the start of the dock and staring directly out at the lighthouse.

"It hurts to think that I'm the cause of the pain of others. I don't know if I can deal with that, handle knowing that it's my fault." There was silence between the two of them until Harrison spoke again, sounding almost bored as the words flowed from his lips.

"When you start walking down the path of self-blame and self-loathing there's ultimately no escape. You'll self-destruct and forever be alone. Truthfully Rising Star, I don't know if you can handle being alone like that would entail." Mizuki sat up and stared directly at Harrison, despite the fact that he wasn't even looking directly at her.

"You don't have to die alone Harrison." Finally with those words Harrison looked down, meeting her green eyes with his blue ones. To her surprise Harrison smiled, although it was a smile that seemed sadder than anything else.

"Everyone dies alone. The only differences are the circumstances and what pale ghosts surround you as you fade away. I know my ghosts Rising Star; I see them all the time. And if you walk that path, if you walk my path, the ghosts you'll see will be the ones you abandoned. The people you see every day already. If you don't walk that path, you'll hurt and that will hurt them. If you do walk that path they will be hurt." Slowly Mizuki stood, still meeting eyes with Harrison.

She approached him until there was almost no distance and it was obvious that there were several inches in height difference between them. When they had first met he had been about seven inches taller than her, and now he was even taller than that, topping just over six feet while she was still as petite as ever. Yet despite that, she wasn't intimidated. "Harrison…there's no answer that's easy and I understand that. But I just want to say thank you for being willing to offer advice, and for helping me. You're a kinder person than anyone gives you credit for."

Harrison snorted and looked away from her finally, staring off into the distance. "Don't spout such ridiculous things. Everyone knows that I'm as cold and cruel as they come. I'm a miserable jerk, and that's the way it will remain."

Mizuki smiled genuinely and lifted up on her tip-toes, pecking her lips against his cheek. He blinked, looking truly surprised at the action. "Still…thank you Harrison, you're a good friend."

She walked past him and off the dock, leaving Harrison to stay standing there. He chuckled and muttered to himself under his breath. "Somehow, despite everything, that kind-hearted little girl actually understands my miserable self."

When Mizuki was about a dozen feet away Harrison spoke again, this time loud enough for her to hear. "So then, what will you do Rising Star?"

"Tomorrow I'm going to take the graduation exam. I'm not coming back to Duel Academy next year…I'm done here; I won't be the cause of anyone else's pain." She walked away, entering the woods and leaving Harrison standing alone at the docks.

"So…you're going to walk alone. I doubt we'll ever meet again Rising Star. A pity…I actually enjoyed your company."

He walked away from the dock and away from the woods, leaving the dock empty and alone.

Duelist Academy was quiet, it was solemn. Somehow, despite all the people on it, Duelist Academy was lonely. Because that island felt the pain of those that lived there. Everyone who lived on the island was going to leave, but they would all leave a piece of themselves there.

Gone though he was, Saint Beatrix's influence had sown despair and joy to the students of Duelist Academy. And in the silence it was as if the hand of Saint Beatrix moved down and moved a single piece, knocking the white queen off the board, lacing it right next to the white king. And in that silent a single voice spoke, a ghostly voice of one who was no longer alive.

Check Mate.

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Author's Note: Thus concludes the Virtues of Sinning arc. There's still more, don't worry your little heads. Quite a lot more in fact. Things are only going to get more interesting from here on out. Also, this chapter (especially one part) is dedicated to LittleKuriboh whose comedic genius is a wonderful thing.

Shout Out: Also I'd like to point you readers in the direction of two author's GX stories. Check out G.O.T. Nick and Viewtiful Jeff's stuff, its all good. Trust me on this you won't be disappointed.

_Next Time: With the year at Duelist Academy over it is time to go home. But sitting on the rooftop of her mother's Tokyo apartment Mizuki Mitsuhiro finds it hard to be completely relaxed. She reflects on the past few years and wonders, idly, what it would be like to become a cloud and drift forever away._

_See it all in, Imagine Me This: A Cloudless Sky._


	91. Imagine Me This: A Cloudless Sky

Author's Note: Here we go…

**Chapter Ninety-One: Imagine Me This: A Cloudless Sky**

Mizuki Mitsuhiro sighed as she stared up at the sky. It was a bright day, few clouds in the sky, and on such a day anyone would enjoy it. But somehow, Mizuki couldn't find herself enjoying it. After all, today was Duelist Academy's graduation day.

Today, hundreds if not thousands of miles away her friends were all celebrating the day that they finished school for the year at the prestigious academy. Today, Harrison and Sanzo would graduate leaving Duelist Academy forever.

Mizuki would have been there with them, would have witnessed the final duel of the year, the Kaiser's graduation duel where Harrison would make a challenge. However, a week after the end of the conflict with Saint Beatrix she had taken her own exams for early graduation. She had even taken a graduation style duel against the head of Obelisk Blue and won. So now she was a graduate of Duelist Academy…she was done and there was no going back.

_'After so long…that time is done. It seems like just yesterday I began to meet those incredible people…just like yesterday I began at Duelist Academy.'_

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_Mizuki drew, and smiled slightly. "Ready for my killing blow? It'll be a cool one as well." There was a round of gasps, as well as a number of disbelieving mutters._

_She smiled prettily, and the several of the teens in the room sighed. "Guess you don't believe me, so I'll show you. Rune Soldier, attack his final birdy!" It leapt forwards and slashed apart the final bird, causing her to lose one of the two cards in her hand._

"_I don't see how finishing off my last bird will finish me. After all, I still have two defense monsters and you have just one monster. And Criosphinx's defense is too strong for you to defeat easily." Mizuki nodded in understand but winked. Then Miyamoto saw it, almost as if for the first time. Her face down card…_

"_You see it right? Good, that'll make this even more fun. Reveal face down quick-play magic card, Rune Symbol-Raidho! This card lets me sacrifice one card on my field to let my others attack directly this turn!" She slammed her remaining card into her hand and it immediately shattered._

"_Rune Lancer, attack directly!" Miyamoto grunted as the holographic spear jammed into his side, but he refused to be forced backwards. Instead he stood his ground, accepting the damage to his life points. (MLP: 2300)_

"_That was impressive, but it wasn't a finishing blow. I've still got the lead, and that card is one time only." Mizuki didn't reply normally. Instead she glanced at her Rune Soldier, which was glowing brightly, so brightly that its figure couldn't be seen anymore._

_When the light faded, it was the same monster, only taller and with hardened lines on its face, the lines of experience. In addition it held two curved swords, each one glowing with runes. "Whenever Rune Soldier destroys a monster I can place a Rune Counter on it, and by sacrificing three of those and itself I can special summon any Rune monster from my hand, deck, or cemetery to the field. So this…is Rune Blader (2300/2300)!"_

_There was a collective gasp from the audience as they saw what was about to happen. Miyamoto merely smiled, looking appreciative. "You could have summoned something stronger, but instead you chose to go with a monster whose attack is equal to my life points. In other words, you had this planned since the turn you set that Raidho card."_

"_Glad to know you figured that out. So here's the pay off of a few turns planning, Rune Blader, direct attack for game!" The monster crossed his swords and jumped at the professor, stabbing him in the chest with both blades. There was a trickling sound as his life points dripped away. (MLP: 0)_

_Some of the other teens in the room cheered, most particularly the boys, but Miyamoto merely looked happy. "Well that was certainly an impressive display. I can't guarantee anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if you got in. Good luck Ms. Mitsuhiro."_

_She flashed the crowd a victory sign, and then strutted off the stage, looking awfully pleased with herself. __'This could be it…I could have made it into Duelist Academy!'_

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A bright ray of light shown down from the sky and right into her eyes. She groaned and flopped her right arm over her eyes to block it out. "Not now Mr. Sun…I'm just not in the mood for you."

_"Wouldn't it be nice…a cloudless sky. Where nothing blocked the sunlight and we could all just enjoy that warm feeling? I think that's kind of what love is like…a cloudless sky; it's warm with nothing to stop that warmth from covering our skin."_

She sighed, imagining Shiro's smiling face as he hopped on the boat and bit Duelist Academy a fond farewell. It seemed strange that they had become so close, especially considering how they had first met.

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_Mizuki spun around, and came face to face with one of the Osiris Red boys from one of her classes. He stood several inches taller than her, but he wasn't truly tall. He had chocolate brown eyes that looked kind, but his hair was a weird dyed shade of greed. He wore the black pants and red shoes standard of Osiris Red, but his jacket was nowhere to be seen. "Who are you? What do you want?"_

"_My name is Shiro Akugi, and I want you to hit me as hard as you can." Almost as emphasis he pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to her. When she unrolled it, it was a sample scan that showed the two pictures he had used to doctor the photo._

"_You…it was you?" The moment he nodded, she consented to his wishes, and decked him. Lights flashed in his eyes and when his normal vision returned a second later he found himself on the ground, looking up at a furious looking but beautiful girl._

"_Why? That's what I want to know." Shiro looked away, not feeling like he deserved to look at her right then. He was normally a guy who enjoyed looking at pretty girls, but he didn't deserve to look at her._

"_I'm roommates with a guy named Tobias Emerlo, and he came to me with a story about this bitch girl who totally humiliated him. He wanted revenge, to make her a laughing stock, and so in exchange for cards I pulled this prank. I thought you were a cruel person from what he said…but when I saw you like that at the river, I realized I was wrong. And I know I'm sorry isn't enough…but I'm sorry." She stared down at him like he was scum, and then walked away until she was standing about twenty-five feet away._

"_Get up Shiro! Stand on your feet and face me! You said that maybe the people of this school wanted to see me as a duelist and nothing more and nothing less. Well then I want you to show me if that's how you see me! Am I a duelist, am I eye candy, or am I just some loser nerd? That's what I'll judge in this duel!" Her DD2 unfolded, deck already in place. (MLP: 4000)_

_Shiro shook himself off and pushed himself into a standing position, pressing the activation button on his DD5. "I'll show you that I do see you as a duelist now, even though maybe I didn't before. But don't get me wrong, while I understand just how important this duel is to you, I can't help but say that I hope it'll be a fun duel." (SLP: 4000)_

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"I met so many incredible people…Harrison, Sanzo, Enzeru, Vlad, Aya, Kane, Janice, Kaoru, and Chizuma…even those I didn't become friends with but still influenced me. I'm leaving them all behind but…it's for the best." She felt the tears coming but just pushed her arm against her eyes even harder, trying to ignore the stinging.

It all fell apart in the second half of her first year, when the Paranormal Suppression Squad arrived thanks to the influence of Tobias Emerlo. Then she was taken into custody and Tobias had used it to his advantage to study her. He wanted the Xanadu Equation to gain the ultimate knowledge, and he wanted to get it from her.

The situation had been resolved, but things hadn't gotten better. Her second year at the academy was punctuated by tragedy after tragedy. The first terrible one came in the form of the appearance of an awful being calling herself a True Sin. When Nightmare came, everything changed.

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_Sanzo looked around frantically, trying to figure out some way to stop the madness that was going on. If he didn't stop Gluttony in a few seconds people were going to start dying. "There's got to be a way, god…somebody, anybody, stop him! PLEASE!"_

_A hacking cough brought his attention back to Gluttony and away from the students. To his surprise Gluttony was pressed up against the arena wall, supported by someone's hand around his throat._

_Whoever was holding Gluttony was wearing a black dress that seemed to shift and flow as if it was made of shadows. Long spiky black hair flowed down their back to the middle. Slowly the woman's head turned, revealing beautifully pale skin and eerily bright blue eyes. "Ask and you shall receive…but I don't think I'm exactly what you had in mind."_

_The woman's hand squeezed and Gluttony gurgled, his energy flickered out and died, ending the absorption. Nobody in the room moved, save for the kicking of Gluttony's legs. Even Saint stared at the woman in surprise. __'Who is this? Her power…it surpasses even mine!'_

_Sanzo gulped, frightened of the woman without any understanding of why he was. All he knew was that she had stopped Gluttony, but didn't seem to mind that she was choking him to death. And she was grinning broadly the whole time, showing off perfectly white teeth. "Who are you?"_

_Her grin widened and a manic look entered her eyes. "Who am I? Heh…that's a good question isn't it? It's a really important question that everybody asks themselves from time to time. Who am I?"_

_Her grip tightened and Gluttony's legs began to kick more frantically. She snickered, her grin becoming crazed. "Who am I? I'm the thing that everybody fears, that the hide from in the darkness, that they want to wash away with their petty dreams. I'm a true sin, Nightmare!"_

_Cackling madly she casually hurled Gluttony back onto the dueling field, and he slid all the way to Sanzo's feet. He coughed violently, trying to get air back into his lungs. Sanzo began to bend down to reach for him, but found himself frozen in mid-motion. "Even after all he did, you'd help him? Hero eh? You're just a warrior for the dreams, and that makes me sick."_

_He slowly tilted his eyes up and found Nightmare standing right above him. He couldn't understand how she had gotten there; it didn't seem possible that she could have covered that much distance so quickly. "What do you want?"_

"_Want? All I want is to destroy every last dream and leave nothing but nightmares. And I'm going to start with this little brat, isn't that right Gluttony?" Snickering she pushed Sanzo, sending him flying off the arena._

_She pulled Gluttony to his feet and began to walk away, only stopping once she was on the other side of the dueling field. "Enjoy this duel Gluttony, because this is going to be your last one. Let the Darkness Game begin!"_

_Darkness erupted from every inch of her body, pouring outwards until the entire dueling arena, audience and all, was surrounded by the unending dark world that Darkness Games took place in. Gluttony shivered and pulled on the calories he had to support himself and bolster his power. "I…I won't lose! Somebody as powerful as you, when they lose to me they'll make perfect fodder!"_

_Saint began to rise out of his seat, his eyes narrowed. But his eyes widened as he discovered that tendrils of darkness were wrapped around him, keeping him in the chair. "What is this madness? Power that overcomes my own?"_

_Nightmare snickered and wagged a finger at him. "Don't be so hasty pretty boy, enjoy the duel. You got what you wanted from that last duel, whatever it was, so now I'm going to get what I want. After all, you don't need this cast off trash anymore do you?"_

_Gluttony stared up at Saint, his eyes wide with fear. "Saint! You can't abandon me like this! Sloth, Greed, Envy, Pride, Lust, Wrath, someone get me out of this!"_

_There was no reply, and he saw that even the other sins had been wrapped up by dark tendrils like Saint, and so had each of those who had been left conscious. "There's not going to be any interference. It's just you, me, and your worst nightmares now little sin. Be afraid, be very afraid."_

_The shadows around her body coalesced into a pitch black duel disk with only red numbers breaking that pattern as her life points were displayed. "I'm going to enjoy stripping you of all your dreams little sin. I can't stand the thought of anyone having dreams…not when all I have is nightmares! So face your worst fears and duel!" (NLP: 4000)_

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After that things had only continued to get worse. One by one her friends were hurt or had their memories purified or suffered in some way, and it all happened because Saint Beatrix came looking for her. Just like how Tobias had wanted something from her.

It had become obvious to her that she was a magnet for trouble, and so she had chosen never to return to Duelist Academy. That way if trouble came looking for her she wouldn't endanger her friends. After all, here in Tokyo she didn't have any friends.

Vlad had told her before the end of the year a piece of interesting information. Saint Beatrix, or rather jus the dominate personality that was Saint, was actually a member of a secret society of seven.

"The Lords of Twilight…it can't be a coincidence that they share part of their name in common with the Twilight of Man." Saint had been a member from a group of seven individuals, all powerful and influential in their own ways whose identities were generally held secret from all but themselves.

And according to Vlad each of those seven had seven Heralds, people who were essentially the direct operatives of those lords, used for whatever purpose they needed. Saint Beatrix's Seven Sins had been his Heralds, and he had chosen them because of their powers and their dueling capabilities.

Vlad himself had been a Herald for an apparently deadly but mysterious member of the Lords, a man who was called Mr. Shadow. And apparently he was also the Tsar of East Academy, although Mizuki's research showed that East Academy didn't share its records of student rankings.

All she knew was that there were six people out there, each at least as dangerous as Saint Beatrix and their plans were unknown. But at the very least Vlad knew that Mr. Shadow had an interest in Mizuki for some purpose of his own. "Mr. Shadow is going to come for me sooner or later, so I can't let my friends get involved."

She sat up, dropping her arm to her side and stared out at Tokyo. "It's a whole new game from now on, I can't let up and I can't be caught unprepared. I have to be at the top of my game and I have to fight this my way!"

"You know, you don't have to fight alone ma'am." Mizuki yelped and jumped up, nearly losing her balance at the edge of the roof. A strong hand reached out and caught her by the arm, keeping her from falling off.

The man who had caught her released his grip, smiling down at her. He had buzz-cut dark hair and dark eyes and a relaxed smile. It also seemed strange for her to see him in just a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. "Uncle Ryouga!"

The man wasn't actually her uncle, but was instead an old family friend who had served as a bodyguard for her father during wartime back when he was just a private. Now he was a Major in one of the most prestigious military groups in the world, the Paranormal Suppression Squad. It was their job to put down Darkness Games and even battle supernatural creatures.

"Hello Mizuki-chan, it's been too long. You know I never got a chance to apologize for what happened during your first year. Unfortunately I wasn't in charge." Mizuki shook her head and looked off into the distance.

"Its okay Uncle Ryouga, everything got resolved. And…I'm sorry I can't be more cheerful right now. I'm not in the best of moods." Ryouga nodded and walked forward, stopping at her side and placing his right hand on her left shoulder.

"I understand that you did early graduation from Duelist Academy. A strange choice, but considering your situation I can understand. It's a brave choice to make, and your father would be proud. Of course, he'd also think you were being silly." Mizuki turned to look up at him, surprise evident in her eyes.

Ryouga didn't look at her as he continued speaking. "Your father told me, a long time ago, to look out for you whenever I could. He told me things that he never told you. I don't know everything, but I know that you're not all you appear to be. But despite that, you're still the Mizuki I've always known. You even look almost the same as when I first met you…ten years ago."

Mizuki closed her eyes to hold back the tears. She had suspected something of that case, but hearing the proof just made it worse. It meant her memory true had been altered, most likely by herself. "Why'd you come Uncle Ryouga? I've already made my choice and I don't need counseling."

The military man sighed and stared up at the sky. "I'd like to help, but you wouldn't accept my help they way things are right now. And though I don't know everything that's going on I can still do something. Mizuki-chan…show me how strong you are."

Her eyes widened as she heard the familiar sound of an unfolding duel disk. Ryouga stepped away and made his way to the other end of the apartment building, holding up his duel disk clad arm. "Let's see if you can handle my strength, and the strength of a deck that's the best the government can make!" (Ryouga: 4000)

Mizuki looked down at her feet and saw that her duel disk, the duel disk her father used in his pro league days, was sitting at her feet. She knelt down and picked it up…and then slipped it onto her arm. "Alright Uncle Ryouga, you're on!" (Mizuki: 4000)

Ryouga drew and Mizuki narrowed her eyes, ready for just about anything. "I activate the magic card Bury the Dead, which lets me send up to three monsters from my deck to the graveyard! I choose one Light Essence (500/700) and one Dark Essence (700/500)!"

His graveyard flashed and glowed as he slipped the cards into his cemetery slot. "When a Light Essence or Dark Essence goes to the graveyard I gain five hundred life points. In addition, the third monster I discarded was called Bait Dragon (300/300) which when it goes to the grave because of an effect lets me add one level eight or higher dragon from my deck to my hand." (Ryouga: 5000)

A card popped out of his deck and into his hand and he held it up above his head. "I activate the effect of my chosen monster, removing Light Essence and Dark Essence from the graveyard! Special summons, Chaos Emperor Dragon-Messenger of the Apocalypse (3000/2500)!"

Mizuki stared in awe at her first experience seeing the massive dragon that was so incredibly rare and still considered one of the most dangerous monsters in the entire game. There were ten civilian copies of the card…but it appeared that it was easy to get for a government agent. "Incredible…the god of dragons!"

Chaos Emperor Dragon roared, its talons gripping the cement of the roof tightly as it threw back its head, red mane of hair shaking in the wind. The dragon leveled its head at her and she felt her heart pound. "I never thought I'd face it…this is amazing!"

Ryouga pointed at the dragon and it began to glow. "At a cost of a thousand life points I can send each card on both player's fields and hands to the cemetery. Apocalypse Eruption!" (Ryouga: 4000)

The dragon exploded, the eruption rocking the entire building. Mizuki held tight, digging herself in to avoid being tossed off the building. When the explosion dimmed she discarded her hand of cards to the cemetery and watched Ryouga do the same. "Now for each card sent to the cemetery you take three hundred points of damage. That's eleven cards for thirty-three hundred damage!"

Mizuki grimaced as her life points began to fall fast. That was probably the worst damage she had ever taken on the first turn of a duel. "This deck is amazing…that much damage on the first turn at little effort." (Mizuki: 700)

Suddenly Ryouga's deck churned and spat out a card. "I'm not finished yet Mizuki. Establish Contacts lets me add one monster from my deck to my hand when discarded by an effect. So by removing Chaos Emperor Dragon and D.D. Warrior Lady from the grave I can special summon Chaos Soldier-Messenger of Creation (3000/2500)!"

Lowering his duel disk as soon as the blue and gold armored form appeared, shield and sword at the ready, Ryouga gave her a nod. "Since I can't attack on the first turn, I'll just end my turn. Show me what you can do Mizuki-chan."

She slid a single card off her deck and then frowned, glancing at her graveyard slot. "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn!"

Ryouga drew slowly and Mizuki's heart pounded in her chest. _'This is a defining moment for me. Uncle Ryouga has two options, he can either destroy my monster with his soldier to gain its second attack, or simply remove my set monster to avoid any potential effects. Of course it all depends on what he drew.'_

The soldier looked at the single card he was holding and then at her set monster. _'Hmm…let's see what she's got. Although honestly it doesn't matter what that set monster is considering the other strategy I've got in the works.'_

He lifted his hand and pointed at the set monster, and his soldier lifted its curved blade. "Chaos Soldier, attack and destroy her face down monster!"

It darted forward and cleaved through the monster, turning it into pixel dust. Mizuki smirked and held out her right hand in front of her graveyard slot. "Thanks Uncle Ryouga, you triggered my Rune Researcher's flip effect, allowing me to grab two Rune Symbols from my grave and place them into my hand. Cards that went to the grave because of your dragon's effect!"

She placed the cards into her hand and then snapped her fingers, causing a glowing sheath of light to surround her. "Not to mention that when Rune Researcher is destroyed in battle after being flipped all damage to my life points for the rest of the turn is reduced to zero. So your Chaos Soldier's second attack is useless!"

Ryouga frowned and then slid his remaining card into his disk, causing it to appear face down. "That ends my turn. Out of curiosity, why are you trying so hard to win? Does it really matter?"

Mizuki looked up at him even as she reached for her deck. "It's pretty simple. My pride as a duelist refuses to let me lose like this, so it's my draw!"

She snapped the card off her deck and suddenly a ball of flame shot out of Ryouga's cemetery. "Sorry Mizuki-chan, but it's all over! One of the cards sent to the grave by my dragon's effect is Special Delivery, and on the third standby phase after it goes to the grave it deals my opponent one thousand points of damage!"

The fireball shrieked forward and slammed into her, erupting and briefly concealing her. When it died down she was standing with her right duel-disk clad arm in front of her face and steam rising from her body. "That was a nice shot Uncle Ryouga, but not good enough." (Mizuki: 200)

His eyes widened in shock and she gestured as a card revealed itself on her field briefly before fading away. "I just chained the damage with my Rune Symbol-Sowilo, which lets me gain five hundred life points and draw one card. So when I took the damage I had twelve hundred life points instead of seven hundred."

She smirked and held up one of her other cards. "Rune Symbol-Thurisaz activates to let me destroy your Chaos Soldier! Say goodbye to your hard earned monster!"

Chaos Soldier exploded, and Ryouga immediately snapped his arm out. "In chain to my monster's destruction I activate the trap card God's Resuscitation! It lets me send cards from my deck to the graveyard equal to the level of my destroyed monster to special summon it back to the field regardless of its summoning costs. So by tossing eight cards I get my soldier back!"

He counted out his eight cards and then shoved them into his graveyard. Immediately the smoking pieces of Chaos Soldier were pulled back together, reforming into its original glory. "That's not all though, because the effect of two cards that went to my grave activate. Repayment of Losses first of all lets me draw a single card."

That put him at one card in his hand, but he didn't look like he was done yet. "In addition, when Money Laundering is sent directly from my grave to my deck I can choose to draw two cards at a cost of letting my opponent draw one card."

At the same time they both drew, although Mizuki gained slightly less than Ryouga did. "Of course that's all I get, so feel free to continue."

Mizuki frowned and looked at the three cards she was holding. "Alright, I summon Rune Centurion (1800/1800) in defense mode. Next I'll place two cards face down and end my turn!"

Her shield and bow wielding blonde haired warrior locked eyes with Chaos Soldier even as Ryouga drew. The professional duelist tapped his drawn card against the others. "If I remember right, Rune Centurion lets you select one monster on my field during my standby phase and prevent it from attacking this turn. Of course if I have none you can select a summoned monster. But that just means Chaos Soldier can't attack this turn."

She said nothing, but he knew he was correct. "That's just fine, because I'm perfectly ready for that anyways! I activate Cost Down, tossing this card from my hand in order to reduce the level of all cards in my hand by two for the turn. And that lets me normal summon Hell Kaiser Dragon (2400/1500) in attack mode!"

A massive black serpentine dragon appeared, roaring as it stretched out its semi-metallic wings. Mizuki had never faced it before, but it was an older card so she recognized it. _'It's a dual monster, so for right now it has no effect. However…'_

Just as she had feared Ryouga held up the final card in his hand. "I activate Dual Summon which lets me conduct one additional normal summon during this turn. Of course I can now use that to second summon my already face-up Hell Kaiser Dragon! And when a Dual Monster is second summoned they stop acting like a normal monster and gain an effect. In this case, Hell Kaiser Dragon gains the ability to attack twice in the battle phase!"

Mizuki gulped, realizing that put her in a tough situation. "Now Mizuki-chan, since even killing your centurion won't let Chaos Soldier attack this turn, I'll just forfeit his normal attack to remove your monster from the game to clear a path."

With a twitch of its sword the soldier banished the centurion. Briefly the centurion's colors inverted and then it was gone, leaving nothing behind. "Next, Hell Kaiser Dragon attacks you directly!"

"I activate my quick-play magic card, Rune Symbol-Tiwaz! That lets me negate your monster's attack and gain its attack as life points!" The black flames swirled and were absorbed into Mizuki's duel disk, sending her life points shooting up. (Mizuki: 2600)

"Not enough Mizuki-chan! Hell Kaiser Dragon, attack directly again with Black Kaiser Flame!" It sent a stream of black flame directly at her and she grimaced as they burnt away all of her recently gained life points. (Mizuki: 200)

Seeing as he no longer had cards in his hand Ryouga felt like his turn was ended. "Go ahead Mizuki-chan."

She reached for her deck and drew, looking satisfied with what she saw. "I summon Rune Alchemist (1300/1000) who lets me draw three cards, and for each Rune Symbol I draw I gain five hundred life points!"

After registering them she flashed all three of them to him, revealing two Rune Symbols and one monster. "I'll now gain a thousand life points!" (Mizuki: 1200)

As soon as her life points had finished rising she grabbed two of the cards and folded them up. "After its effect resolves I have to select two cards in my hand and send them to the cemetery. So I'll discard my monster and one of my symbols for that part of the effect."

Finally she held up the last card left over. "Rune Symbol-Fehu lets me draw two cards right now!"

When the card was out of her hand she pointed at her remaining set card. "I activate Blank Rune, using it as the Tiwaz in my cemetery for its standard position effect! At a cost of half my life points all face-up cards on the field go sky high!" (Mizuki: 600)

The alchemist was engulfed in a blast of bright light along with Ryouga's soldier and dragon. When it was gone, the entire field was empty. "Impressive, but now you don't have anything either and since you already used up your summon you can't do anything to me."

"Not quite Uncle Ryouga. I activate Rune Charm-Summon to special summon this monster from my hand, the deadly Rune Sword Saint (2800/2500)!" She slapped it down and it appeared a warrior in gleaming white armor with moving runic symbols entwining his twin blades and his armor.

She smirked and a bright blue beam of light shot from her cemetery and slammed into the sword saint. "From my graveyard the effect of the monster I discarded with alchemist's effect activates! Rune Commander while in the graveyard powers up all Rune monsters by one hundred per Rune Symbol in the cemetery!"

Seven points of light gathered together and merged with the sword saint, sending his power shooting up. "Thanks to that I think my Sword Saint (3500) can really even this game up! Go for it, direct attack!"

Slashing its blades in an x pattern it cleaved Ryouga across the chest. But thanks to his vast experience he wasn't even moved backwards by the strike. "Impressive, evening us up that quickly." (Ryouga: 500)

"You'd better believe it! I'm not going to lose, even if it is to you Uncle Ryouga! You may not have known it, but over the past few years I've gotten really strong, strong enough to win and keep winning! Turn End!" She dropped her arms to her sides and matched his steady gaze with her own burning green eyes. For a moment he thought he saw one of them gleam a blue color, but it was gone seconds later.

Ryouga drew and held up the card to his eyes, sighing at the sight of a Jinzo, a level six monster. Mizuki smirked at the look in his eyes. "By the way you reacted that wasn't a good card at all, or at least one you can't play. Does that mean the duel is over?"

The soldier nodded and lowered the card. "You're right, I can't play the card and the duel is over. However…" (Mizuki: 0)

Mizuki stopped dead, staring at her life point counter. "But…why? What happened, how did I…how could I have lost?"

A single card slid out of Ryouga's graveyard and he held it up. "Sorry Mizuki-chan, but God's Resuscitation sent a second Special Delivery to my graveyard and this is the third standby phase after it went to the grave. This means you've lost."

She looked completely shocked and unable to comprehend that she had lost. "I lost…"

Ryouga sighed and turned around, looking off into the distance. "Mizuki-chan, I can tell you've gotten really strong. In fact, it was only a matter of luck and the fact that I had the best deck the government could buy that let me beat you. You have to face it, the fact that you aren't invincible. Nobody is."

Mizuki bit her lip and stared at her feet as he continued talking. "You want to stay away to protect your friends from danger, and that's admirable. But do you really think you can defeat the opposition you'll come across all on your own? It's too much for you to handle, you'll need allies. And if you sequester yourself away from others you won't have them. Sooner or later you'll face an opponent you can't beat on your own, because not all of your opponents will use Darkness Games and duels against you. Politics and brute force are more likely methods. And on your own…you'll fail."

"Uncle Ryouga…even so…giving people like that ammunition will make it more likely for me to fail as well. I can't risk my friends, because they might even be used against me and I couldn't deal with that. What's the answer to that?" Her pseudo-uncle shook his head and looked back at the young girl.

"Honestly, there isn't an easy answer to that. The truth is you'll have to make the decision for yourself. Just remember that you aren't invincible, it's an important lesson. Now…sorry to cut it short, but I've got to go on assignment. It was good to see you again Mizuki-chan." Mizuki smiled up at the man and he walked away, taking the entrance into the building and disappearing out of sight.

Mizuki returned to her previous spot and sat on the edge of the building, just staring up at the clouds. She didn't know how long she had been out there, but when it began to grow dark the door to the rooftop opened and an attractive woman in her early forties flung open the door.

"Mizuki-chan, I've got a phone call for you, its very urgent." Mizuki stood and rushed over, smiling and bowing as the woman held out a cell phone to her.

"Thank you mother, I appreciate it." She accepted the phone and held it up to her ear.

Moments later her eyes shot wide open in shock at what she heard on the other end of the line. If what she had heard was true…then everything was going to change. "Yes…I'll do it."

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Author's Note: This begins the third arc, and it's going to be a big one.

Shout Out: Also I'd like to point you readers in the direction of two author's GX stories. Check out G.O.T. Nick and Viewtiful Jeff's stuff, it's all good. Trust me on this you won't be disappointed. Also, take a look at AngelofBlade's new fic, should be interesting.

_Next Time: At last everyone returns to Duelist Academy for the new year, but it seems strange returning knowing that Mizuki won't be there. Watching the entrance exams as returning students Shiro and Chizuma make two astonishing discoveries that will shake the foundations of their beliefs. A terrifying new student and a deadly new teacher._

_See it all in, Return to the Beginning!_


	92. Return to the Beginning

Author's Note: Here we go…

**Chapter Ninety-Two: Return to the Beginning**

Somewhere along the way, somehow, with the absence of Mizuki at Duelist Academy, two people had grown quite close. It was surprising, considering they had a veiled animosity towards each other interspersed with mutual understanding due to their significant attraction to the girl in question.

That was how Shiro Akugi came to be greeting the younger but equally enthusiastic Chizuma Takashi with a heavy waving of the hand. "Oi, Chizuma, over here!"

The dark haired doll-faced girl skipped over to the older and currently blonde and blue haired teen. She grinned and smoothed down the skirt of her Obelisk Blue uniform, looking the taller teen up and down. "Still in Yellow Shiro-kun?"

Shiro's left eye twitched rapidly and he folded his arms over his yellow and white clad chest, looking away. "Shut up…I missed too many days last year to be promoted despite my grades and ranking. Although admittedly my grades suffered without math help and what with the days I missed. You got lucky though…they don't demote you just for missing a bunch of days."

Chizuma laughed slightly, putting a hand behind her head and feeling slightly embarrassed. "We did miss a lot of classes thanks to the craziness last year didn't we? Still, here we are, almost at the start of a new year!"

After a second Shiro looked back at her and frowned slightly. "Actually that makes me realize something. This is just a duel testing center for applicants. I mean, I'm here because all third year students are required to come to at least one, but why are you here?"

His companion flushed slightly and looked around shiftily for a few moments. Then she leaned in, gesturing for Shiro to come closer. Feeling like he was about to become part of conspiracy Shiro leaned down to let her whisper in his ear. "I'm here…to check out the rumors of the new teacher…and check out new potential students."

Shiro stood up to his full height and processed this information, and then grinned broadly. "So since its you, by that you mean you heard the new teacher is a babe and you're looking for cute newbies?"

Chizuma poked two fingers together, looking embarrassed. "Maybe…just a little. Well, at the very least I heard that the new teacher is a young woman in her early twenties and a former student of the academy. They say she was extremely popular with the male population while she was here."

Now Shiro's interest was peaked and he draped one arm over Chizuma's shoulders, leading her to the railing the overlooked the dueling platforms. "Tell me more…"

"Well, apparently her name is Umiko Midori and she was a high ranked student about six or seven years ago. I couldn't find out what sort of deck she used, but everyone called her the Gem of Duelist Academy so she's obviously very pretty." Shiro nodded knowingly and looked around, trying to search through the current proctored duels to see if he could witness a new teacher.

When he saw nothing he sighed in frustration and resigned himself to watch and wait. He engaged Chizuma in conversation in the mean time, learning what she had been up to over break. He also took the time to scan the crowd for familiar faces, though it was difficult because a lot of the faces in the stands were either siblings or parents come to watch family duel. _'Anybody at all? I know plenty of other third year students who'd be here.'_

He froze in semi-terror when his eyes came to rest on the chilly blue eyes of a gorgeous girl with a great figure for someone as petite as she was. Of course, her beauty was a cold type, and her blue hair added to that. And he was certain she was staring back at him. _'Damn it…Frost is still here? Why the heck is she still at the school? That girl gives me the creeps…'_

Frost had threatened to kill him last year just to get a response out of Mizuki, and he still wasn't sure whether she had been sincere about it. Even though she said it was merely a bluff he couldn't trust those blank features of hers. _'She's colder than her deck…but oh so hot…'_

Chizuma poked him in the shoulder, staring past him at someone leaning against the railing not far away. "Hold on Chizuma, I'm kinda searching for people right now. And trying to avoid the Ice Queen's gaze…"

"Yeah, but some guy over there keeps watching us." Shiro shrugged and made a shooing motion, still looking through the crowd.

"He's checking you out. Lesbian or not, you're a major cutie. Get used to it and get over it." She scowled down at him and then looked back up, only to discover that whoever had been staring was gone by now. She shuddered; still feeling like someone was watching her.

Shiro perked up when his eyes once more swept the dueling fields and saw a new potential student walk out into the ring. "Dang, she's a babe that's for sure. Hey Chizuma, check this girl out."

Despite the distance Chizuma could tell that the prospective student was tall for a girl, taller than Chizuma herself in fact. She had long legs that trailed all the way to the ground and wore a mini-skirt to emphasize her legs. She had purple hair tied up in a series of small braids that ran down her back. Coupled with the ripped denim jacket she wore open over a tight v-neck t-shirt it was obvious she was going for the punk look. "Not my sense of style, but she is cute…"

Shiro reached for the nearest information pad and pressed in the number four, bringing up the stats on the duel that was going to begin in that ring. "Says here she did thirty-second on the written test. Well that's dumb, it only has a first name here so I guess she only wrote her first name on the test. Her name is Kuro…kinda sounds familiar actually."

Chizuma pushed him aside and jammed a finger against the readout pad. "Check this out Shiro-kun! That's the one, the name we were looking for! Umiko Midori is the proctor for that ring for this duel!"

They turned off the pad and leaned in, excited to see the new teacher. The far door at the number four ring slid open and out walked the new teacher. She was young, just like they had heard; looking just barely in her mid-twenties, fitting for some who according to what they had read was twenty-four.

Of course most importantly what they had heard was right. She was quite the knock-out, enough to leave Chizuma and Shiro momentarily speechless. She was shorter than her opponent but even in the teacher's dark blue Obelisk uniform she seemed flawless. Her skirt went to her knees and the blazer hugged her enough to make it look like a woman's business suit. However, her hair was done into a small ponytail at the back of her head, still managing to look dark and glossy.

Shiro clapped his hands together and bowed his head slightly. "Thank you all deities for this vision of perfection. Not a flaw is to be seen, and for that I thank you. I only hope that you deem me worthy to have at least one class with this angel."

Chizuma suddenly shoved him out of the way and bowed even deeper, hands pressed tight enough together to start cutting off blood flow. "No dear lord, bless this humble girl with that pleasure!"

The older teen twitched and launched himself at her grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her slightly out of his way. "Heck no, don't cut in on my praying! I said the one who's going to have a class with her is me, and you don't get a say in that!"

Down on the field the two duelists were gearing up, each one triggering their disks. The teacher Umiko was already prepared with her academy issue DD5, while her opponent had a black version of the same type of disk. "Are you ready applicant? I'm looking forward to this actually, as it will be my first proctor duel as a teacher." (Umiko: 4000)

Kuro shrugged and slammed her deck into place, triggering her disk. "Yeah whatever, I'm not interested in your teaching history. Just whip out that test deck of yours so I can smash it to pieces and get into Duelist Academy. I've got bigger fish to fry." (Kuro: 4000)

She drew her opening hand, and Umiko barely gave any indication of being bothered that Kuro had drawn a hand of six. Instead Umiko drew five cards and gave Kuro a brief nod. "Please, feel free to take the first turn."

"Oh I intend to…and looking at this I guess I'll just toss this monster down in defense mode. And then…I'm done for the turn." Umiko raised one eyebrow and then drew very slowly.

Kuro tapped her foot rapidly as the older woman looked over her hand of cards. "Sheesh, what's taking you so long? I've got a duel to win here."

Up in the stands Chizuma and Shiro had stopped their shoving match and were now watching the duel intently. Chizuma frowned slightly and looked inquisitively at her older companion. "How come Midori-sensei is taking that long? Do you think her hand is bad?"

Shiro grinned and held up a finger, adopting a dramatic pose with his left hand rubbing his chin. "Elementary dear Chizuma. You see, though it isn't clear to you as the top graduate of the prep school for Duelist Academy those of us who have taken this test understand. Proctors don't use their own decks, instead they use test decks designed not to be at a professional level."

He wagged his finger as he continued explaining, his eyes drifting shut as he grew more engrossed in his own explanation. "Each prospective student not from the prep school first takes a written test that examines their knowledge of the game, its history, and potential strategies. Based on where they rank on the written test they are assigned a specific level of test deck to face, at which point a proctor is randomly assigned such a test deck to face them with. And teachers watch the duels and give a score based on how they do. Your ranking and acceptance is based on that combined score."

"Of course the use of a randomly assigned test deck means that a proctor has to be a talented or at least very knowledgeable duelist since they are given a deck and have to figure out its type and its strategy from their opening hand and act accordingly. This pause is just because our beautiful angel is determining what type of deck it is and what move to make." He opened his eyes and blinked rapidly, realizing that Chizuma was watching the dueling field.

When she realized he was staring she looked up at him and waved him forwards. "You done? She's continuing her move."

Shiro grumbled but complied, moving up to the railing so that he could continue to watch the duel. Down on the field Umiko had just summoned a monster, revealing a snarling minotaur-like creature wielding an axe. "Oh, that's Enraged Battle Ox (1700/1000). So that's either a Beast down Deck or a Trample Deck I'd wager. Simple stuff."

Umiko held up one of her other cards in hand. "I activate Twilight Sacrifice, which lets me discard or sacrifice a monster to add its power to a monster of the same type that's on my field. At the end of the battle phase that monster will be sent to the cemetery. So I'll discard Frenzied Bull (2000/900) from my hand to power up Enraged Battle Ox!"

Enraged Battle Ox roared with…well rage as its muscles bulged and rippled thanks to the massive power boost from Twilight Sacrifice. "Next I activate Wild Nature's Release, adding Enraged Battle Ox's defense to its attack for the turn, further increasing its rampage abilities!" (Ox: 4700)

She slid another card into her duel disk and a giant green bordered card with a folded letter on it appeared. "I continue by activating Last Will. But, more on that later. I'll just continue my turn by having Enraged Battle Ox attack your defender with Furious Axe Slam Attack!"

Kuro rolled her eyes as Enraged Battle Ox cleaved through her set monster with ease. "That's a pretty lame attack name, even if it was an effective attack." (Kuro: 300)

Chizuma sighed and pouted. "I guess she won't be making it into the academy, not with a bad start like that. If her monster had even a few less defense points she would have lost right there."

Shiro grinned, realizing what was coming next. "Actually, it's not quite over yet, though I wouldn't count Kuro down for the count either. I've seen a combo like this one used before."

Umiko snapped her fingers and Enraged Battle Ox exploded, its axe going flying. "Since the battle phase has ended Enraged Battle Ox goes to the cemetery. At this time the effect of Last Will activates, letting me special summon a monster from my deck with fifteen hundred or less attack points. I choose Giant Rat (1400/1450) in defense mode!"

A huge blue rodent with large front teeth and a nasty hairless tail appeared on the field as the face-up magic card faded from view. Suddenly Umiko slammed the last card in her hand into her disk. "Insanity Summon activates at this time, letting me special summon all copies of a special summoned monster of fifteen hundred or fewer attack points. So here are the last two rats!"

Two identical rodents appeared, each one chattering away at the others. Kuro raised an eyebrow. "And that's at no cost is it?"

"Not exactly. Insanity Summon is similar to Inferno Reckless Summon, but perhaps more reckless. Since it doesn't require you to have any face-up monsters instead it lets you draw cards from your deck until you reach an equal number of level four or lower monsters to the number I special summoned. Then those monsters are special summoned." Kuro shrugged and drew three cards, set a card aside, and then drew two more before setting one aside.

Umiko gave the applicant thumbs down, smirking slightly. "Sorry applicant, but all cards not the drawn monsters get discarded to the cemetery."

Kuro ditched five cards and then gripped her two drawn cards. "Alright then teacher lady, but you asked for it! Time to show you the start of the power of my horrifying deck! Feel his wrath, the first of them, Horror Warrior-Dread Vampire (1700/1200)!"

The teacher's eyes widened slightly as the handsome and well dressed but pale Transylvanian man appeared, giving them a bow and flourishing his cape. However, that was nothing compared to the reaction from Shiro. "No…no way! The third of the movie decks, the Horror Warriors!"

Chizuma looked at the shocked Shiro curiously, and he explained slowly, still dumbstruck. "See, years ago or something Pegasus and I2 decided to make a series of movie based monsters. The first set was the Action Warriors, based on Action Movies and at first they had little support. Some of them were picked up, but nobody ever ran them as a theme deck because they had no synergy with each other except as strong warriors."

He sighed, shaking his head. "I came up with my deck strategy after a series of failed decks. My little sister got the Action Warriors first set as a gift after staring in a movie and she gave them to me because I enjoy Duel Monsters. But anyways…after a while I2 released three more sets. The second, the Romance Warriors, are based on romantic comedies and stuff like that. They had a deck strategy and synergy already built in, but still few people played them because it was a difficult strategy. They're actually my second deck, but I rarely use them."

"Of course it was the third set that really got some people pumped, even though they were released for only a limited time and thus became rarer than the other three sets. The Horror Warriors are based on all sorts of horror and thriller movies so they're freakish monsters with all sorts of deadly powers. It's a deck I never managed to get a hold of because of its rarity but always wanted to. Supposedly though…they're much stronger than the other three sets." He fell silent, staring in awe at the handsome figure of Dread Vampire.

She poked him, looking slightly annoyed. "What about the fourth set? What kind were those?"

Shiro blinked and then shrugged, looking completely unconcerned. "Sports Warriors. I never really gave them much interest and always figured I'd complete the set with them once I got the Horror Warriors. Don't know much about them, but apparently they're considered a joke set."

His hands clenched the railing and he leaned even farther in as if that was going to help him see the monsters better. "Still, I can't believe this girl has them…I never expected that."

Kuro laughed with delight and tossed down the second card she had grabbed with Insanity Summons' effect. "And second, a monster that can only be special summoned, the deadly Horror Warrior-Axe Murderer (2000/1500)!"

This monster was a brutish fellow with a torn and bloody wife beater shirt and jeans, with a hockey mask over his face and a heavy axe clutched in one hand. Umiko looked over the two monsters and smiled slightly. "That's impressive, never thought I'd see those monsters in action. I suppose I'll end my turn."

The fifteen year old drew fiercely and laughed even darker as she slapped another card down. A six foot tall furry anthropomorphic wolf formed on the field and let loose an eerie howl. "Third up, Horror Warrior-Cursed Werewolf (1600/1400)!"

Chizuma frowned and looked over the field. "Oh I get it…this teacher is really good. She may have burned her hand but she still managed three monsters, and even if they get run over she'll still have at least two left when this turn is done."

Shiro's eyes briefly met with Frost's across the room and he felt a flash of understanding. "No…Kuro's not stupid, I can tell, and she's no slouch duelist or else she wouldn't be using those things. She's got something up her sleeve as well."

Kuro held up a magic card and cackled. "Murderous Intent now activates, letting me sacrifice the attacks of monsters on my field in order to compare their attack scores to your monsters' scores. The highest score wins and just like damage calculation the losing player takes damage. Of course since it isn't actually battle…things get interesting."

The field darkened slightly as her three monsters shot glares of death at Umiko's trio of rats. The rats squeaked and then shattered into tiny pieces. "Impressive, since it wasn't battle you were able to remove my advantage and not let me keep monsters. That'll earn you back some points." (Umiko: 2900)

The applicant girl shrugged and slid a card into her disk. "Not really interested in impressing anyone, just in crushing you and getting into the academy. Like I said, I've got bigger fish to fry. Take your turn teach."

Umiko drew and smiled, lowering the card to her discard slot. "During the standby phase I can discard one card from my hand to special summon Frenzied Bull (2000/900) from the graveyard!"

A huge bull at least ten feet long erupted from the ground, shaking its head and pouring steam out its nostrils. Saliva dripped from its open mouth as it pawed at the ground. "Frenzied Bull is actually a level seven monster and cannot be special summoned by anything other than its own special effect. Of course that's the reason I was more than willing to discard it for Twilight Sacrifice."

Kuro didn't seem at all worried, despite the fact that one attack from that monster on anything other than Axe Murderer would finish her. "Since you don't seem worried, I'll test the waters. Frenzied Bull, attack Dread Vampire for the finish!"

The purple haired girl chuckled as the bull's left horn pierced straight through Dread Vampire. The vampire groaned and kicked the bull in the face, sending it sliding back to Umiko's field. "Hey teach, don't you watch horror movies? There are only a few ways to kill a vampire. And unless you can use those, not only don't they die but damage dealt is reduced. In this case, it's cut in half!" (Kuro: 150)

Chizuma tapped her fingers against the railing, looking quite curious now. "I wonder if there would have been a similar effect from Cursed Werewolf. And I wonder how you do kill Dread Vampire."

Shiro grimaced, his hands tightening even more on the rail. "Yeah, there would have been a similar effect. Not all the Horror Warriors but at least a handful are really tough to kill, which is what makes them so deadly. There are a few ways to kill those two monsters, but a beast deck likely won't have most of them."

The younger girl cast him a sideways glance, not sure whether to be surprised or not at this point. "You've been surprisingly knowledgeable today. Are you feeling ill or something?"

Huge oversized tears poured out of Shiro's eyes as he dropped his head to the rail, overly fake sobs wrenching through him. "Why must everyone assume I'm stupid? WHY?! The humanity!"

Chizuma sweat-dropped at the sight and sighed, looking back to the duel. "If I had to wager a guess, I'd guess that it was because of stuff like this. Now quiet, I'm trying to watch two cute girls kick each other's butts. Cat fight, meow!"

The teacher didn't seem at all distraught that her attack had failed to finish her opponent. "Very nice, I'm glad it's not over yet. Now, Frenzied Bull dealt damage so now I get to draw one card. I'll set that card and call it a turn."

Kuro sneered as she looked down at her drawn card. "I'll discard Horror Warrior-Psycho Hitchhiker (800/1000) from my hand to reduce your Frenzied Bull's attack points by one thousand!"

As soon as the bull's muscles deflated the punk girl pointed one finger at the bull and grinned sadistically. "Dread Vampire, crush it! Sink your teeth in!"

The vampire lunged forwards and literally sank his teeth in, draining the bull of its blood through the heavy pulsing jugular vein. It groaned and then shattered. "Ha, and when Dread Vampire destroys a monster in battle I get to special summon a Vampire Spawn (800/800) token, which can't attack." (Umiko: 2200)

She snapped her arm out and her single face-down card activated. "I trigger my continuous trap card Bloody Experience! As long as this card is in play whenever I destroy a monster in battle it gains a 'Blood Counter' which boosts all 'Horror Warriors' attack points by 100 for each counter!"

Umiko pointed at her own face-down card and it triggered as well. Suddenly the large blue form of a Giant Rat appeared. "Beast Recursion activates when you destroy a beast type on my field. It lets me special summon a level four or lower beast from the grave in attack mode."

Kuro glared daggers at the monster but couldn't change anything, so instead looked to her next monster. "Cursed Werewolf (1700) will take it down!"

Cursed Werewolf charged and cleaved through the rat with its razor sharp claws. The pieces drifted to the ground and then reformed into a panda with a hard hat and a telescope. "I use Giant Rat's effect to special summon Questing Panda (1000/900), whose effect switches it into defense mode!" (Umiko: 1900)

Another counter appeared on the trap card, boosting Dread Vampire to 1900, Cursed Werewolf to 1800, and Axe Murderer to 2200. "Axe Murderer, destroy that Questing Panda right now!"

Once more another of Umiko's monsters was blown away, and thanks to Bloody Experience Kuro's monsters simply benefited from it even more. "When Questing Panda is destroyed I can special summon a beast type monster from my deck with an attack equal to or less than that of the monster that killed my panda. So here's Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000)!"

A large brown-furred ape appeared and beat on its chest with its meaty hands, practically howling at the prospect of going into battle. Kuro gritted her teeth as the monster appeared, realizing she was once again at a disadvantage. "I end my turn, and during my end phase I also get one hundred life points per Blood Counter on Bloody Experience." (Kuro: 450)

As soon as Umiko drew she slid the card straight into her cemetery slot. "I'll discard my drawn card to special summon Frenzied Bull back to the field!"

The bull returned again and once more stomped its feet. "Let's try something new, Frenzied Bull will attack Cursed Werewolf!"

She narrowed her eyes as the werewolf howled in pain but still managed to shrug off the goring from Frenzied Bull. "I see…just like I figured. Berserk Gorilla will attack as well."

The gorilla slammed one heavy fist into the side of the werewolf's head, sending it stumbling but still not finishing it off. "It appears that I had I attacked it in my previous turn I would have won. Unfortunate, but you can't know every effect in the game." (Kuro: 250)

She slipped the card drawn from Frenzied Bull's effect into her duel disk and then nodded at Kuro, who drew simply and quickly to keep the duel going. "You're tough teach, but I'm tougher, especially against this lame test deck!"

"I activate Killer's Experience, which counts up the total number of monsters in the cemetery and adds that many Blood Counters to one card on my field. I choose Bloody Experience, giving it a total of nine counters!" She laughed as her monsters began to gain huge boosts in attack points. Cursed Werewolf at 2500, Dread Vampire at 2600, and Axe Murderer at 2900.

"But wait, I now sacrifice my Vampire Spawn token to power up Dread Vampire by three hundred attack points, giving him equal attack points to my Axe Murderer!" The smaller vampire bowed to the older one and the older vampire reached out and crushed the new one's throat, absorbing the bloody dust into its body.

She snapped her fingers and the werewolf howled, taking off running straight at the Berserk Gorilla. "Let's see you stand up to this brutal assault!"

Umiko merely smiled as her face down card activated. "Gaia's Wrath lets me sacrifice one face-up beast or beast warrior of the Earth type to destroy all monsters on the opponent's field with equal or less base attack. So by giving up Berserk Gorilla, I get rid of all of your monsters!"

Kuro grimaced in frustration as Berserk Gorilla exploded, engulfing her three monsters in the fireball. When the fire faded it was revealed that all three of her monsters were gone. "Well damn…"

The teacher smiled and tapped her hand of cards against her duel disk, looking pleased with herself. "I was right; they could be destroyed by effects. That just means its either specific type or more likely specific sub-types that can beat your monsters."

Without wasting a moment Kuro slammed a card into her duel disk, letting it appear face down. "You're clever teach, but it won't beat me! End turn!" (Kuro: 1150)

As soon as she had finished drawing the teacher held up a familiar card, a grinning green pot. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards."

She looked down at her drawn cards and shook her head slightly. "Sorry, but I won't go easy on any applicant, especially not one that's as tough and as loud mouthed as you. I activate Ancient Rule, letting me special summon one level five or higher normal monster from my hand. My choice is my only card, Big Koala (2700/2000)!"

An enormous blue koala flopped down onto the field on its butt, chewing happily on a long branch of eucalyptus. "Frenzied Bull, attack her directly!"

Kuro snapped her arm out, looking quite determined as the bull charged forwards. "Since I'm about to take at least two thousand damage Nutrient Z starts me off by giving me a boost of four thousand life points!" (Kuro: 5150)

The bull's horn slashed her and she gritted her teeth to keep from showing any real pain. "Tough hit, but I'm still in!" (Kuro: 3150)

Umiko drew from the bull's effect and then glanced at her Big Koala. "Big Koala now goes direct as well, Lazy Blow!"

Kuro was caught off guard as the koala used its branch to flick her in the stomach, and then resumed munching away. "What a stupid attack method." (Kuro: 450)

Shiro grinned from his spout and gave a thumbs up. "I personally liked it!"

With the battle phase over the turn moved to the second main phase, and Umiko was already playing her newly drawn card. "Massive Fusion Substitute lets me tribute a fusion component and a level seven or higher monster to special summon a fusion that contains one of them as a component. So by offering my two monsters I get to special summon the mighty Master of Oz (4200/3700)!"

The two monsters faded away, and in their place was a big green koala wearing a purple vest and large red boxing gloves. It smashed the gloves together and then hopped from foot to foot, making jabs. "That ends my turn!"

Shiro and Chizuma felt it, and Shiro could see Frost narrowing her eyes as Kuro reached for her deck. They knew, with the instinct available to strong true duelists…that the duel was about to end. "Sorry teach, but it's over! I activate Card Destruction, tossing my two card hand to draw two new cards!"

Umiko nodded, making note of how Kuro was acting. "You didn't seem concerned about your draws, so likely Card Destruction was for some other reason. What's got you so confident?"

"It's simple; by removing all cards other than it from the cemetery I can special summon Horror Warrior-Unkillable Monstrosity (0/0) from the graveyard to the field!" Her field shook as a monster lumbered out onto it. The new monster was a patchwork creature of flesh and robotics; with one arm a long fleshy hook and the other a low-tech arm of steel bars and pistons. Its body was fat and bulbous and one eye was higher than the other.

Kuro laughed with delight as her monster stumbled forwards, raising its large fleshy hook into the air. "Unkillable Monstrosity's attack and defense are equal to four hundred times the number of cards removed for its effect, so let's see what that comes up as!" (Monstrosity: 6000)

Her continuous trap card glowed and the monstrosity grew even larger. "Thanks to Bloody Experience it gains nine hundred attack points, more than enough to end this even against Master of Oz! Go Unkillable Monstrosity, annihilate that puny koala!"

The monstrosity's arm stabbed into Master of Oz and the fusion monster began to bubble, its flesh rippling as some disease passed into it. Then monsters later it exploded from the inside out, spraying koala bits everywhere. Umiko merely smiled. "Not bad Miss Kuro. You've got some natural talent and it's impressive to see those rare Horror Warriors. You know, we have a third year student who runs the Action Warriors and Romance Warriors." (Umiko: 0)

Kuro deactivated her duel disk, looking quite pleased with herself. "Actually, that's one of the reasons I came to this school. I'm looking for that jerk Shiro Akugi so I can kick his ass and show him which of us is worthy of these sets! The duelist for the Akugi family or the duelist for the Majime family!"

Shiro blanched at this and flushed slightly, especially given the scrutiny coming from Chizuma. "A girl named 'Kuro Majime' who uses a deck similar to yours and wants to beat you and knows your family. Is there some reason you two are so similar and separate? Is it like, an elaborate joke or something? Is this one of your pranks?"

The prankster shook his head and began walking away, forcing Chizuma to trail after him. She did so with one last reluctant look at the departing pretty duelists. "Its complicated, but she's a distant relative. We used to be really close, but I haven't seen her in years. Its no wonder I didn't recognize her, she was like eleven last time I saw her. Her hair also wasn't purple. I mean, who dyes their hair purple anyways?"

Chizuma wasn't sure whether that was a serious question, so she simply sweat-dropped and chose not to reply to it. "Where are you going now? I wanted to keep watching duels and check out for more pretty duelists."

"Well do that then; I'm going to see if I can follow those two." Seeing as this related to her original intent Chizuma tagged along, following Shiro as he darted around corners, looking carefully for either Kuro or Umiko.

Suddenly he stopped at a corner, holding out a hand behind him to force Chizuma to stop. He looked back at her and held up a finger to his lips to indicate a need for silence. Then he motioned for her to come and take a look.

When she peered around the corner she saw Umiko standing face to face with the blue haired wonder that was Frost. And Frost was speaking. "I wish to make sure you keep in mind that I will be watching you very closely Umiko Midori. I do not take kindly to True Sins that are not from the colony interfering in our affairs."

Umiko brushed a hand through her hair, and though neither Shiro nor Chizuma could see her face they could tell she was unworried. "Sorry Frost, but I'm just here to be a teacher, not to mess with your affairs. Unlike you True Sins, I'm just trying to live a normal life no matter how hard it is."

She walked passed Frost and to the nearest corner on the opposite side from Shiro and Chizuma, and then paused. "And please Frost, if you don't feel like there's anyone watching and you're quite willing to talk about 'True Sins' and things like that, call me Shift."

Frost nodded once and then the new teacher was gone around the corner. Frost then looked directly at the corner where Chizuma and Shiro were hiding. "Now you two know, that teacher is one of my kind, but not under control. Keep a watch on her and I shall do the same. You are duly warned."

Then she simply walked right past them, leaving them in the dust. Shiro and Chizuma exhaled deeply at the same time and slumped against the wall. Shiro spoke first, getting his wind back. "Caught by that cold beauty…I feel awe struck and annoyed at the same time."

Chizuma started to reply, but was caught off guard when she saw the same boy from earlier looking at them from across the room. "Shiro, that guy from before is looking in our direction again."

Shiro looked up this time, but when he did the boy was nowhere to be seen. "You're hallucinating from a near heart attack Chizuma. Anyways, let's get going and watch the rest of the duels. Maybe we can catch some more cute girls dueling, right?"

The doll-faced girl perked up at that thought and they both got up and headed back to the dueling fields to watch the battles underway. Yet still, in the back of their minds they were thinking about the potential dangers. There was a new True Sin on the island, and she was a teacher. And the new girl had a personal grudge against Shiro.

Despite that, or maybe because of it, Shiro felt a little bit more chipper. _'I guess it's going to be another interesting year. Pity Mizuki is going to miss it.'_

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Author's Note: Heh, quite interesting isn't it. Also, for those of you who don't understand why Chizuma thinks Kuro's name is weird in relation to Shiro's (which is probably most of you) I'll elaborate. Shiro means 'White'. Akugi means 'prank'. Kuro on the other hand means 'Black'. And Majime means 'Serious'. So her name is like the literal opposite of Shiro's. So combined with her deck and hair dying habits she's eerily similar and dissimilar to Shiro.

Shout Out: Also I'd like to point you readers in the direction of two author's GX stories. Check out G.O.T. Nick and Viewtiful Jeff's stuff, it's all good. Trust me on this you won't be disappointed. Also, take a look at AngelofBlade's new fic, should be interesting.

_Next Time: The new year is still about to begin, but before it can one new matter must be disputed. The top five duelists of the previous year have all graduated, and that means its time for a new Kaiser to be crowned. Who will inherit the title? Who will be called the strongest at the school? _

_See it all in, The Crown Is Passed!_


	93. The Crown is Passed

Author's Note: Kaiser time!

**Chapter Ninety-Three: The Crown Is Passed!**

Shiro's eyes lit up as he came around another corner in the process of heading back towards the dueling ring. "Yo, Enzeru, long time no see!"

The prankster felt a slight twinge as he saw the other teen raise a hand in greeting. Enzeru's face seemed normal and at least decently happy, but Shiro could see it as if he was wearing a mask. And of course the fact that he was wearing that primarily white and light blue uniform he had picked up last year just dug into the fact that Shiro was still in yellow. "Hello Akugi-kun, how has your break been?"

With a shrug the blonde and yellow haired teen opened his lips to speak, only to be interrupted by Chizuma skidding around the corner. "Shiro-kun, walk slower, your legs are longer than mine!"

Without missing a beat Shiro grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "But yours are so much nicer than mine!"

Chizuma surprisingly didn't scowl at him or get flustered, instead she just smiled at him and then bowed to Enzeru. "Good morning Enzeru-senpai!"

Shiro suddenly loomed over her, his left eye twitched very violently and a foreboding aura surrounding him. "He gets a 'senpai' and I don't? He and I are both your upper classmen, what's with the difference in respect?"

Enzeru stepped in and saved Chizuma's neck by clearing his throat, distracting the disgruntled duelist. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but if you'd like to join me I've got a special match to go to."

Interests peaked the two strangely similar duelists leaned in to ask simultaneously. "Special match? What sort of match?"

"With the confusion from last semester there was never time nor sufficient energy to be had to determine the new Kaiser. There was also an additional amount of confusion due to certain factors, so a pool of four duelists was selected to duel for the title. I've been selected as one of those duelists." Shiro and Chizuma's eyes widened and then they proceeded to wrap him up in a hug.

The taller teen looked distinctly uncomfortable with his arms above his head, crushed as he was by his two friends. "Umm….sorry but, I really do have to get going to the match."

Shiro grinned broadly and he was mimicked by Chizuma. Enzeru's eyes widened as they bent down and scooped him up, picking him up onto their shoulders. Shiro winked at him as they started walking. "The next Kaiser of Duelist Academy rides in style, especially when he's one of our buddies!"

Despite protests by the Obelisk they carried all the way to the special ring in the back, and found the heads of the dorms waiting there. "Here you go Enzeru; it's your stop and your victory!"

Enzeru sort of stumbled and then caught himself, straightening his jacket. His companions gave him identical victory signs and then marched off to find seats. He sighed and shook his head. "They certainly are a strange pair."

Principal Tantei stood up from the stands and waved at Enzeru, looking pleased to see him. "Good to see you my boy, I hope you're ready to begin. We just finished the first match, so you're up."

Nodding Enzeru took the flight of stairs down to the ring and hopped over the railing, landing right in front of the raised ring. "So, who is to be my opponent? Not a soul bothered to inform me who was entered into this tournament."

A small sound, the clearing of a throat with an almost musical quality, brought Enzeru's attention to his right. There, leaning against the wall and waiting with duel disk at the ready, was none other than Kohana Meisuko. In other words, Frost was to be his opponent. "I have been awaiting your arrival for our scheduled match with baited breath Enzeru Yukio. Shall we begin?" (Frost: 4000)

Frost walked to the platform and stepped up, walking all the way across into her dueling position. Enzeru smiled slightly and jumped up, taking his position. "I'll be glad to be your opponent considering I missed out during the Rank-Farming Tournament. But beware; my new strategy is beyond its previous level." (Enzeru: 4000)

Both duelists snapped their hands off their decks, and then Enzeru held out two fingers as a card ejected from his deck. "At the start of the duel this card activates, making it the only possible 'from deck' card to be activated at the start of the duel. I have to thank I2 for that ruling, as it prevents extreme abuse. Now…the card I activate is Ancient Tome of the Mystics!"

Enzeru slid the card into his cemetery and began explaining as a holographic representation of the card appeared. It depicted a group of robed men with blue energy surrounding their hands standing around a book. "This card allows each player to select one normal magic card and shuffle their deck. Then that selected card is placed on top of their deck. Essentially it's a normal magic card version of Field of Battle and equally as rare."

Frost examined him with her cold blue eyes and then fanned out her deck, selecting her card with no hesitation. "This is my choice."

Similarly Enzeru found his card and shuffled his deck, sliding it back into place and then setting the card on top. "Now that we've done that, I guess its time to see what the randomizer has to say about order."

Lights around the ring began to fluctuate, and finally blue lights ignited right around Enzeru's feet. He narrowed his eyes and reached for his top card. "It seems that the fates favor me at the moment. My turn, draw!"

He held up his drawn card and his life points immediately began to dip. "At a cost of half my life points if I have no monsters in the cemetery I can activate Purest Summon, allowing me to special summon one monster from my deck to the field!" (Enzeru: 2000)

A blast of light hit his field, releasing from within a dragon at least thirty feet long with mirror sheen white scales, golden eyes, and blade tipped wings. "Witness its coming, Pure Land Dragon-Cyrano (3000/2000)!"

Cyrano's entire body was suddenly covered in a golden glow and Frost predictably gave no outward reaction. Enzeru held out his hand, palm extended to Cyrano. "When Cyrano is summoned its supreme effect activates should I have no monsters in my graveyard. All monsters in your hand and deck are sent directly to the cemetery!"

Everyone in the audience gasped as a golden glow wrapped around Frost's deck. She nodded and fanned it out, selecting a decent chunk of her deck and then two cards from her hand and slipping them all into her discard pile. "A very impressive strategy. A first turn almost guaranteed move to eliminate monster of a person's deck and method of fighting back. Quite incredible and worthy of a Kaiser."

Enzeru didn't seem quite as impressed though, as he was already grabbing another card and holding it out. "My strategy is only half complete, as thanks to keeping three copies of this card I've drawn it right off the bat! Mass Grave Purification removes all monsters in each player's cemetery from the game!"

Frost plucked all those cards she had discarded moments earlier and placed them into an inside pocket of her blazer. "Another impressive action, further eliminating any likelihood of the opponent fighting back. Of course the strategy is not without faults, as Purest Summoning cannot summon from the hand and drawing Cyrano in your opening hand ruins the strategy. In addition, while cards that can access the removed from play pile are less frequently played than cards that access the cemetery, a card such as Dimension Fusion could turn the duel around and cause your defeat."

She held up another finger and Enzeru felt a bubble growing in his chest, not of doubt, but rather of excitement. She was a strange opponent, but one whose analytical ability made her incredibly powerful. "You can bypass a worry of having to draw Cyrano should you keep three in the deck, assuming you possess three. Of course should the opponent manage to survive the first few turns this can prove a nuisance, as three level eight monsters can bog down the fluidity of the deck. Also, for future turns other cards used to support the strategy become useless and turn into dead draws. Of course, should you not take the first turn there is always the risk that the opponent may be able to negate Purest Summoning, which would have cost you half your life points for no effect."

Frost finally gave a facial response when Enzeru laughed, a deep booming sound as his face lit up. "You're a truly incredible opponent. You make it sound as if I've accomplish nothing at all, or as if you have counter measures already prepared. Let's see what you can do, shall we? I place one card face down and conclude my turn!"

The True Sin plucked the top card off her deck and met Enzeru's gaze with her own completely calm and steady one. "I did not intend to imply that I had counter measures already prepared."

Enzeru raised one eyebrow, and the audience members thought they could see him relax slightly. "Is that so?"

She nodded once and placed the card into her duel disk, pressing the triggering button. "Indeed. Rather, it was my intent to accurately state that I did have counter measures prepared, not simply imply such a thing."

His eyes widened as her card began to activate. "You see, when you activated Ancient Tome of the Mystics I reviewed what I was already aware of pertaining to your Pure Land Deck. My mental review revealed that an early summon of Pure Land Dragon-Cyrano would be your most effective method of attack, especially considering you possessed the normal magic card Purest Summon within your deck. Thus there was one obvious choice for what normal magic card to select to place on the top of my own deck."

A giant phoenix appeared in the air above her and circled a few times, and Enzeru scowled. "I see…you really are amazing. That's the perfect counter measure to my strategy."

"Correct. My magic card is Phoenix Soul, which as you know allows me to switch my deck with a different one and draw a new hand, following which I will receive three thousand damage." The phoenix slammed down onto her and she stood bathed in the flames, as emotionless as ever.

She unlatched the deck holster against her thigh and pulled out a deck, sliding her previous decimated one into it. Once she was done with that she placed the deck into her duel disk and let the auto-shuffle deal with it. And as soon as that was done she drew, ignoring the trickling of her life points. "Despite the counter measure, it was rather costly to combat your strategy. So your strategy successfully cost me three-fourths of my life points." (Frost: 1000)

Even though he was worried he was also excited. He knew what Frost's original deck could do, and he had never counted on her using a second deck. There was no telling what it could do. "I begin by normal summoning Volcanic Rocket (1900/1400) in attack mode."

A bone-like thin dragon swooped onto the field and Frost's deck churned. Enzeru blinked in surprise, not having expected anything like this. "Your second deck is a fire deck? You're serious?"

"That is correct. The simple fact that my primary deck relates in any way to who and what I am is pure irony. I use it for its control strategy, and this deck similarly appeals to my methodic nature. Now, when Volcanic Rocket is summoned I add one 'Blaze Cannon' to my hand." She held up a magic card and then slid it into her disk.

Instantly a tri-pod with what looked like a high-tech missile launcher or big gun appeared to her left. "At the cost of my attack for the turn Blaze Cannon allows me to send a pyro-type monster with five hundred or fewer attack points from my hand to the grave to destroy one monster on the field. There are few who fit that cost; however I have one such creature in my hand."

She tucked the card into her cemetery and the cannon loaded up. "By discarding Volcanic Bullet (100/0) I can destroy your Pure Land Dragon-Cyrano. Blaze Cannon now fires."

The cannon launched, sending a strange little armor-skulled creature flying through the air. It slammed into the dragon's chest and exploded, blasting the dragon to pieces. Enzeru frowned, but couldn't do anything. "Of course you can't attack this turn though."

Frost nodded and then held up another of her cards. "Volcanic Flow can be activated during the turn the effect of a 'Blaze Cannon' or 'Blaze Cannon Trident' is used to destroy a monster. I may now gain one destroyed monster's attack points as life points." (Frost: 4000)

Taking one of her last two cards she placed it into her duel disk and a face-up card appeared. "Activating continuous magic card Card Trader and then pay five hundred life points to activate the effect of Volcanic Bullet in the cemetery. I may now add one 'Volcanic Bullet' from my deck to my hand." (Frost: 3500)

A card ejected from her deck and into her hand and she nodded, indicating the end of her turn. Enzeru frowned and pulled a card off his deck immediately. "I activate Grave Life, sending five monsters from my deck to my cemetery to gain two thousand life points!" (Enzeru: 4000)

As soon as the monsters were in his grave he completed what anyone familiar with Shiro would know was coming. "I next activate Jar of Avarice, shuffling those five monsters into my deck in order to draw two cards."

Once he had finished that he selected a card other than his drawn ones and played it. "Minor Avarice lets me shuffle four cards from my cemetery into my deck to draw one card. I will shuffle my last remaining monster along with Jar of Avarice, Grave Life, and Purest Summon to draw."

Next he pointed at his set monster, causing it to flip up. "Pure Light Reflection now grants me life points equal to the attack points of one monster on your field or in your cemetery, provided I have no monsters in my own. I choose Volcanic Rocket!" (Enzeru: 5900)

With a slight smile he grasped one of his cards and slapped it onto his disk. "Since there are no monsters in my cemetery I can special summon Pure Land Knight-Fiero (1400/1000) to the field from my hand!"

A knight draped in a holy glow of light appeared, but Enzeru wasn't done yet. "Activate quick-play magic card, Inferno Reckless Summon! Since I special summoned a monster with fewer than fifteen hundred attack points and you have a face-up monster I can now special summon all copies of it from my deck to the field!"

Two more of the knights appeared on his field, but Frost seemed quite confident. "I will take advantage of the second aspect of Inferno Reckless Summon and special summon two additional copies of Volcanic Rocket to the field. This allows me to search for two additional Blaze Cannons."

Enzeru nodded and grabbed another of his cards from hand. "Actually I was counting on that! Purest Power is a continuous magic card that grants all monsters on my field an additional thousand attack points if I have no monsters in the grave! And with that, my monsters will slaughter yours, leaving your hand clogged by repeat magic cards!"

With a single swipe of three separate blades the volcanic dragons crumbled, leaving only the tri-pod device on the field. "Impressive counter strike Enzeru Yukio." (Frost: 2000)

Taking one final glance at the last card in his hand Enzeru tucked it back down and steadied himself. "Turn End!"

She drew and then held up one of the copies of Blaze Cannon. "During my standby phase Card Trader allows me to shuffle one card from my hand into my deck in order to draw an additional card."

Her eyes managed to scan her full hand of cards within half a moment and she was ready for action. "I activate the effect of Volcanic Bullet, paying an additional five hundred life points to add the final one to my hand." (Frost: 1500)

Snapping together three of the cards she pressed them into her graveyard slot and the Blaze Cannon warmed up. "I discard both Volcanic Bullets in my hand along with a Volcanic Sniper Shot in order to destroy all three of your monsters."

The cannon fired three times, blowing apart Enzeru's three monsters one by one. And as soon as they hit the cemetery the light around Purest Power faded. "When Volcanic Sniper Shot goes from my hand to the cemetery by an effect the opponent must discard one card from their hand at random. However, as you only have one card in hand it is discarded."

Enzeru did so, leaving his hand empty and his field essentially cleared. But luckily he knew she had one Blaze Cannon in hand and two unknown cards, but no method of attacking this turn. "Is your turn finished Kohana?"

The blue haired girl didn't reply immediately, instead she gave her response by playing a brand new card. "Volcanic Launch allows me to send one 'Blaze Cannon' from my hand or field to the cemetery in order to special summon one 'Volcanic' monster from my hand or cemetery to the field. In addition, after resolution the opponent takes one thousand damage."

Enzeru grimaced as she tossed her Blaze Cannon and sent a wave of fire at him, striking him head on and draining him of much needed life points. "And what are you special summoning? Volcanic Rocket again?" (Enzeru: 4900)

She replied by tossing down her card from her hand. Instantly a huge creature with a sharp-edged beak and a brown body with magma within appeared, shaking the ground with its impact. "Volcanic Hammer (2400/1500) is special summoned. At this time by preventing it from attacking I may inflict two hundred damage to the opponent's life points for each 'Volcanic' monster in my cemetery. That number is seven; therefore you receive fourteen hundred damage."

The monster slammed one fist into the ground, sending a line of fire traveling across the field. It hit Enzeru square on and he grimaced as it blasted a hefty chunk out of his life points. "Not bad…but it's not over yet!" (Enzeru: 3500)

Since she had no cards left in her hand Enzeru took it upon himself to draw. "I activate Pure Land Shuffle, taking three 'Pure Land' monsters from my grave and shuffling them into my deck! Afterwards I draw one card!"

As soon as he had his new card he slammed it down. "Pure Land Dragon-Yeuth (1700/900) in attack mode!"

A small white scaled dragon flew down onto his field, spreading out long leathery wings and belching fire into the air. It looked like a much younger version of Cyrano, with growing spikes at the edges of its wings. "Purest Power grants my monster an additional thousand attack points!"

It shot up to twenty-seven hundred, but that's not what Enzeru was focusing on. "When this monster is summoned and I have no monsters in the graveyard I get to draw two cards, so here they come!"

After registering the card he pointed at Volcanic Hammer, and the dragon shot its flames out again, this time engulfing the fire monster. Despite the monster's fiery nature it still managed to melt under the assault. "Its not much, but every bit of damage to you helps. Not to mention you're out a good source of damage and a beater." (Frost: 1200)

She said nothing, simply staring at him. Enzeru tightened his jaw and took a deep breath, trying to center himself. There was something very shaking about facing those cold blue eyes. _'Her eyes scream that she has the entire duel mapped out, but she's top decking. I have no idea what to expect…but that's what makes this interesting.'_

"I'll place two cards face down and call it a turn! Go ahead Kohana; I'm curious if you can make a comeback. I'm just glad I can make you get serious in a duel." Frost cocked her head slightly to the side, and then placed two fingers on the top card of her deck.

"Unfortunately for you Enzeru Yukio, I have never faced an opponent that made me struggle or worry in a duel. Allow me to demonstrate." She drew, and her continuous magic card flashed once.

"For the effect of Card Trader I shuffle Repayment of Recycling into my deck. Since it was shuffled into my deck I may draw an additional two cards at this time." While she was drawing Shiro was busy frowning and doing a little bit of pouting.

"Everybody is just using my combos and my cards today. There's no justice at all, I tell you!" Chizuma sweat-dropped and just focused on the duel, wanting to keep track of the two Kaiser potential's turns.

"I summon Volcanic Ascender (1200/1800) in defense mode, which allows me to take one card with 'Blaze Cannon' in its name and add it to my hand. I select and activate Blaze Cannon Trident, sending Blaze Cannon to the cemetery for the cost." A bone-like humanoid with a crown on his head and long wings of fire appeared in a crouching position. Seconds later the cannon changed shapes into a triple-gun version of the original.

"I set one card face down and then activate Blasting Vein. This magic card allows me to destroy one face-down magic or trap card on my field in order to draw two cards. The card I have destroyed is Fire Trap, and when it is destroyed while face-down I draw one card." Once more she slid three cards off her deck, examining them carefully.

She tucked one of the cards down and into her graveyard slot and the triple cannon warmed up. "Activating magic card, Mine Placement, which lets me special summon two Volcanic Mine (0/1000) tokens to your field in defense mode."

Enzeru frowned at the sight of the two floating fireballs on his field. Judging by how Frost was placing a card from her hand into her grave he was certain his worries were about to be justified. "Activating Trident's effect are you?"

"That is correct. By discarding a pyro monster I may destroy one monster on your field and deal you five hundred damage. Your dragon is destroyed." The cannon fired, sending a powerful bullet shooting at his dragon and blowing it to pieces. He grimaced as his life points dropped. (Enzeru: 3000)

Suddenly Frost's cannon began to charge up again. "The pyro monster I discarded was Volcanic Buckshot (600/0), and when it goes to the cemetery the opponent takes 500 damage. Additionally I may now send two Volcanic Buckshot from my hand or deck to the cemetery to destroy all monsters on the opponent's field."

The trident fired and the two mines were blown to pieces, and thanks to their effects Enzeru now took an additional fifteen hundred damage. "Quite the combo to crush my field…but you summoned those mines for more than just that." (Enzeru: 1500)

"Correctly surmised Enzeru Yukio. When a Volcanic Mine token is destroyed the opponent receives five hundred damage to their life points." Enzeru winced as his life points took another dramatic drop, falling even lower than Frost's were at this point. (Enzeru: 500)

Finally Frost raised the last card in her hand and slid it into her deck. "I place this single card face down and conclude my turn."

Enzeru reached for his deck and took one deep breath, making sure to meet eyes with the deadly True Sin. _'She's powerful, but I have a combo prepared that will shake her world! The title of Kaiser is not so easily gained, not for me and not for anyone else!'_

He drew and then snapped the card out to point it at his rightmost set card. "Reverse card open, Return to Peace! This sends one monster on the opponent's field to the top of their deck and then allows me to shuffle one monster from either cemetery back into the deck. I choose my dragon!"

Ascender vanished and Frost picked it up off her duel disk, sliding it on top of her deck. Enzeru tucked the dragon into his deck and let the disk shuffle it up. "Next I activate my other face-down card, Forceful Negotiations! This lets me special summon one monster from my deck that was shuffled from the grave into my deck this turn!"

Yeuth reappeared and roared, its golden eyes glimmering. Enzeru snapped two new cards off his deck thanks to the effect of the dragon. "For my normal summon for the turn I call out Pure Land Knight-Goren (1600/1400), who gains a second attack when there are no monsters in the cemetery!"

The knight pulled on his sword, splitting it into two halves, each one sharp and deadly. Its attack shot up to twenty-six hundred thanks to Purest Power. "Yeuth, attack Frost directly!"

Frost motioned to her set card and it flipped up, and suddenly a blast of flame shot into the air, nullifying the dragon's flame. "Fire Wall is a continuous trap card that allows me to remove fire monsters from my cemetery to negate attacks. I remove a Volcanic Buckshot."

Enzeru nodded to his knight and it attacked with both blades, but each time the fire held strong, blocking off the attacks. Enzeru didn't seem bothered in the slightest and instead he set a card onto his field. "End Turn!"

She drew and her life points began to decline. "As upkeep for Fire Wall I pay five hundred life points." (Frost: 700)

As soon as the life points were paid she showed Enzeru the Volcanic Ascender. "I summon Volcanic Ascender in defense mode."

The monster appeared in defense once again and Frost unfolded her deck, selected one card from it and adding it to her hand. "I will conclude my turn."

He slashed another card off his deck and looked at the two cards he was holding. "I will cut down your wall, I guarantee it! I summon Pure Land Knight-Volrath (1500/1400), which is powered up by one thousand!"

Another white knight formed, but Enzeru didn't seem like he was finished. "I activate my face down card, Pure Strikes! By discarding a card from my hand I can let each monster on my field attack one additional time during this turn, giving my monsters a total of seven attacks!"

Enzeru did mental calculation, recalling each of the monsters she had used during the duel. _'Three bullets, one hammer, sniper shot, three rockets, and then those three buck shots. Since she removed the buck shots last turn I've got eight attacks to make before I break it. She can afford to pay for one additional turn for Fire Wall, and destroying Ascender will give her nine. That means I should be able to make my attacks direct next turn. The fewer turns she has to recover her resources the better, I must push the advantage!"_

He thrust his right hand palm out and declared his attack. "My monsters will now attack, all seven times!"

His monsters all slammed uselessly against the wall of flame as one by one the monsters in Frost's grave were removed, leaving just one left. Frost frowned slightly and glanced at her cemetery. "Impressive efforts still Enzeru Yukio. However, as your hand is empty I assume your turn is at its end."

Once he nodded she reached for her deck and drew, flipping the card around. "I have drawn Volcanic Armor a trap card. However, that is all that is needed."

Enzeru's eyes widened as the Blaze Cannon Trident shook heavily. "What's going on now?"

"I am activating the card I gained from the effect of Ascender. By sending Blaze Cannon Trident to the cemetery I may activate Blaze Cannon Artillery." The tripod utterly vanished as the relatively small cannon was replaced with a huge barrel that extended a dozen feet and pointed at an angle into the air. It was a deep red and black color and pulsed on each side as if partially alive.

Frost tucked her single card down and into her cemetery slot and the loading port on the artillery opened. "By discarding one card from my hand the effect of Blaze Cannon Artillery activates, allowing me to destroy all monsters on the field."

The cannon fired; the sound so heavy that everyone in the room was temporarily deafened. The cannon shot soared into the air and then arced down, crashing onto Enzeru's field and blasting his monsters to pieces. "When this effect is activated I cannot attack during this turn. However, for every monster destroyed the opponent receives three hundred damage."

Enzeru sighed as the holographic flames washed over him. "It seems that you really are the perfect duelist…even with a deck that isn't your strongest you were capable of recovering from my crushing strategy and defeat me." (Enzeru: 0)

The two duelists walked forwards and clasped hands, Enzeru smiling at the stoic and frozen featured beauty. "It seems you are the perfect duelist, truly you are worthy of the title of Kaiser. Or perhaps I should say Kaiserin?"

For a moment he thought she would smile, but instead she merely gave him a brief bow of the head and then released his hand. "Thank you for your kind words. Now, if you'll excuse me I must prepare my deck for the next match. It will begin in a few minutes."

Enzeru smiled and the two parted ways. He felt…relaxed, despite his loss. It had been a fierce duel, and he knew he had been outclassed. He walked up the stairs and out into the main part of the building, wanting to catch a little bit of fresh air. _'I've grown stronger…but apparently not as strong as I thought. However, pure strength doesn't accomplish anything. I was forced to learn that lesson last year.'_

He stared out at the duels going on as proctors faced prospective students. It was rather surprising to realize that the level he had been at when he entered the school was similar to these students, and yet just moments ago he had been dueling for the title of Kaiser, best in the school. "Incredible how far we've all come. It seems that Duelist Academy helps people grow, one way or another."

"Hey Enzeru, tough break there, but don't worry about it! After all, Frost kicked my butt as well and we both know you're no match for me!" Enzeru raised an eyebrow at Shiro who had just exited the arena, Chizuma in tow.

"Even after seeing my strategy you think you can beat me? Are you willing to back that up?" Shiro grinned and patted the duel disk on his arm.

"Are you kidding? Of course I am, after all, you've got a low chance of having that removal card in your opening hand. And if you don't, your killer strategy doesn't hurt my deck strategy at all." Enzeru considered that, realizing that Shiro was right. And somehow…he felt like taking Shiro up on the offer.

The two duelists smirked at each other and reached for their decks, starting to shuffle. Chizuma suddenly cleared her throat. "Ummm….won't we be missing the next duel if you two duel? I mean, the duel was just about to start when Shiro-kun and I came out here to talk to you."

Moments later there was the sound of a powerful explosion and their eyes widened. Both duelists dropped their arms and began to race back into the room, nearly trampling Chizuma in the process. Shiro grinned, absolutely excited. "No way am I going to miss this next duel, especially since the Kaiser will be crowned!"

They reached the first railing and looked down, but saw only two barely identifiable duelists standing facing each other. There were no cards on their fields though that were visible. "Huh…I wonder what card was played that caused that explosion. How come neither of them is doing anything right now though?"

"Because the duel is already over." Shiro, Enzeru, and Chizuma all looked to the right and saw Kaoru standing there, staring down at the dueling arena just like they were.

She looked over to them, her violet eyes slightly unfocused and sad. "You three missed my match. Unfortunately I lost."

Shiro grinned and walked up, throwing an arm around her. "Don't worry about it, at least you got to see Frost smash whoever beat you! Heck, I saw her once beat a pro level duelist before her first turn even started!"

Kaoru started to say something, but she was distracted when Principal Tantei's voice came on over a loud speaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the next Kaiser of Duelist Academy!"

A giant image of the duelist appeared on the display board above the arena, causing Shiro and Enzeru to stare in horror. The person depicted on the screen did not have blue hair, nor was that person female.

The person on the screen wore a smug look on his youthful face and had chilling blue eyes and black hair. He wore the trench coat version of the standard Obelisk uniform and was raising his hands up. "Without a doubt, the absolute best is me! Welcome your new Kaiser back with open arms, because you haven't got a choice in the matter!"

Chizuma pointed up at the screen, shocked for a different reason than the other three. "That's the guy I saw staring at Shiro and I earlier! I can't believe he's the new Kaiser…and I can't believe he beat Frost. Who is that guy, I never saw him at school before?"

Shiro gulped and shook his head as if denying it. "That's because that guy…was expelled the year before you came. That guy is…"

That smug face seemed to stare down at them, laughing even though it said nothing. Shiro and Enzeru gritted their teeth and spoke that name at the same time. "Tobias…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Mwuahahaha, I love twists! Mwuahahaha!

Shout Out: Also I'd like to point you readers in the direction of two author's GX stories. Check out G.O.T. Nick and Viewtiful Jeff's stuff, it's all good. Trust me on this you won't be disappointed. Also, take a look at AngelofBlade's new fic, should be interesting.

_Next Time: Members of the academy enjoy watching the exploits of Sanzo and Harrison as they rampage through the Pro League, becoming its newest prominent members. Yet anyone can see that something is troubling the two duelists. Even the Pro League cannot calm the former Dark Kaiser, and it may not be enough for the Hero Saint either._

_See it all in, They Walk on High!_


	94. They Walk on High

Author's Note: Time to check in on some of our other characters.

**Chapter Ninety-Four: They Walk On High**

The school was abuzz with news and gossip. Unlike Shiro and Chizuma, most students remained completely uninterested (save the unwanted interest of male students) in the new teacher. They were as unaware of her status as a True Sin as they were of what a True Sin was or that there even was such a thing.

Instead they were focused on the brand new Kaiser, even though the school year was only on its second day. Third year students who had been around when Tobias was expelled knew that he had done something illegal, but almost all lacked concrete details.

Second year students had heard rumors, but said it wasn't a big deal. Yet there was enough distress in them, after what they had experienced in their first year at the school, to understand the fears of the third years.

The first years were an entirely different story. Instead of being worried or feigning a lack of worry while secretly worrying they were intrigued. Despite the rumors that floated about him what they did know was that he had scored highest on his written exam for entrance, and that he had dueled poorly in his examination, barely passing and entering as an Osiris Red.

They also knew that during an examination duel he had used a card that, while not illegal, was highly detested and had thus been forbidden to advance to Ra Yellow. And of course they knew that he had been expelled for some grave matter, and that he had been expedited to America for trial.

So, the first years wondered, how did such a person come to be Kaiser? How did someone who was smart, but a mediocre duelist and who had been punished and even expelled enter the school as the school's top duelist? How did Tobias Emerlo become Kaiser?

Some students even amongst the first years were apparently uninterested. Some, such as Kuro, found the Kaiser completely unimportant. "It's just another pompous windbag set up as the top duelist. When the time is ripe, I'll smash all opposition and become Kaiserin myself!"

Others, such as Shiro, found the thought of Tobias Emerlo as Kaiser perhaps the most repulsive thing in the world. "It's worse than that jerk Harrison being Kaiser! He was an ass, but Tobias is evil! A really crappy and generally ineffectual kind of evil, but evil nevertheless!"

Still others, like Kaoru, were caught in a mix of curiosity and fear at the prospect of what the new Kaiser was. "All that I can see when I look at him is…greed. His greed is entwining his fate with every person I've seen on the island. I don't understand it…"

Of course there was one person who found Tobias Emerlo being Kaiser to be the most delightful thing possible. That person was, of course, Tobias Emerlo himself. Yet to be more accurate, that person was sin embodied.

Cackling with delight Greed kicked his legs up on top of the foot rest that lay in front of his leather couch in his extra large room. "This kid…he's everything I imagined him to be! Being him is the most fantastic thing I could have ever thought up!"

Sliding his hands behind his head he grinned and relaxed, at ease for the first time in ages. "I have really got to hand it to myself. Anticipating Pride's betrayal, anticipating the possibility of failure of my first stolen shell and picking the perfect open shell!"

He closed his eyes and smirked smugly at nobody as he recalled over a year ago when he had been in deep discussion with Saint Beatrix, the man for whom he worked. _"All that I require is a person willing to use this card, to test it. After all, I am curious to see how related the soul and the mind are. If I'm correct, this test will let me discover if the totaled personality that my power erases is identical to the soul. Unfortunately, it would require a rather power hungry individual to be willing to use it."_

At the time Greed, in his original and older body had swept a hand through his messy and slightly greasy dark hair and smirked confidently at Saint. _"I've got the perfect candidate. That Tobias Emerlo kid that caused that fiasco last year at the academy. He's rich, a snobby little brat, and power hungry as they get. Plus he's got the resources to temporarily recharge the energies in that card. Put the right idea into his head and that kid will come running straight to the academy to test it out and get revenge."_

Saint had smiled beatifically at Greed and stroked his fingers against his bare chin, deep in thought despite his friendly expression. _"Yes, that would be a good choice. Of course considering his history and the power of some of the students here it will be highly likely that he will be defeated and his soul sealed away, leaving him just an empty shell. At that time, I'll make sure to have him monitored no matter what hospital he's shipped to so that I might more accurately conclude my hypothesis."_

Events had gone exactly as they thought, with one small exception. Saint had predicted that it would be Sanzo Uzumaki, in the role of hero, who defeated Tobias and ended him. Instead it had been Harrison Wilhelm the Third, the school's top student and strongest duelist.

Greed had kept track of where Tobias was sent to, the best neurological hospital in the United States, and gave orders that his package be delivered onto that boy if the signal was given.

His own defeat at the hands of Mizuki Mitshiro had seemingly given Saint the mental and emotional advantage in order to purify him. Of course while his loss had been unexpected, he had been intending to be purified by Saint at some point, just not then. It had been easy to accept his purification when he knew that even if Pride betrayed him Envy would, honoring their deal, plant the device that had collected all of his personality and self into it thanks to Mizuki Mitsuhiro's power and place it on the first of her friends to be purified.

That friend had been Shiro Akugi, the bumbling goofball whose strange power and nearly been the end of Greed. Greed still felt furious at himself for missing that one vital detail, the simple fact that his power of the Midas Touch was not passed in the mind, but rather remained in the body. It was only Shiro Akugi's ability to mimic traits of others that let him use his power, albeit briefly. So he had been purified by Saint Beatrix again, only this time not according to his plan.

But he had been ready, not on the chance that Saint would get him, but rather for when he succeeded. Remaining as whatever idiot friend of Mizuki's was lunacy. Instead he intended to deactivate the Image Receptacle and activate the one that had been planted by his contacts at the neurological hospital on the other shell that he had set up.

After all, taking the body of Tobias Emerlo as his own, implanting his memories and personalities onto it gave him the perfect image. As Tobias Emerlo he was son of an obscenely rich family, a family ranked as one of the top fifty richest in the world, worth over eight billion U.S. dollars.

The Emerlo family had risen to prominence before the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century. Excellent business sense and a family of brilliant minds led the Emerlos to dominate fields of business mostly pertaining to higher technology.

It was their brilliance and their company, Emerlo Incorporated, which had coupled with the International Board on the Study of Paranormal Math and Science to create most of the technologies that let mankind win the war that had come to be known as the Twilight of Man.

In fact, the Image Receptacle that Greed was now using to essentially possess the soulless body of Tobias Emerlo was an invention of Emerlo Incorporated and produced solely by them. So in a twist of delicious irony the Emerlo family had provided for the eventual downfall of their heir.

Greed had essentially gained everything he could have ever wanted in one fell swoop. He had lost access to all his old contacts from when he was still the original Greed as well as the money that he had saved up and invested in that body. But none of that mattered as his new body had access to vastly more money than his old self could have accumulated in a dozen years time.

It gave him access to the darker and more advanced elements of the criminal underworld, for no high technology company that had risen to power in a few years time could do so without criminal aid. Similarly it gave him access to the higher parts of society that his original self could never have managed.

The Emerlos regularly wined and dined with some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world. Including but not limited to some of the best lawyers in the world, capable of getting all his charges dropped and getting him entered back into Duelist Academy. And a little pressure by the Emerlo family, who helped supply Kaiba Corp with some of its more advanced technologies that let the Solid Vision system function, had allowed Greed to enter in a position to become Kaiser.

Tobias Emerlo, as heir, was to be groomed for a rise to that power. He would become the eventual CEO of Emerlo Incorporated, and if everything went well he would have no living relatives to be forced to share his money with.

Of course that wasn't all he had. He had something far more important that Saint had let him discover. He was now immortal. All it required to transfer all of what he was to another was a soulless body and Image Receptacles. Thanks to Darkness Games he had a virtually endless possibility for soulless bodies, and since his 'family's' company produced Image Receptacles he had an endless supply of those as well.

Since he was connected and could meet so many wealthy and powerful people it wouldn't be difficult to take advantage of that and swap bodies to gain whatever advantages he needed. Once he figured out a method to effectively keep one body safe and swap to another soulless body he could be anyone amongst those he picked out at any given time.

He could, quite literally, become whoever he wanted. He wasn't stupid though, he was still mostly human despite being essentially a parasite made of soul and memory. That limitation meant he could only do so many things, only handle so many things at once. It was going to be a gradual process, but step by step he would have everything he wanted. And what he wanted was everything.

That was, of course, why he was at Duelist Academy. Being Kaiser was just a perk that he had accomplish to stoke his own ego. Step by step he had to go, and Duelist Academy was where one of his important steps began.

Greed, or Tobias, or whatever he was, smiled with delight and let himself relax even further into the leather couch. There was no need to hurry; after all, immortals had all the time in the world.

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The muscular duelist practically growled as he motioned to his massive two-legged creature. "Super Conductor Tyranno (3300/1400) activates its effect! I sacrifice my face-up Dino Dozer (800/1500) to deal my opponent one thousand damage!"

One of his three monsters vanished and the mechanical panels on the massive t-rex opened up, sucking in the released energy. Then it opened its mouth, the spikes on its back crackling with electricity. "Super Conductive Pulse!"

A stream of electricity erupted from its jaws and slammed into the duelist on the opposite side of the field from him. With a scream of pain Sanzo Uzumaki dropped to one knee, using his duel disk clad left arm to support himself. "Nice…shot Boz." (Sanzo: 1400)

Boz smirked and patted his open leather vest, looking quite happy with himself. "I'm not finished yet Hero Saint, this next one is where things get interesting! By removing Dino Dozer from the cemetery I can remove all floating effects on the field, such as my Tyranno's backlash effect that prevents it from attacking this turn!"

Sanzo stood to his full height and flicked a few stray strands of silver hair out of his eyes. The women in the crowd swooned and screamed out his name. He felt oddly relaxed at the sound of the creepy yet familiar declaration of 'Sanzo-sama, please have my baby'.

He looked positively knightly in his full body suit, which resembled high-tech blue and silver armor. Etched onto his right arm was what looked like a red dragon's head, and painted over the left side of his chest was an angel's wing. All together it made him resemble an armored form of Flame Wingman. "Bring everything you've got at me, I'll take it!"

His opponent slammed his fists together and then pointed at his other face-up monster, a four-legged dinosaur with a fin-like skull plate and a bladed tail and horns. "Sabersaurus, attack his Burst Lady!"

The dinosaur spun around and swung its sword tail into the heroine, slicing her in half. Immediately one of Sanzo's two face down cards lifted up. "Hero Signal now lets me special summon one Elemental Hero of level four or lower to the field! My choice is Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400) in defense mode!"

The blue and yellow armored hero appeared in the air and then dropped to his knees, covering his chest protectively with his arms. Boz nodded to his most powerful monster and it opened its mouth again. "Wipe out that Sparkman with Super Conductive Pulse!"

Another burst of electricity was fired off, this one ironically striking down an electricity user. Sparkman withstood the barrage for a few moments before shattering into tiny pixels. As soon as it did Boz grabbed one of the last two cards in his hand and placed it face down. "My turn ends Hero Saint!"

He looked at the remaining card in his hand, revealing a t-rex with curled horns and a strange background behind it. _'Let's see if this up and coming newbie can withstand Dino Infinity next turn.'_

Sanzo smiled and took a deep breath before slashing a card off the top of his deck. "Sorry Boz, but this tournament victory is about to be mine! Skyscraper Two activates its effect, letting me special summon Elemental Hero Burst Lady (1200/800) back from the grave!"

His female hero once again appeared in tip-top condition. "Next I activate O-Over Soul to special summon one normal monster with 'E-Hero' in its name from the grave to the field! My choice is Elemental Hero Featherman (1000/1000)!"

This time an avian hero appeared, spreading its wings out. "I continue by activating my remaining face-down card, Another Fusion! This trap lets me fuse together two fusion components on my field, such as Featherman and Burst Lady, thus forming Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100/1800)!"

The impressive hero with the dragon arm and angel's wing formed, thrusting its dragon arm into the air. Boz frowned and glanced at his face-down card at his set card and then at his life points. _'I can still survive this strike.'_ (Boz: 1100)

Boz tapped a button on his duel disk and his set card activated. "Survival Instinct activates at this time, letting me remove any number of dinosaurs in my graveyard from the game! For each one removed I gain four hundred life points, and I'm removing all seven!" (Boz: 3900)

As soon as Boz's life points stopped raising Sanzo closed his eyes and smirked. "Sorry Boz, but that's not going to be enough. I know you were hoping to survive this attack and then summon Dino Infinity to end the duel, but if you hadn't noticed I have three cards left in my hand."

Flame Wingman's left arm morphed, taking on the shape of a katana. "Fusion Sword Murasame Blade increases Flame Wingman's attack strength by eight hundred."

He held up one of his remaining cards in hand, revealing a muscular looking hero in gold. "Elemental Hero Captain Gold (2100/800) can be discarded from my hand to add one 'Skyscraper' to my hand."

His deck ejected the needed card and he popped open his field slot. The advanced city began to crumble as he replaced it with a far more normal one filled with average but towering skyscrapers. "Field magic card, Skyscraper!"

As soon as the field card was in play the roars of the crowd, especially those who had watched him all tournament or understand the game a bit better. "Flame Wingman attacks Super Conductor Tyranno, and since your dinosaur's attack is greater than my wingman's Skyscraper increases my monster's points by one thousand!" (Flame Wingman: 3900)

Flame Wingman flew down, cleaving the tyranno in half with his new sword hand. The dino exploded and Boz felt his confidence shatter, though he kept on a good face. After all, if you looked pathetic in a duel the crowd would eat you alive. And that could end a career. "Nice move…Sanzo Uzumaki." (Boz: 3300)

The Wingman aimed its dragon arm at Boz and then glanced over its shoulder at Sanzo. The Hero Saint nodded to it and the dragon arm opened wide, flames gathering in it. "Good game Boz Carro. Now Flame Wingman, Flame Shooter!"

With a huge breath of flame the Flame Wingman activated its special ability, dealing Boz the fallen dinosaur's attack strength as damage. The crowd's roar drowned out even the roaring of the draconic flame. (Boz: 0)

Their duel disks deactivated and the holograms faded. As soon as they did even the crowd was blocked out by the sound of the announcer. **"And up and coming duelist Sanzo Uzumaki, the Hero Saint of the Pro League makes his name grow bigger with his tenth straight tournament victory! At this rate it won't be long before this new and exciting duelist starts appearing at invitational tournaments!"**

Sanzo shook his opponent's hands and they parted ways, heading to the locker rooms. Once inside he stripped off the armor and stepped into the showers, letting the hot water run over him and clean away the sweat. The suit was attractive and the crowds loved it just like his managers had told him, but while it moved fine and even did all that was expected of it the thing was hot and made him sweat.

Of course in the Pro League appearances were apparently equally if not more important than actual dueling talent. He had quickly learned that to be successful in the Pro League you had to have a gimmick, because someone exciting and interesting was more fun to watch than a dull and unattractive person who happened to be a good duelist.

His special suit was equipped with its own built in speakers so the crowd could hear better. He had opted for it instead of the earpiece that while invisible to the crowd had been uncomfortable for him to wear. It came with operating cooling agents which prevented his face from showing any signs of sweat. The suit even lessened impacts from the Solid Vision system.

Most importantly it contained a monitoring device that kept track of his vital signs. Having been a fan of the Pro League for many years he hadn't realized that all Pro Duelists were required to wear some sort of monitoring device that helped show their health was in good condition. Solid Vision could be dangerous and the Pro League wanted to keep its duelists safe.

What Sanzo knew they didn't say was that they were also monitoring for any unfair play. It had happened in the past that duelists had rigged their duel disks to hack the projectors for the Solid Vision system in order to make the damage more real and thus injure the opponent. Some had even tried to drug opponents to gain an unfair advantage.

Sanzo wasn't at all worried about falling for such a tactic. Thanks to his ability to sense danger and other similar things he would know if anything on his own person was going to cause him harm.

When he stepped out of the shower he was feeling much more relaxed. He had never realized that one of the best aspects of Duelist Academy for potential Pro Duelists was its promotional style duels. Students at Duelist Academy dueled in front of large crowds all the time so they were prepared should they enter the Pro League for that kind of distraction and stress factor.

The crowds were much larger, even at smaller league tournaments. Of course the prizes were also bigger, and the tournaments took much longer.

The Pro League of Duelists was assembled in a manner rather similar to golf. All over the world different tournaments were held quite regularly, and anyone who could afford the entrance cost (usually fronted by a manager) could compete. All duelists received some sort of prize money, even last place, and the prize money increased the better you placed.

To even enter the Pro League a duelist had to place at least decently well in special tournaments that were designed for amateurs attempting to join. It was also a place where duelists could be spotted by potential managers. Duelist Academy effectively bypassed that, as all graduates in good standing with the academy were eligible for the Pro League, although not necessarily guaranteed a pick-up by a manager.

Since he had been second ranked duelist at the school when he graduated the Pro League had picked him up rather quickly and his managers had truly played up his 'hero' personality. His talent, gimmick, and good looks had caused him to become very popular very quickly.

That announcer had been right though. Even though this tournaments were giving him good success and he had already won more money than most eighteen year olds knew what to do with, they weren't big enough. Public exposure to these tournaments was relatively limited, generally only shown to those who came to the area and people in the country it was being held.

If a pro was successful and popular enough in such local tournaments they would eventually start to receive invitations. Invitational tournaments had fewer competitors than local tournaments and also featured the best of the best. Prizes were big, talents were big, and egos were bigger. Of course losses were more critical as well in invitational tournaments.

Most importantly invitational tournaments provided duelists with opportunities to showcase their talents enough to be invited to World Level Tournaments. It was at invitational and World Level tournaments that duelists got true exposure to the public.

If all went well within the year Sanzo would be excelling well enough at invitational tournaments to receive invites to World Level tournaments were the elites of the dueling world competed. It was there where he could show the world what it meant to behave like a hero, and even give his message to the world.

But, it was there where the money was the most important. At that level he could get enough money to really help areas that needed it. Places like his own town that suffered because of proximity to a demon reserve. He could help the helpless, the needy, the homeless, and with public attention on his successes he could get them to contribute aid as well.

Perhaps heroes in movies and comics could use their super powers to save the world from super villains. But Sanzo was far more realistic. He had promised his brother to show the world what a hero was, and the truth was much simpler than fantasy showed it. A hero was someone who helped those who needed it, even at cost to themselves. Anyone who would willingly give aid to those in need was a hero in his book, and he intended to rally the world together to make heroes out of them all.

"And that's why…that's why I need to keep winning! I can't slack off; I can't stop until I'm at the top! Then I can get the world to listen, and then I can go be where I need to be!"

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"Dante (4500), attack him directly! Cut him down!" His opponent screamed as the red-clad form of Dante shot forwards like a missile and pierced through his chest with a sword. (LP: 0)

The crowd was a mix of cheers and jeers as Harrison swung around, his blue trench coat flaring out behind him. He ignored them as he swept into the locker room and sat down on one of the benches, staring straight ahead.

"It's not enough…my opponents are too weak, not a challenge. I'm not getting stronger, I need an invitational tournament to grow stronger but I can't waste time like this!" His teeth ground together and he slammed a fist into the bench he was sitting on, causing a bang to echo throughout the room.

Harrison had quickly become the most terrifying duelist the Pro League had seen in years. He dominated every player he faced and had just finished his tenth straight tournament victory. If his guess was right, his rival Sanzo had done the same.

Yet these opponents were weak compared to those he had grown used to facing. There was no challenge, and none of these duelists were well traveled enough to bring him word of the demon he was looking for.

It seemed like he had to go to an invitational tournament to have a chance of meeting anyone who knew anything about the demon reserves and those that prowled their depths.

The Pro League saw him as what was called a 'heel'. Someone who was promoted as a villainous character, one who showed no mercy and was violet and frightening. It fit him perfectly, and he felt no need to even play himself up. He simply acted in his normal manner and dispatched opponents ruthlessly with brutal force.

Yesterday he had finally gotten the contact he had been waiting for. The contact that would give him a chance to grow stronger, not just against powerful opponent but in dangerous situations. Situations that could give him a chance to gather more negative emotions to grow stronger with.

His ruthless attitude had gained him notoriety, and someone had secretly passed him a card, giving him a location and telling him to come alone with his deck. There was no name, but there was a picture of a monkey on the front of the card.

Most people wouldn't have understood the meaning, but Harrison had been doing his best to track this man down for months now. The card was from the infamous and supposedly nonexistent Underworld of Dueling. The monkey was the symbol of Saruyama Promotional Group, ran by a man named Saruyama who had established the Underworld of Dueling.

The Underworld conducted duels that were illegal due to their dangerous nature. They were also far more profitable, though that was not Harrison's reason for seeking them out. The wealthiest and most sadistic people came to watch these underground matches and the brutal methods used.

The standard practice for a duel in the Underworld was to have both duelists attached with electro shock devices that would electrocute a duelist who took life point damage. It was exciting for those who watched and painful for those who dueled.

As for as Harrison was concerned learning the ability to withstand that pain would be another edge for his mission. And there would be so many negative emotions flying around that it would be easy to gather all he could ever want.

Most importantly the Underworld of Dueling for its higher levels employed Darkness Games, as well as devices to block the detection of said games. That made the Underworld of Dueling the perfect place to gather those negative feelings, as he could use Darkness Game with impunity without taking risks with the innocent. Anyone willing to risk a Darkness Game was not an innocent.

Secretly he changed clothes and slipped away from reporters and fans alike, making it onto the street without getting unwanted attention. His car was going to be watched, so he hailed a cab and entered, giving the driver directions to the location on the card.

He rapped three times on the alleyway door and a plate slid open. Harrison handed the card to the man on the other side and he was lead down a flight of stairs and into a large room. There men and women in fancy dress wearing masks sat at tables eating delicacies. They were all surrounding a large caged ring that had just been opened, letting a few burly shirtless men drag out an unconscious duelist.

Harrison opened his brief case and pulled on his trench coat, feeling more at ease once it was on. It was then, when he stood back to his full height, that he saw the winning duelist stalking out behind the fallen duelist.

Their eyes met, and they both smirked at each other. They knew, like any strong duelists, that they were going to duel eventually and that when they did it would be fierce and brutal. They were both looking forward to it already.

They passed each other as Harrison made his way to the cage, their eyes meeting. Nobody in the room seemed surprised by Harrison's presence save for the other duelist, apparently he was expected. The tall dark haired man in the black trench coat gave Harrison a brief nod and whispered to him. "Good luck, Dark Kaiser."

Harrison nodded back and focused his eyes on the caged dueling ring, giving only passing reference to the other man. "Until next time, Black Dragon King."

Ensui Tatakawa stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked back over his shoulder at Harrison. He smirked darkly and clenched his fists. "I look forward to dueling you, but somebody else has their eyes on you first. Have fun in the Underworld, but just remember that here…I'm king."

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A pair of green eyes snapped open as a cell phone clicked shut. A calm and collected voice spoke in slightly cold tones. "It's time. The boat leaves tomorrow."

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Author's Note: Uh-oh, we're in trouble! Something's…yeah sorry about the delay. I have an interesting few weeks, including some stupid stuff on my part. Just a little word of advice to my readers who might be younger. Don't drink too heavily, and if you do, be careful who you're drinking with.

Shout Out: Also I'd like to point you readers in the direction of two author's GX stories. Check out G.O.T. Nick and Viewtiful Jeff's stuff, it's all good. Trust me on this you won't be disappointed. Also, take a look at AngelofBlade's new fic, should be interesting.

_Next Time: The representatives from East School arrive suddenly, and amongst them are familiar faces. But the one who most focus is on is the Tsar of East School, a duelist of legendary caliber that East School claims can surpass any Kaiser. But what intents does the Tsar have, and why has he chosen now to come to Duelist Academy?_

_See it all in, He Appears! Shadow of the Tsar!_


	95. He Appears! Shadow of the Tsar

Author's Note: Wow, this took a lot longer than I thought it would, but here it is.

**Chapter Ninety-Five: He Appears! Shadow of the Tsar!**

Barely had the school year begun and already there was a huge uproar and a wave of questions. Not only that, but everyone was busy struggling to make sure their dueling and their appearances were up to tip-top shape.

The reason for this was something that apparently even the third years hadn't realized. It had been announced just the previous day that as it had been four years there would be a school gathering.

Tradition dictated that once every four years representatives from the four cardinal schools would gather at the mother school of Central Duelist Academy. Nobody wanted to look bad with the best of the best coming to their school.

They were all coming, and some would bring other students with them. But most importantly, it was those four. The Champion of West School, the King of North School, the Emperor of South School, and the Tsar of East School.

It seemed as if the entire school had gathered together to witness the arrival of the champions of the cardinal schools. Of course this was no mere exaggeration, since everyone at the school really was present in the giant auditorium that overlooked the largest school arena, the one at the end of the Gauntlet.

Of course what everyone was truly looking forward to was the special exhibition match that was also a tradition to hold when the champions arrived. One of the champions, selected ahead of time, would face off against someone from Duelist Academy. The only thing was, no student would know until the last moment who would be that duelist.

Which of course was also why Shiro had his duel disk strapped on, and both of his decks sitting in a box in his lap. He also had a headband wrapped around his forehead with the kanji for 'victory' on the front. "Whoo! I'll beat the heck out of whichever of those champions they send me against!"

Chizuma leaned forward against the seat in front of her, ignoring the annoyed looks she was getting from the student sitting there, and grinned brightly. "I don't know about that Shiro-kun. I mean, you're a yellow student. There's no way they'll pick you. It's bound to be a blue. And remember, I was the number one ranked freshman last year, so there's a better chance of it being me."

Enzeru cleared his throat and both of them looked to Chizuma's left and eyed him. He brushed invisible dust off his Obelisk uniform and smiled slightly. "If you recall, I'm the third ranked student at this school at the moment. It's bound to be either myself or Frost, being as she is the second ranked student."

From Shiro's left side came the cool voice of Kaoru, who seemed slightly amused. "You three should know that it's a lot simpler than that. You see, the easiest logical choice is the Kaiser purely because by estimation that would be the student most likely to duel evenly with whatever champion is chosen. A crushing defeat against a student of this school would probably cause bad blood between the schools, not a good start to their two week long stay."

The students began to stir suddenly and everyone's eyes focused on the arena below, where a large group of people were making their way out. Up above them the massive four-sided projector was showing them in close-up. Shiro grinned and kicked his feet up obnoxiously. "Here they come! I'm ready!"

His friends sighed at how easily he managed to shrug off their words and then turned their attention onto the champions. Upon closer inspection they saw that each champion was accompanied by two other students from their school. Marching directly in front of all of them was a tall and graceful woman who appeared to be in her late fifties. She wore an almost military style uniform that was a darker blue than the Obelisks wore. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Professor Corwin of West School. Allow me to introduce the highest ranked students of the cardinal academies!"

The first to step forward wore a burgundy trench coat worn open over a black shirt and black pants. He was only middling in height and was rather plain looking, with few distinct features except for ugly mutton chops. "The King of North School, Alexei Surichev!"

Alexei raised one fist into the air over his head and stared solemnly up at the crowd. The students of the academy gave polite applauding as was to be expected. After a few moments of applause he stepped back into his place and waited impassively.

Professor Corwin turned and motion to the next student, making her declaration equally as loudly. "Next, the Champion of West School, Annabel Laurence!"

The next champion turned out to be a dark haired girl with small almost beady eyes who had to be nearly six feet in height. She was average in terms of appearance, but probably would be considered less so based on her height. She smiled slightly, her dark brown blazer shifting with the motion.

Once the clapping faded Corwin pointed to the next student in the line, this one wearing a forest green blazer. "Emperor of South School, Farkhad Al'zawhari!"

The Emperor's tanned, almost copper and hardened features contrasted greatly with his uniform. He gave just a brief nod to the students, who applauded more greatly, particularly those who knew what it must be like be Arabic these days, thanks to the terror of the Arabia Demon Preserve.

When the Emperor returned to his spot several of the students in the stands tensed up, knowing who was about to be introduced. Those who had heard the mentions of the activities of the Tsar, whether directly or from a secondary source knew he was dangerous and powerful. Most dangerous of all was that his motives were completely unknown. "Last but not least, the Tsar of East School…"

Their attention was drawn momentarily away when Shiro made a sudden exclamation of surprise. "Behind him! That's…that's Janice!"

And just as he said, standing behind the Tsar wearing the same crimson blazer she had worn in her visit the previous year was Janice, a former classmate and friend of theirs. She seemed rather bored, but was also scanning the crowd, perhaps looking for familiar faces.

Stepping forward just as his name was declared was the infamous Tsar of East School. He was handsome and roughly six feet in height, filling out his black blazer rather nicely. Despite his Asian features his hair was blonde, slicked back and tied into a dragon-tail at the back of his neck. His eyes were also a startling jade green color, similar to someone they had known. "Hitokage Seijitsu!"

Hitokage's green eyes scanned the crowd, stopping a few times as the audience applauded. Shiro and his group froze momentarily when his eyes rested on theirs, causing him to smile very momentarily. Then he was stepping back amongst the others, leaving the floor to Professor Corwin again.

Kaoru started laughing and the others looked at her like she was crazy. She put a hand up to her mouth to stifle herself, and then after a moment she spoke. "His name….it means human shadow. Mister Shadow…it's a funny alias…"

Enzeru rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling rather embarrassed for reasons he couldn't' explain. "Also an extremely lazy alias…"

From the other side of the stands Frost held up a hand to her companion, and the fiery haired True Sin sat down. "Damn it Frost…that guy…I can tell what he is! He's one of them…so just let me take care of him!"

Frost shook her head, remaining calm in the situation. "I'm afraid until we have more information it would be unwise to take action. Remember, this is still a mission that I command. We should watch this Hitokage Seijitsu for interaction with Umiko Midori."

Inferno grimaced and folded her arms against her chest, almost pouting. "Fine, I'll stay put for now."

A dozen rows up the purple haired form of Kuro leaned back, sticking her hands behind her head and grinning slightly. "That guy…he's pretty cute. And from the vibe I'm getting from him, pretty strong too."

Greed from his front row seat smiled slightly and kicked his legs up onto the fold-out leg rest in front of him. "They've come…which puts another step in my plan. Hitokage…I'm glad you've shown up for real. After all…you're a critical part of my plan."

Principal Tantei, still as balding as ever, walked forward and began to speak, his hidden microphone amplifying his voice. "Honorable students of Duelist Academy, we give welcome to the temporary traditional stay of fellow students, those from the Cardinal Academies!"

Again the polite applause, including some from the cardinal students themselves. "I expect each and every one of you to treat them with the honor and respect deserved of any fellow duelists."

He smiled and gave a nod to Corwin, who gave him a slight bow in return. "It is also my great pleasure to introduce to you the two duelists selected for the special welcoming exhibition match! To represent the Cardinal Schools, from East School, Hitokage Seijitsu!"

The blonde didn't even bat an eyelash at this, even as Janice and the big guy standing to her left cheered him on. Enzeru frowned and looked over at Kaoru. "He's not surprised at all. I was under the impression that while the duelist was selected ahead of time, the champions weren't informed until this point so they had no time to make previous preparations."

Kaoru nodded, focusing her eyes on Hitokage. Her violet eyes shimmered and changed to a blue color as she focused her power on the blonde. She felt bile rise in her throat at what she saw. "He did know…I can tell that…but there's something wrong with him."

Before she could elaborate her head started swimming and she withdrew her eyes, taking her focus off of him. When she looked at him she had seen…threads being pulled from every person in the arena to him. Threads even from past the arena, tens of thousands. And the threads were screaming. "That man is…a monster."

Tantei raised his hand and pointed it to the opposite entrance, which started to open the moment his hand went in that direction. "Representing Duelist Academy, former Kaiser and current Osiris Red Dorm Head, Professor Ichigaki Miyamoto!"

Wearing a long trench coat version of the Osiris uniform was none other than Shiro's former dorm head, and the same man Mizuki had dueled in her entrance exam. Shiro scratched his cheek in confusion. "Professor was a Kaiser once? I didn't even know he went to this school."

The other cardinal students along with Professor Corwin walked off the arena, leaving Hitokage standing on one end and Ichigaki at the other hand, Duel Vest already activated. "I hope you're prepared for a challenge Seijitsu-kun." (ILP: 4000)

Hitokage nodded and finished shuffling his deck, sliding it into his DD5. "I'm prepared for any challenge, whether with previous notification or not. The question is, as a former Kaiser, are you really a worthy challenge for me?"

Ichigaki raised an eyebrow, waiting with two fingers on the top of his deck. "What makes you say something like that? Confident in your skills to the extreme are you?"

The Tsar's jade eyes narrowed slightly as he too reached for his deck. "To put it quite bluntly, no Kaiser is a match for me. Shall I demonstrate?"

With a grin Ichigaki nodded, and at once they both made the declaration. "Duel!" (HLP: 4000)

Hitokage calmly picked up the top card of his deck and examined his hand. After just a few moments of looking them over he selected two and placed them into his disk. "I activate two continuous magic cards. The first of which is known as Spring of Despair. As long as this card remains in play, whenever a monster returns from the field to a player's hand my opponent will receive four hundred damage."

Shiro sighed, looking bored already. "A bounce strategy? That's pretty lame, a boring strategy. It's got not style at all."

His friends sighed, and the Tsar merely continued his turn unaware. "The second continuous card is known as Spiritual Art-Astral Assault. We'll get to that effect in just a moment."

Kaoru's eyes widened and she matched gazes with Enzeru, who seemed to be thinking the same thing as her. "Shiro…I don't think the Tsar is playing a bounce deck at all. I think he's playing a far less used strategy…"

Hitokage stared dead ahead as he held forward a monster card from his hand. "From my hand I summon Fushi No Tori (1200/0)!"

There was a flash of fire and suddenly there was a large bird whose wings and body were covered in flame, its long almost crane-like neck leading to a beautiful and intelligent face of an almost golden color. Ichigaki's eyes widened at the sight. "You've become the top duelist of your school with those cards? That is impressive…not many can run that style."

Shiro scratched his head and looked over at Enzeru. "So wait, what's this bird and what does it do? And what sort of style is this that Ichigaki's impressed about?"

Enzeru frowned and rubbed his chin, looking very carefully at the fiery avian. "Although I'm not entirely familiar with that card or its effect I can tell you that its part of one of the first arch-types ever created in this game. It's very old, and very difficult to master, especially effectively. Difficult enough that only one duelist in the history of the Pro League has ever used this style successfully."

It was surprisingly Chizuma who picked up for him, looking excited as she talked. "It's a special brand of monster called a Spirit. They say that Pegasus in his travels all over the world created these cards from oriental myths to represent the fleeting nature of those myths. And Spirits are the ultimate in fleeting. See, during the end phase of the turn they're summoned they return to their controller's hand."

Kaoru punched in immediately, almost giving Shiro whiplash of the neck as he tried to focus on her. "While that makes it difficult to run Spirits, its their other standard effect that makes it infinitely more so. You see, Spirits cannot be special summoned at all. Since you're forced to normal summon them and they return to your hand in your end phase it makes it hard to keep field presence. Most Spirit users come up with all sorts of crafty combinations to keep their Spirits in play and take advantage of their generally useful abilities."

Chizuma looked particularly anxious as she clapped her hands together. "But from what I know, the one duelist to use them successfully apparently ran them differently from others. He was so good with them that he reigned over the Pro League and made it to become champion of the World League two years running. After that he retired and never competed again. But what's really interesting is the thing that made him legendary. In every duel he was ever in, including the finals of both World Championships…he never went lower than his starting life points."

Shiro's eyes widened and he now focused very intently on Hitokage, the powerful Tsar and mysterious Mister Shadow. "You're saying this guy runs the same deck type as the legendary Flawless Killer? I never knew that guy used Spirits…"

The violet eyed girl hit him on the head with a wad of paper and rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid, just because he runs Spirits doesn't mean he uses the same deck type as the Flawless Killer. Remember, that guy used Spirits in a way that nobody else did. And nobody has ever really used it or handled them that way since. Anybody to try usually fails."

Frowning Shiro felt his heart thumping in his chest. "Yeah…but this guy is the Tsar of East School. He was the Tsar of East School during our first year apparently as well, so this is his third year in the position. If he's good enough for that…isn't it possible he's actually mastered that strategy?"

Hitokage selected a single card from his hand and slid it into his duel disk. "I place one card face down and declare the end of my turn. Now, since my turn is at an end Fushi No Tori returns to my hand!"

The phoenix shrank down into a ball of light and floated back into the card that the Tsar held up. The first of Hitokage's cards began to glow with crimson light. "Spring of Despair now deals you four hundred damage."

Ichigaki winced as that same crimson light surrounded his body, draining a small portion of life points from him. "Managing to deal me damage before I've even taken a turn, not bad at all Seijitsu-kun." (ILP: 3600)

However, it didn't seem like it was quite over, as a spectral form of Fushi No Tori suddenly appeared on the field. "At this time since a monster returned from my field to my hand the effect of Spiritual Art-Astral Assault activates. I can only use this effect with one monster per turn, so feel lucky. That returned monster is now treated as having dealt its attack points as damage to your life points."

The professor winced as the astral bird flew straight down and through his body, before swooping up and into the air. Hitokage smiled when Ichigaki looked himself over, discovering no change. "Worried? No need to be, since no actual damage is dealt by this effect. However, it works rather well when combined with Fushi No Tori. You see, whatever damage is dealt by Fushi No Tori I gain as life points. So now I receive its attack points as life points since it technically dealt that amount of damage to you." (HLP: 5200)

Enzeru bit his bottom lip, realizing exactly how effective the combination was. "He actually managed to take such advantage of his monster's supposed weakness that he put a sixteen hundred point difference between his life points and his opponent's on the first turn. I guess there's a good reason he's Tsar."

Ichigaki slashed a card off his deck, looking surprisingly excited. "After seeing that display, I'm confident in saying that you're worthy of being called Tsar. Of course, I'm hardly a slouch at dueling myself."

He held up one of the cards in his hand and his field began to glow. "At a cost of two cards from my hand I can activate Mystic Summon! This lets me special summon one spellcaster from my hand and increase its attack points by five hundred!"

A pretty blonde in light blue and pink spun out onto the field, striking a cute pose before thrusting her curled staff into the air. "Meet the Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)!"

Hitokage frowned and folded his hand up, lowering both arms to his sides. "Spellcasters? How bland…"

Despite Hitokage's obvious lack of respect for the strategy Ichigaki didn't seem discouraged. "You might have to take back your words after you see what I can do. I activate Monster Reborn, selecting one monster from my cemetery and special summoning it to the field! My choice is…"

A tall masculine magician with blue skin wearing a strange and almost S&M style leather outfit appeared, spinning his staff in the air. "The Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)! And when he's summoned I can take one magic card from my cemetery and add it to my hand. I obviously choose and activate Monster Reborn, to summon the other monster I discarded for Mystic Summon!"

Another blue-skinned magician formed, this one slightly shorter and also in black leather, save for quite a few less buckles. "Chaos Command Magician (2400/1900) is called forth from the graveyard at my command!"

The Tsar rolled his eyes and pointed at his opponent. "If you're finished with your summoning frenzy, perhaps you should activate that last card in your hand to replenish your resources as you've been planning."

Ichigaki smirked and slipped the card into his disk. "And you're clever too. Alright, I activate Coins from Heaven, forcing each of us to draw until we hold six cards!"

Each duelist began drawing, Ichigaki getting a full six draws and Hitokage drawing just three. "Now since I have these additional resources, why don't I pick things back up? I activate Sage's Stone, and since Dark Magician Girl is on the field I can special summon Dark Magician (2500/2100) from my deck to the field!"

The familiar and famous purple robed caster appeared, and the crowd cheered in delight. Ever since the monster had been made famous by the first King of Games it was a fan favorite. "I'll continue by activating Darkest Magic Calling, which lets me special summon one spellcaster from my deck as long as the total levels of all spellcasters on my field is more than double its own level!"

He slapped a card down onto the disk and a magician with pale white skin and a pure white outfit appeared, holding a slim and high-tech looking staff. "Meet my Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000), a monster who doesn't care how strong or how weak other monsters are. Of course, since I summoned him this way he can't attack this turn."

The crowd was now, based on their cheers, very much in his favor. Summoning five high level casters in one turn was no easy feat, yet he had done it with minimal effort. "Let's start by leveling our life points out a little. I activate Magical Blast which will deal you two hundred points of damage for each spellcaster on my field! Since I've got a full field, that's one thousand damage!"

His army of spellcasters raised their weapons and gave a brief chant, before a massive multi-colored bullet of energy erupted from dead center in front of them. Hitokage responded by snapping his duel disk arm out towards his set card. "In chain to your card I activate Hallowed Life Barrier, discarding one card from my hand as the cost!"

As soon as the Magical Blast reached Hitokage he raised one hand and caught the attack. The blast exploded against his palm, but did no apparent damage. "Hallowed Life Barrier is a rather common card, so I'm sure a duelist of your caliber knows that it reduces all damage to my life points for the turn to zero."

Ichigaki nodded and looked down at the three cards remaining in his hand. "Since attacking you would accomplish nothing I'll just set two cards face down and call it a turn."

Hitokage once again drew and held out his empty hand over his field. "I activate the effect of the monster I sent to the graveyard with Hallowed Life Barrier. Feng Shui Spirit gains three counters when it reaches the grave. By removing one I receive no damage until my next standby phase, provided at least one monster returns to my hand during this turn's end phase."

As soon as he was finished explaining he placed a card into his disk, replacing the used up Hallowed Life Barrier. "I set one card face down and then summon Fushi No Tori. However, I immediately end my turn."

The bird appeared and then faded into a ball of light and returned to his hand. Ichigaki one more felt the sting of Hitokage's combo as he was covered by crimson energy and the astral form of Fushi No Tori attacked him. "Not bad at all…" (ILP: 3200)

Hitokage said nothing, merely motioned for Ichigaki to take his turn. The professor drew powerfully and frowned at whatever he saw. "Your Feng Shui Spirit certainly does limit me for the time being, I'll give you that. But your combination can only peck away so many of my life points before I can unleash my full assault on you." (HLP: 6400)

With a sigh Ichigaki lowered his hand of cards. "Of course until then there's little I can do, so I'll just end my turn."

The Tsar drew, giving him a full hand of six cards as compared to Ichigaki's two card hand. As he looked over his new card Enzeru examined their strategies. "I honestly can't say who has the advantage. Technically Professor Miyamoto has the advantage because of his full field of monsters, but he burned a lot of resources to do so and he can't actually hurt the Tsar for at least a few more turns. And with all of those cards as resources there's no telling what the Tsar is building up to."

"I summon Fushi No Tori. And now…I shall show you exactly why your supposed superiority is nothing. Reveal continuous trap card, Ultimate Offering!" Ichigaki gritted his teeth but showed no outward sign of worry.

"To continue I'll activate the effect of my trap card, paying five hundred life points to conduct one additional normal summon. Using its effect I'll summon Totoko (1600/1500)!" His summon brought forth a large, strangely cuddly creature that looked like a giant hamster with a glowing green aura around it. (HLP: 5900)

Hitokage reached down and pulled his deck out of its slot, and then fanned it out. "When Totoko is summoned I may add one level four or lower Spirit from my cemetery or deck to my hand. This should be an effective choice."

As soon as he had chosen his monster he shuffled his deck up and returned it to its rightful place. "At this time I'll pay an additional five hundred life points to summon Maharagi (1200/1700)." (HLP: 5400)

His newest monster looked like a clay jar with an ornate face carved onto it more than a real monster. "When Maharagi is summoned its effect activates. In my next draw phase, before I draw I may look at the card I am to draw and choose whether to place it on the top of my deck or at the bottom."

He motioned to his graveyard and it glowed briefly. "I remove the second counter from Feng Shui Spirit at this time. And now, I end my turn, activating the effect of Spring of Despair!"

This time Ichigaki was hit with even more damage than the previous two times, since there were now three monsters returning to Hitokage's hand rather than one. "Still not quite enough…but I guess Fushi No Tori is next." (ILP: 2000)

Hitokage nodded and Fushi No Tori's spectral self attacked Ichigaki before swooping around and diving into his duel disk. As soon as its burning tail feathers vanished Hitokage's life points began to rise. "Indeed, thus empowering me for another turn." (HLP: 6600)

To Ichigaki's surprise Hitokage held up his hand of cards, fully spread out. "Since it is still my end phase and my three monsters returned to my hand I now have seven cards. So I believe I'll simply discard one card to reduce my hand size to the maximum allowed."

As soon as he had placed the card into his grave he gave a pointed look at the professor. Ichigaki drew, putting him up to three cards in hand. "Still can't damage you…but I've got something in mind for that. I activate Magical Well, which lets me add one magic card from my deck to my hand. However, this card cannot be activated or set during the turn it enters my hand."

His Duel Vest gave him the card he wanted and then auto-shuffled. "Since I can't do anything for the moment, I'll end my turn."

Hitokage picked up his top card, placed it on the bottom of his deck, and then drew. As soon as he had the entire arena sat in silence. Even the Osiris students understand what this turn might mean. Shiro gripped his knees tightly, anxious to see what would come. "If that guy can summon five Spirits this turn he can end it right now before Miyamoto can do anything about it."

Kaoru was much calmer than him, but equally as anxious. "It's worse than that. Since he still has that Totoko in his hand he can at least make four summonses this turn. Thanks to his previous turn we know he only has those three Spirits in his hand or he would have summoned more. But if that draw of his was a Spirit monster he can summon…then it's over."

Despite how nerve wracking the situation was, Ichigaki showed no signs of stress. In fact, he looked quite pleased with the situation. "I've got to admit Seijitsu-kun, you're quite the opponent. I haven't faced anyone as strong as you in a long time."

The jade eyed duelist looked up from his cards at the older duelist and then selected three cards from his hand all at once. "I summon Fushi No Tori, Totoko, and Maharagi!" (HLP: 5600)

He flipped through his deck very casually and tossed down his selected card. "Using Totoko's effect I search for and summon the deadly Asura Priest (1700/1200)." (HLP: 5100)

The summoned monster was a blue skinned creature with six arms, each one wielding a curved dagger. "Of course the effect of this monster is rather meaningless, as I only needed to summon it. I sacrifice the final counter from Feng Shui Spirit and end my turn."

Ichigaki nearly fell to his knees as the energy hit him the strongest it had been, nearly finishing him off. Mere moments later Fushi No Tori struck him, and then returned with a shriek to Hitokage. "You really have got the advantage Seijitsu-kun, but you've also got eight cards in your hand." (ILP: 400) (HLP: 6300)

Hitokage nodded and slid two cards into his cemetery. "That's easily fixed, as I've just demonstrated. That means most likely four of the six cards in my hand are my Spirits. Of course, I can merely end this duel next turn."

"Sorry, but you're not going to get a next turn! I skip my draw phase to activate the second effect of Magical Blast, to add it to my hand from the grave!" The card ejected from his grave and he caught it, sliding it into his hand.

"Now I activate the card I searched for last turn, Magic Purge! When Magic Purge is activated all floating effects on the field are removed, including the damage negation you gained from Feng Shui Spirit!" The crowd gasped in surprise and Shiro himself bolted out of his seat.

"Ichigaki's got him! He's got no defenses now!" His friends looked excited too, and all of Duelist Academy's students were cheering the name of Osiris Red's dorm head.

All except for two, Greed and Frost. Without knowing it, the two looked away slightly, one with a sneer and the other with no expression. "How foolish."

The professor looked at the card in his hand and then up at the still calm Hitokage. "Either you're accepting of your defeat or you've got an ace up your sleeve, but regardless I'll proceed to see if I can fish out any defenses you might still have! I activate Magical Blast!"

This time the multi-colored energy attack hit its mark, detonating with deadly force and shoving Hitokage back a few feet. "Quite impressive…however if you recall I've gained a good deal of life points." (HLP: 5300)

Ichigaki smirked and pointed to his set cards. "That might be so, but you're about to be witness to one of my favorite and trademark combos! I activate the quick-play magic card Grave Sifting, which lets me select one card in either player's grave and send it to the other player's!"

He ejected a card from his grave and walked forward. The Tsar met him half way and took the card, holding it up to see. "Placing Magical Blast in my cemetery? For what purpose?"

Even though they were just feet from each other the projectors still clearly showed Ichigaki's actions without hindrance. He depressed a button on his Duel Vest and the remaining card set behind him flipped. "Since a card just went to your cemetery I can activate Zombie's Jewel to add it to my hand, provided of course I let you draw one card."

Hitokage frowned slightly and handed the card back, before reaching down and drawing his own new card. "And so you get back Magical Blast. I see…very well, I suppose we should get back to the game proper."

The turned away from each other and walked back to their appropriate sides. As soon as they had Ichigaki turned with a flourish and triggered his recovered card. "Go, Magical Blast! Rip another thousand life points out of him!"

Before the attack hit Hitokage crossed his arms in front of him, helping him weather the destructive force of the blast. Even though he dug his heels in he was still pushed slightly backwards. "Even after all that you still have the attacks of your five monsters." (HLP: 4300)

Ichigaki thrust out his left arm and two of his spellcasters floated forwards. It was the two most famous of them, the Dark Magician and his apprentice. "Dark Magician, hit him with Dark Magic Attack! And Dark Magician Girl, attack with Dark Burning Attack!"

A purple beam of magic along with a pink one shot out from the crossed staffs, shooting directly at Hitokage. They struck and engulfed his side of the field in powerful magical energies. "Impressive…but useless display."

The entire arena fell silent as the light faded, revealing Fushi No Tori with its wings curled over itself. "After Desperate Spirit Calling is discarded to the cemetery I may remove it along with two other magic cards from the grave in order to normal summon one Spirit from my hand. During the turn that Spirit is summoned it cannot be destroyed as a result of battle."

With a sigh Ichigaki lowered his hands, realizing immediately what that meant. "I see…well played Seijitsu-kun. Or should I say…well played Tsar."

He bowed his head and then said the words that he was dreading. "I end my turn."

Fushi No Tori made one final attack on Ichigaki, even as his body was engulfed by the light from Spring of Despair. "You dueled well Professor; however my power can surpass that of any Kaiser." (ILP: 0) (HLP: 5500)

Principal Tantei walked forward and raise Hitokage's right arm into the air. "Ladies and gentlemen, give a healthy round of applause for the winner of this exhibition match, Tsar of East School Hitokage Seijitsu!"

Even intimidated though he was, Shiro couldn't help but remark smugly to his friends. "And you said nobody could master the Flawless Killer's style."

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Later that day, as the festivities had ended, Hitokage found himself sitting out in a clearing in the woods, leaning calmly against a large tree. "Truly, a simpler method of relaxation is difficult to find. Isn't that so…True Sin?"

There was a growl of frustrated and the fire haired True Sin known as Inferno walked out from a patch of the woods about five or six feet away. "I should have expected another True Sin to know I was there, to be able to feel me."

Hitokage laughed much to Inferno's surprise. The laughter, light and calm though it was, showed the first signs of genuine emotions from the Tsar. "Actually, you seem to be terrible at sneaking around. Anyone could have heard you coming."

Inferno ground her teeth together, already irritated with the blonde. "Listen up Tsar or whatever, you aren't wanted here. Your kind, True Sins that aren't part of the colony are to be regulated. But for me, your kind…male True Sins…they're to be killed if they aren't part of the colony!"

He didn't even look up to reply to her. "Really? Perhaps you could elaborate on why you feel that makes it necessary to sling death threats around."

She twitched and held out a hand, gathering her power into herself. "Don't act stupid. I'm sure since you knew what I was so easily you've known other True Sins. If that's so, then you must know that male True Sins are Corrupted much quicker than female True Sins. For whatever reason, you males end up becoming the Atrocities, while we women have to clean up the mess. So I'll get rid of the threat that an Atrocity would pose right now, by ending you!"

A stream of fire erupted from her hand, streaking directly towards Hitokage. He finally looked up and stood, without seeming to even push himself to his feet. The fire stopped directly in front of him and was shoved off to the sides as if striking an invisible barrier. "Direct threats of violence are one thing, but to actually attack me…that is a mistake."

Her eyes widened as suddenly he was standing just inches from her, and he reached out with his left arm and wrapped his hand around her throat. "Bastard…"

As those fingers clenched around her throat she felt herself beginning to grow cold. It was a cold that she had never experienced before, having associated with fire and heat for so long. Her limbs were growing numb, and she even was having trouble keeping her eyes open. "Listen to me and listen very carefully little one. Compared to me, you and your kind are nothing but insects. You worry that perhaps I will become an Atrocity? Don't be so foolish."

His hand released her, letting her flop limply to the ground. She looked up at him with as much hatred as she could muster, even though she couldn't move a single limb. When she looked at him she felt something nearly unknown to her, the feeling of fear. His eyes…those jade eyes of his…were now a pool of darkness, blacker than pitch. Voids that she couldn't look away from. "What…"

Hitokage sneered and planted his foot on her stomach, driving the air out of her painfully. "Understand this True Sin. Your power, your strengths, they mean nothing to me. And know that should you attempt to harm anyone on this island while I am here I will not hesitate to end your life."

He walked away, leaving her to wallow in her own helplessness. He walked until he reached the edge of a cliff that overlooked the ocean. Slowly he sighed, letting the feelings in the air wash over him. "So…they're here as well. I believed I would beat them…but it seems not everything works out the way we hope."

Overhead the sky began to darken as black clouds began to roll in. Yet they didn't come from one direction, instead they were coming from all around the island, encircling it. "It's already begun…"

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Author's Note: Sorry about the delay on this chapter. At first it was uncertainty on a few aspects that delayed it, but most of it was just sheer laziness on my part.

Shout Out: Also I'd like to point you readers in the direction of two author's GX stories. Check out G.O.T. Nick and Viewtiful Jeff's stuff, it's all good. Trust me on this you won't be disappointed. Also, take a look at AngelofBlade's new fic, should be interesting. And of course, I still advertise the works of WolfGeneral.

_Next Time: In a flash the landscape of Duelist Academy has changed and a foreboding castle hovers above the volcano. The undead roam the island along with other hideous creatures, putting all the students in danger of Darkness Games. With no way of getting communication out or leaving the island themselves the students must come together to end this threat by confronting it head on._

_See it all in, Castle of Darkness; Night's Reign!_


	96. Castle of Darkness: Night's Reign

Author's Note: Really sorry about the huge wait, but things should start to come out faster now. I've already scripted all the duels for this part of the arc, so I'm good to go.

**Chapter Ninety-Six: Castle of Darkness; Night's Reign**

A young man looking to be in his early twenties stopped and brushed some dirt off on his blue jeans. He looked rather smarmy with a crooked smile and bright blue eyes. Similarly his hair was a sandy blonde that was slightly tousled, making him look even more laidback and somehow cocky. Most of all, it was his t-shirt that proudly declared 'Love Master'.

He stepped back and looked over his work, which appeared to be a neatly dug hole in the volcanic sand near the volcano that dominated the northern part of Duelist Academy island. "Well, looks like I'm ready."

A man appeared out of thin air next to him, walking carefully forward. The man appeared to be of Asian descent, but he was very old, his skin wrinkled with liver spots on his left cheek and right temple. Similarly he was slightly bent over, using a cane to support himself. However, he was very well dressed in a classy suit that looked to be made of silk. "Barricade…if you're prepared, do what you've been assigned to do. All of your companions have situated themselves as well."

The now identified Barricade dropped to one knee and dipped his head, bowing deeply to the old man. "Yes my Lord. As soon as my power comes into effect your plan can begin."

Without a word the old man vanished, and Barricade picked himself back up. Smirking he reached into his right pocket and pulled out a small black stone. Without hesitation he dropped it into the hole and then shoved sand back over it. "Well…time to start!"

He clapped his hands together and slapped them against the sand. After a few moments he stood back up, looking quite satisfied with himself. He stepped back and looked up, seeing that dark clouds were rolling in from all around the island. "That's my Lord, always dramatic. These academy kids…they won't know what hit them. Especially after they get a taste of his powers."

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Shiro bolted straight up and fell out of his bed, landing with a heavy thunk on the floor. Moments later the manga he had been reading flopped down onto his head. "Sheesh, who the heck is screaming at a time like this, I swear if it's more evil super beings I'll be pissed."

He hopped back onto his bed and peeled back the curtain. What he saw made his jaw drop and he uttered a particularly vile curse word. After at least a minute straight of staring out the window he scratched his left cheek with a single finger. "So…evil super beings it is. But…how the hell did they get a giant castle onto the island?"

There, floating directly above the volcano that took up more than half of the island was a dark castle with spiked spires. The castle was a deadly pitch black color and a purple fog floated around it. "Oh crap…this definitely can't be good."

He hopped off his bed and grabbed his jacket, swinging out the door quickly. At the last moment he picked up his duel disk, which already had the deck loaded. "Time to find out what the hell is going on!"

Instead of rushing down flights of stairs at high speed he found himself blocked in as dozens of students crowded the hall, also intending the same thing. Some had their duel disks and all were in varying states of dress. A few already had pajamas on, even though it was only about seven.

It took a few minutes but eventually the entire male Ra Yellow dorm had gathered outside, staring up at the castle that now hovered over the volcano. Whispers shot through the crowd and some students shivered in fear. It wasn't just the castle that was a change. The sky was filled with dark clouds that blocked out the sun and jagged bolts of purple lightning shot between them at irregular intervals.

Suddenly a strong and stern male voice boomed across the courtyard, silencing the students. "Everyone now is not the time for idle chatter or for panic!"

Standing at the front of the crowd as the dark eyed and steel faced Professor Gorishi, head of the Ra Yellow dorm. "Students it is my direct order that all of you return to your rooms until further notice. There will be an announcement about the current happenings when we, the faculty and staff, know more. Remain in your rooms until further notice!"

There was quite a bit of grumbling, but despite that the students were worried enough that they complied. They piled together and pushed through the doors one at a time and in fat groups. However, Shiro wasn't quite so easily cowed. After all, he'd dealt with some pretty crazy things the past two years.

When everyone else was inside Shiro approached Professor Gorishi, waving erratically. Gorishi sighed and looked at the one student at the academy to have dueled and defeated him. "What is it Akugi-kun? Didn't you hear what I said? All students are to return to their rooms."

Shiro bit his bottom lip and held up a small object in his hand, recognizable as a Duelist Academy issue personal digital assistant. "Yeah, I was thinking about it but decided not to when I saw this. See…I can't get any service on my PDA. Its link-up is down, which means the island isn't getting any satellite connection."

Gorishi felt like he had just been slapped, although it was in an almost refreshing way. _'That has to be the most intelligent thing I've ever heard him say. Somehow…I'm proud.'_

Shaking off the feeling he responded as quickly and efficiently as possible. "That may be the case, but it doesn't change the situation. All students must remain indoors. I'll simply have to make the trek to the main academy building on foot to talk to the other professors."

Yet still Shiro didn't move. Instead he pointed up at the castle, looking confident and slightly defiant. "Look teach, it's not like I don't want to just sit back and let somebody else handle all this. But I know what that purple fog around the castle is. Whenever that stuff shows up it means a Darkness Game is coming. If that's the case, walking around the island could get you into a Darkness Game."

Gorishi narrowed his eyes and clapped one strong hand down onto the teenager's shoulder. "I appreciate your concern; however you may recall that I am a very strong duelist. I am perfectly capable of handling any opponent."

Shiro pulled his shoulder away and squeezed his hands into fists, an image of Mizuki flashing through his mind for a moment. "I know, but you know that I'm pretty good myself, I can handle a Darkness Game. I have before if you remember. But most of all…I'm coming with you because you've only got one set of eyes. The best strategy is to avoid a Darkness Game completely right? And it'll be easier if there are two of us to catch oncoming threats."

The Professor frowned for a moment, looking over his shoulder at that dark castle. With a deep sigh and turned back to Shiro and nodded. "Very well, but if a Darkness Game does occur I will handle it. Is that understood?"

The prankster grinned and gave his professor a thumbs up. "Not to worry teach, you're loud and clear!"

Gorishi groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling the inevitable headache coming on. It seemed to be a symptom of being around that teen, even if he was being far more serious than usual right now. "Alright, let's go."

As the two set off, Shiro couldn't help but stare at the castle and think one thing over and over again. _'Somehow I just know…this is connected to Mizuki! This time…this time I'll be the hero for sure!'_

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Shiro sat in the corner of the conference room, watching the staff as closely as he could. Floating in the middle of the table was as image of one of the teachers at the docks. Tantei gestured to the hologram and pronounced their conclusion in a grim voice. "As you can see, attempts to leave the island are blocked by some sort of invisible barrier."

He picked up a nearby phone and held it up, letting the rest of the staff hear the crackle that came from it. "Similarly we've concluded that all lines in and out of the academy have been severed. As of right now we are completely cut off from the outside world."

Tantei motioned to the red coated dorm head, who looked equally grim. "Worst of all Professor Ichigaki has indicated that two of his students have gone missing. They were last seen heading into the woods for a hike before the appearance of the castle. We will organize a search party as soon as it is feasible, but at the moment we can only assume the worst."

The cool voice of the visiting teacher, Professor Corwin, cut in moments later. "I may not be a teacher at this school, but I believe my word can still be of some help. Perhaps the best course of action right now is to investigate the volcano. It will be dangerous, but it has to happen or else we won't know anything about this strange…occupation as it were."

Gorishi sneered and slapped his hands down on the table. "And who do you propose investigates? That fog is surely indicative of a Darkness Game; anyone investigating the castle will be at great risk."

Corwin gazed back at him with equal strength, not flinching in the slightest. "Volunteers from the teachers as the strongest duelists we have. Obviously the students can't be risked, and we can't force anyone to go. The heads of the three dorms are generally acknowledged as the best duelists amongst the staff, why not you three?"

Just as Gorishi opened his mouth to reply the room dropped by at least a dozen degrees. The image floating in front of them shook and began to warp. It twisted for several seconds before it took a final form.

Standing in the middle of the table, hovering and seemingly looking at all the staff, was one of the most intimidating people they had ever seen. The figure wore pitch black armor with steel curved blades extending from the shoulders and from the knees. A crimson cape floated out behind him, and a black helmet with a face plate covered any features save for glowing acid yellow eyes.

In a deep and booming voice the threatening figure began to speak. "Residents of this island known as Duelist Academy, it is with great regret that I have taken my place at this school. However, in order for justice to be served this is where I must be."

"In order to demonstrate how serious this situation is and that I will not play games with any of you some violent action must be taken." The image pulled back slightly, revealing the armored figure standing at the entrance to the castle which looked out directly into the looming pit of lava below. There was nothing connecting the castle to the lip of the volcano.

Hanging from steel cables over the edge of the volcano were two terrified Osiris Red students who appeared to be screaming in terror and struggling. The image returned to the armored figure whose acid eyes stabbed through those watching. "Now you understand that we are entirely serious. Now, with this in mind, let me similarly demonstrate that we can take action against any students of this academy."

He made a sweeping motion with a gauntlet and the image focused on the far edge of the volcano, where skeletal and wolf-like figures with duel disks strapped on were clambering down. Some of them were also armed with swords and spears. "Those that oppose our occupation will be summarily dealt with."

Once more the image returned to the dark man. "With all questions out of the way it is time for me to get to the point. The reason I have come to this island in such deadly force is to bring justice to two individuals. Those that attempt to hide these individuals from our justice will meet with a swift death. Any who aid in the retrieval of these individuals will be sufficiently rewarded. When these individuals are within our grasp we will depart your island."

He held out one gauntlet and squeezed it into a fist, his eyes practically aflame. "Let me state simply that there will be no negotiation! These are your commands and no trades will be offered. The two captured students and any students captured in the process of securing these two individuals will not be returned and will meet a fiery end."

The lava was shown, and then the two hanging students were also shown, tears filling their eyes. "In order to prevent the suffering and death of this academy's students it is required that these individuals be presented swiftly. For every hour that passes in which these students have not been brought to us we will seize one prisoner to join these two."

The armored man pointed to the sky, where the moon briefly peaked out from behind the dark clouds. "Although darkness reigns over this island, we assure you that we can track the passage of time with no troubles. At the end of this message the count will begin, and after a full twenty-four hours have passed we will execute all prisoners. Following the execution the capture schedule will continue."

Swiftly he bent down and grabbed one of the steel cables, pulling it up rapidly hand over hand until he had the student by the scruff of the neck. Without any indication of strain he held the boy out over the lava with that one hand. "If it is your desire to avoid the deaths of other students you will bring these individuals to us. If they choose not to come to us of their own will perhaps this academy's students and staff will consider the best option for all. If these students and others attempt to prevent the future safety of other academy students, those of you who value your lives and the lives of your fellow students will bring them, alive, to this castle."

"Bring to me Mizuki Mitsuhiro and Kaoru Tsukada or the students of this school will suffer the price! Your countdown begins…now." He released the student, who screamed bloody murder as he dropped. Finally the cable snapped taught, squeezing his flesh tightly and letting blood trickle down onto the cable and his red uniform.

Those acid yellow eyes narrowed and the image began to flicker. "The Supreme King has spoken."

The hologram vanished, leaving the staff meeting room completely silent. Tantei felt his hands shaking; his eyes were wide and his skin clammy and pale. _'Sameshima…he told me that name. Supreme King…impossible!'_

Gorishi looked to the corner of the room and saw that Shiro was no longer there. _'Akugi-kun…don't do anything rash…'_

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"Let me go! I have to leave or people will suffer and die!" Kaoru struggled as hard as she could, desperately trying to break free of Enzeru's iron grip and get to the door. Yet he wasn't letting any slack go, not even for a moment.

The eldest triplet pulled her back slightly, using his superior size to his advantage. "We can't do that Kaoru, it won't accomplish anything. If you go people will be lost with no advantage to us and you will also be lost. Or have you missed one little detail?"

From their right, where she sat on the bed, Frost nodded, her eyes closed and her posture rigid. "Enzeru Yukio is correct. Even should you give yourself to this Supreme King it will accomplish nothing. You see, he did not indicate that their capture schedule and execution schedule would be altered when one of you was brought in. Rather, he made it quite clear that the only way to stop these actions would be to bring in both yourself and Mizuki Mitsuhiro."

"And Mizuki-sama isn't here anymore." Frost nodded in agreement with the frightened looking Chizuma, who sat in the corner of the room.

Kaoru slumped down, realizing they were right. Without Mizuki to also be turned in there wasn't any way to stop this Supreme King. "I know…but there has to be something we can do."

With a bang the door flew open and Shiro stepped in, looking winded and worried. "You guys…were in Enzeru's room eh? Well that's fine…but I've come with a simple answer for you. You want to know what we're going to do. We're going to siege the castle!"

To Shiro's surprise Frost stood and stepped forward, her chilly blue eyes fixed on Kaoru. "Shiro Akugi may be a fool, but in this situation he is correct. Additionally, as my mission still pertains to Mizuki Mitsuhiro I would not be willing to let this Supreme King take her. Therefore our only option is to find a way to enter the castle and defeat the Supreme King."

Enzeru released Kaoru and reached up to stroke his chin, his mind awhirl with options. "From that image we were shown there were no bridges onto the castle. But there has to be a way to and from it, or else there would be no way to get anyone onto the castle. We'll have to go there and find out how it works, then take the fight to the Supreme King."

Chizuma cleared her throat, bringing their attention to her. "I know I'm not normally the one who speaks up and makes plans with you guys, but I have to say this. This guy is merciless and dangerous. Those are the only things we know about him right now other than that he wants Mizuki-sama and Kaoru-chan. If he gets either of them something bad will happen I just know it! We can't let Kaoru go with us…we have to keep her safe."

Kaoru bolted to her feet, looking furious. "What are you saying? Are you saying I should just sit here and do nothing while people suffer just because there's a chance I'd get captured and it would be 'bad'? That's ridiculous! If he's after me at all then I have to help!"

"Uh…there's something about that you should know Kaoru." The violet-eyed girl looked over to Shiro, her fury not lessening even when she was focused on him. He gulped, and continued.

"See, when I went looking for you guys I ran into a bunch of people who were looking for you too. The teachers may have told the students to sit tight, but after that announcement a lot of them are out looking for you. It may not be the whole school…but he's turned at least half of the students and probably some of the teachers on you. We can protect you, but if you try and make your way to the castle with us other students are bound to come chasing, and probably a lot will get hurt." Kaoru stared at him for a few more moments, and then sank to her knees.

"Then what do we do?" Enzeru knelt down and placed a hand on her back, rubbing it gently to help calm her.

"Our best course of action to start with is to find somewhere to hide you safely. That means getting out of this building and making a move, but we'll have to do it quickly. And even though I hate to say it…we need to find Inferno as well. Most likely it will take either her or Frost to deal with this Supreme King." Shiro clapped his hands together and then thrust one fist into the air.

"Then it's settled! Operation Sneak Kaoru to Safety starts…now!"

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Deep within the inner sanctum of the dark castle the Supreme King sat upon a massive obsidian throne, armor covered chin in hand. "So…how many will fall for this goal?"

The old Asian man with the cane smirked devilishly from his position right in front of the throne. "It hardly matters, so long as we each get what we want. Now, take special care that Kaoru Tsukada not be injured Supreme King, or there will be a price to pay."

The Supreme King's acid eyes seemed to burn even brighter as he stood. His body seemed to grow massive and take up almost all of the old man's view. "Do not speak down to me Deceiver. You may be one of the Lords of Twilight…but you do not command me."

The Deceiver stomped his cane down and the entire room seemed to shimmer. "Don't try and use your power against me brat! I've been wielding my talent since before you were created! Decades before even that obnoxious brown haired runt was born!"

The image returned to normal and the room stopped shimmering. The Supreme King returned to his seat and glared death at Deceiver. "You will get Kaoru Tsukada. But interfere with my business…interfere with Mizuki Mitsuhiro…and I will kill first your Heralds, and then I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands. The one who is victorious is the one who is right, and so I shall be right. You will find that when you are face to face with me instead of a simple image of yourself…it will be much harder to resist my power."

He began to fiddle with a small glass orb in his hand which glowed red briefly. "Face to face we will see which True Sin is stronger. Which will be victorious, your illusions, or my justice? Do not tempt fate or fate will treat you poorly."

Deceiver turned and began to fade away as he walked step by step away from the throne. "Don't spout such nonsensical things. There are only three people in the entire world who can possibly oppose my talent. And you are not one of them. Do be careful and try not to repeat history."

Supreme King tossed the little orb into the air and caught it deftly. "History will not be repeated. The only thing able to oppose my power…the one thing that caused my defeat…is already in the palm of my hand."

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Author's Note: Lots of things that go along with this huge delay, but I won't go into them here.

New Section-Secret Section! Here I'll give you all little tidbits of info that would otherwise not happen. Basically things like production notes.

Secret One: Originally this story was intended to be the sequel to my previous and unfinished trilogy. Mizuki (in planning stages with a different name) was going to be that series main character's daughter. Nifty eh?

Shout Out: Also I'd like to point you readers in the direction of two author's GX stories. Check out G.O.T. Nick and Viewtiful Jeff's stuff, it's all good. Trust me on this you won't be disappointed. Also, take a look at AngelofBlade's new fic, should be interesting. And of course, I still advertise the works of WolfGeneral.

_Next Time: Operation Sneak Kaoru to Safety has begun, but things never go as perfectly as planned. A duelist appears to confront them and proclaims himself to be Chizuma's rival! Even though he has appeared before Chizuma can't seem to remember his name…so what is it anyway?_

_See it all in, The Rival Without a Name!_


	97. The Rival Without a Name

Author's Note: Oh my, bet you didn't expect me not to actually say anything in this note of worth did you?

**Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Rival Without a Name**

Chizuma tapped her chin thoughtfully, looking around at the darkness all around them. "I still can't believe this plan is actually working. It seems so…stupid."

Shiro cast a glare her way, holding his left arm with duel disk active all the way out as they walked. "You only say that because it's my plan."

From slightly behind them Enzeru piped in. "You have to understand why, from our perspective, it being your plan made us less than enthusiastic about the chances of its success."

Frost nodded, her eyes closed and her features as calm as ever. Shiro's head dropped in depression at the agreement. "Nobody else would have thought to use a Yami field card to generate darkness to hide us…and still I get trash talked about it."

There was a thump and Shiro stumbled backwards and onto his butt. The others stopped, and Kaoru rushed forward to help him up. "What happened Shiro-kun?"

The prankster raised his right arm and rubbed the top of his head, which was already starting to develop a lump. "Damn…I walked into something."

Enzeru stepped past the two of them and reached out with his hands. Just like Shiro had said his hands pressed up against something, but it was completely invisible. "There's some sort of invisible wall here or something."

He followed it along for several steps, first to one side and then to the other, but his hands remained against the unseen shield. "Even if we search to one side or the other and find a break in the shield we'll have wasted too much time. Damn…this isn't good."

"That barrier in your way extends completely around you. It's called Chaos Shield, and with it in place you guys aren't going anywhere!" The group all rallied together, forming a circle so they could see in all directions.

From off to their side a duelist in an Obelisk Blue uniform appeared. He was maybe a little over five feet in height and his head was shaved completely, which set off his steel blue-grey eyes. "The only way out of here is for me to tell you where I've placed the card creating the Chaos Shield. And if you try to get rid of me and go off on your own to search for it, well then my set traps will deal with you guys."

The bald Obelisk smirked and ran a hand over his shining head. "Sorry, but there's no going anywhere. My traps will get rid of this field of darkness and send out flares, and then everyone will know where to find you. Personally though, I'd rather just do things the easy way. Have Kaoru come with me so I can help save the island and it'll be fine."

Frost and Enzeru stepped forward, blocking Kaoru from the newcomer. The blue haired Obelisk spoke first. "I am afraid that is impossible. As long as Mizuki Mitsuhiro cannot be brought before this Supreme King he will not stop kidnapping duelists. Therefore we will find a way into his castle and defeat him. For that purpose, bring down your barrier and let us pass."

With a smirk the bald duelist shook his head. "We're all duelists here, so why don't we settle this the new fashioned way. One duel, and if I win I get to take Kaoru with me. But if I lose I let you guys go. How's that sound?"

Frost and Enzeru exchanged looks with each other, and then towards the others. Everyone nodded, so Frost turned back to the duelist confronting them and responded. "Very well, we agree to your terms. Prepare your duel disk; I shall be your opponent."

The bald Obelisk made a shooing motion and then pointed straight past her. "No way, I've already chosen my opponent. I choose Chizuma!"

Chizuma blinked and stepped forward, pointing a thumb at herself. "Me? Why do you want to duel me? Heck, how do you know my name? I've never even met you before."

His steel eyes shook with fury and his head started to turn red. "That's what pisses me off! You always say stuff like that, even though we've had every class together for years! We've dueled dozens of times, and even in the Rank-Farming Tournament last year!"

The dancer blinked and scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed. "Really? I don't remember you at all…"

He snarled and flicked his duel disk open. "That's why I have to crush you! You…you always shoot me down like I don't exist! The one person who is your rival and you can't even seem to remember who I am!"

Chizuma tapped a finger against her lips, her expression one of simple confusion. "How can you be my rival if I don't remember who you are? What makes us rivals anyways?"

"Because at the prep school you graduated at the top of the class and I graduated second place! I've always been just one step behind you, through prep school and even here! But after this duel I won't be behind anymore!" He slammed his deck into his duel disk and took a stance, ready to draw in an instant.

She shrugged and activated her own duel disk, deck already in place. "Alright Baldy, I'll give you the best duel I can. But sorry to say I won't be losing her to some guy who claims he's my rival even though he doesn't have a name." (Chizuma: 4000)

Baldy screamed in rage and drew five cards, while Chizuma drew six. "I've got a name damn it, you just can't seem to remember it!" (Baldy: 4000)

Chizuma flicked her braid over her shoulder, reaching for one of the cards in her hand. "Whatever you say Baldy. Now, since you challenged me I'll go first…and I'll summon this! Come on out, Fan Dancer (1000/1600) in attack mode!"

A pretty fair skinned woman appeared in front of Chizuma. She was holding a series of feathered fans in front of her body, covering her body. There were five fans total so it was impossible to see much above her knees and below her neck. "I'll end my turn."

Her rival drew fiercely and held aloft his drawn card. "Perfect draw, Grave Life! I get to send five monsters from my deck to the cemetery in order to gain two thousand life points!" (Baldy: 6000)

"You're going to regret putting just that monster out, because with one monster I can take out all of your life points! From my hand I normal summon the mighty and powerful King of Skull Servants (0/0)!" A tall skeleton wearing a flowing purple robe appeared, a dark fog floating around him.

Baldy chuckled and motioned to his monster as the fog began to wrap around it tighter. "For every Skull Servant or King of Skull Servants in my graveyard this monster has his original attack increase by one thousand. So for the five in the grave, which gives him five thousand, attack points, just enough to blow away your life points in one shot!"

Kaoru grimaced and looked with worry at the Fan Dancer. "This guy's good, and Chizuma made a mistake early on. He must have dumped every Skull Servant and his two other Kings into the grave with Grave Life to power it up just enough for the win. Chizuma…"

"King of Skull Servants, Skull Domination!" The royal skeleton raised one bony hand into the air and suddenly a swarm of skulls appeared floating around him. He pointed at the Fan Dancer and the skulls were sent flying, pounding into the dancer one after another.

Chizuma smirked even as the Fan Dancer was tossed onto the ground, one of her feathered fans going flying into the air before bursting into dust. "Not bad, but not good enough to take out Fan Dancer." (Chizuma: 4000)

Baldy twitched as he saw her life points and that Fan Dancer was still alive. "But how? That blast should have killed your dancer and taken out all of your life points! You had no set cards to protect you, so what happened?"

She smiled and pointed at the Fan Dancer, who was now holding five fans over her body to cover herself. "It's pretty simple. When Fan Dancer is normal summoned in attack mode I can add one Fan Counter to her for each card in my hand. When she's in battle I can remove a Fan Counter to negate the damage, provided she's my only monster of course. That means you'll need four more attacks to beat my dancer!"

Her 'rival' grimaced and snagged a card from his hand. "Fine, I'll bust her down sooner or later. For now I set one reverse card and end my turn!"

She nodded, drew her next card, and then smirked at him. "Well, I guess my strategy isn't quite ready yet so I'll just end my turn."

Everyone stared at her, and her opponent laughed. "Strategy you say? I don't believe that for a second! Your hand is worthless, and I'll show you that mine is far deadlier! My draw!"

Swiftly he grabbed one of his other cards and tossed it onto his disk next to King of Skull Servants. "Time to show you the truth of my deck strategy! I summon King of Skull Servants (5000/0)!"

A second skeleton appeared next to the other, also wrapped in that dark fog. Chizuma stepped back in surprise and pointed at the second King. "But that's impossible! For your King to be at five thousand you would have to have sent all your Skull Servants and other Kings to the grave. And you can only have three copies of any monster in your deck."

Enzeru let the shock fade as he analyzed the situation. "No…that's not entirely correct. We've seen that what we accept as a rule isn't always a rule. Isn't that right, Kaoru?"

The violet eyed girl nodded, the image of towering creatures of pure flame appearing in her mind. "The only way to get around that rule of three…is with the magic card Pure Battle Soul."

Baldy thumbed his nose, looking quite satisfied with himself. "Even though you can't seem to even remember my strategy after having seen it multiple times, Kaoru is right. Within my deck exists Pure Battle Soul, and the monster of my choice that is the only one in my deck is King of Skull Servants! That lets me easily have multiple monsters with huge attack points!"

Chizuma scratched her cheek with one finger, her grey eyes lackluster and unfocused. "Sorry, you keep babbling about pointless stuff. So you've got a lot of attack points, but it doesn't matter. You can't break Fan Dancer before my strategy succeeds."

His teeth ground together as he tried to cope with his frustration. "We'll see about that! King of Skull Servants, both of you, attack Fan Dancer with Twin Skull Domination!"

Swarms of skulls pounded into the dancer, sending two more fans fluttering away. Now she was using just two very large fans to cover her body. Baldy grimaced and lowered his fists. "Fine, I end my turn."

Chizuma drew and pointed to her Fan Dancer. The monster dropped to her knees, now letting the fans cover her from head to toe. "I shift Fan Dancer to defend monster and then end my turn. Since I'm ending my turn with seven cards in my hand I guess I'll just toss this one card to the grave to lower my hand size to the maximum allowed."

Her foe drew too swiftly to notice the slight grin that appeared on her lips after she deposited the card in her graveyard. He was too busy with his move. "Alright, let's start things out! I activate Nightmare Again, which allows me to add two dark monsters with zero defense from my grave to my hand."

Two cards slid out of his grave slot and he held them up to Chizuma, showing they were both King of Skull Servants. "Next I play Armory Option, which lets me discard one card from my hand to add an equip card from my deck to my hand. However, this equip card cannot be activated during this turn."

He tucked one of the Kings back into his graveyard and then flipped through his deck, quickly settling on the card he wanted. "Next turn I'll finish you off with my chosen card. Until then…I'll break down that dancer right now! I summon King of Skull Servants (4000/0)!"

A third one joined the others, each one with as many attack points as Obelisk the Tormentor. "Here we go, Triple Skull Domination!"

This time it was a tornado of skulls that swept across the field. That skull tornado picked up the Fan Dancer and swung her around, constantly beating her with the skulls. One by one the fans fell away until finally the dancer shattered into pixels with a scream. "It's almost over rival! Just you wait and see! My turn is over, and you will be too shortly."

The dancing girl gracefully drew her next card and added it to her hand. "You wanted to see my strategy? Well here we go! I activate Monster Reborn!"

Baldy chuckled and wagged a finger at her. "That's a useless defense. You said so yourself that Fan Dancer has to be normal summoned to get her counters and you haven't got any other monsters in the grave."

Chizuma winked at him as a Latino man in tango clothes appeared on his field, clapping his hands together. "Not quite, see last turn to reduce my hand size I discarded Tango Dancer (1700/1000), and now he's back!"

His eyes widened even more as suddenly a second Tango Dancer appeared next to the first one. "But wait buddy, there's more! In chain to his summon I was able to activate Dance Rush to special summon another copy from my deck!"

Two more spots on her field started glowing and she smiled brightly as she ditched a card into her cemetery. "By discarding Partner Match from my hand I can special summon one Tango Dance Partner (1400/1300) from my deck to the field for each Tango Dancer I've special summoned this turn. That means each of my dancers gets his partner!"

In a flash each Latino man had a pretty Latina woman on his arm, all of them smiling warmly, ready to dance. "So what? Your monsters are too weak even with their effect to fight back!"

Chizuma giggled and placed a card onto her only open monster zone. "You're right, so let's fix that. I normal summon Dance Instructor (1300/1000), whose effect boosts all dancers by 300 attack points!"

All of her monsters shot up in attack points but still the bald Obelisk didn't seem worried. "Still three hundred points short at your best of even matching my monsters!"

He felt like shutting up the instant he saw the newest card to have appeared on her field. It was floating face-up, and it was a continuous magic card he recognized. "The Allied Forces….no!"

"Oh yes! The Allied Forces boosts all warriors on my field by two hundred for each warrior and spell caster I control. Since I've got five that means all five of my dancers get a bonus thousand attack points!" Her Tango Dancers rose to 3000, the partners to 2700, and the instructor to 2600.

Shiro grinned and pumped his right fist into the air. "Yes! That's our dancing girl for you!"

Enzeru merely folded his arms and gave a nod of his head, which was mimicked by Frost. Kaoru glanced at the two and sighed. "They take 'silent type' too far. But that Chizuma…she really has improved hasn't she?"

Chizuma snapped her fingers and one of her dance pairs clasped hands. "Okay Baldy, I'm giving up Tango Dance Partner's attack to combine her attack strength with Tango Dancer's for his attack. Tango Battle (5700)!"

They spun together across the field and performed a simultaneous hitch-kick that sent King of Skull Servants' skull flying off his shoulders. Baldy barely batted an eyelash. "That's not enough to take me out!" (Baldy: 4300)

In response the next pair came together, their attack power shooting up to fifty-seven hundred as well. "Your monsters may have gained an extra thousand attack, but its still not enough to stop my pair! Tango Battle (5700)!"

Once more a King's head went flying into the air, but this time Baldy thrust his hand out towards his graveyard slot. "King of Skull Servants effect activates! By removing one Skull Servant or King of Skull Servants from the game when he would be destroyed in battle I can special summon him back from the cemetery!"

The King caught his head in an open palm and then replaced it onto his head. Together his and the other King's attack points settled at an even four thousand. "I may take damage, but I keep two of my servants." (Baldy: 3600)

Chizuma nodded and grabbed one of her last two cards, placing it into her duel disk. It appeared behind the instructor, floating just barely a foot over the ground. "I'll set a card face down and then activate Specialty Reward! During my end phase I get to draw one card for each monster, not counting tokens, that I've special summoned this turn. So I end my turn and draw four cards!"

Her rival growled as she waved a hand of four cards at him, taunting him with her advantage. "You think you've got the advantage? Didn't I tell you my equip card would finish you off? Now…I draw!"

Frost's eyes narrowed as she looked straight at the card in his hand that she knew was the equip he had searched for. "My calculations state that the probability of that card being capable of letting him finish this in one attack is one hundred percent."

Kaoru's eyes burrowed into the bald Obelisk's for a moment and she squeezed her fists tight at her sides. "That card…I think it's…"

The baldy laughed darkly as he thrust the equip into his duel disk. "Despite their brutal power at the moment my Kings still happen to be level one monster. And that means they're the perfect target for this monstrous equip card! Say goodbye to King of Skull Servants, you won't see it again, because I equip it with Opti-Camoflauge Armor!"

One of the Kings shimmered briefly and then vanished from sight. Chizuma's eyes widened and she looked around, trying desperately to locate it. "Where did it go?"

The True Sin Frost closed her eyes and nodded once. "Just as I thought, the perfect equip card to finish it in one attack."

"Sorry rival, but you're finished! My armor can only be equipped to a level one monster, but it gives that monster a very special ability. It lets it attack directly, even if you have monsters in play! So now, the final blow, Invisible Skull Domination!" It seemed like nothing was happening, but everyone knew in mere moments Chizuma's life points would be gone.

Shiro braced himself for watching Chizuma go flying from an invisible attack. And continued to brace himself. "Uhh…I hate to sound like I'm complaining, but has it attacked yet?"

Chizuma smirked and pointed to her field, revealing that her set card was now face-up. "Oh it attacked alright, but it doesn't really matter since I chained my set Waboku trap card. Thanks to that all the battle damage, even direct, was reduced to zero."

"Damn it…fine, but I won't go down so easily! I set one card face down and end my turn." A second card appeared on his field, one to each side of his two Kings. Although it was a little difficult to tell because the leftmost King was now invisible.

Without wasting another moment Chizuma drew and then pointed into mid-air. "Tango Dancer, attack the invisible King with Tango Battle (5700)!"

Baldy smirked and his newest card flipped up. Instantly Tango Dancer was blown to pieces. "Sorry Chizuma, but Sakuretsu Armor destroys the attacking monster without a pause! And since you lost a monster, the bonus to your others goes down."

She didn't seem bothered by that though and her next pair stepped up. "That's fine; I've still got two more, so Tango Battle (5300) one more time!"

"You just don't give up do you? By discarding one card from my hand to the graveyard, like my King of Skull Servants, I can activate my original face down card. Go, Grave Chain!" Black chains erupted out of the front of the trap card and went straight into the ground. They back to be reigned in, and with them came…another trap card.

The second Tango Dancer was engulfed in a ball of fire and once more the attack points of her monsters lowered. "No…Sakuretsu again?"

The Obelisk smirked as he held up his two trap cards. "That's right. When I pay the activation cost of Grave Chain I get to use the effect of one normal trap card in my graveyard. It was useless up until now because I had no traps in the grave, so you weren't worried about it were you?"

There was no denying the truth in that. Not that it mattered, since she had intended to attack anyways. "You're right Baldy, but I had to take a chance one way or the other. Now...I guess I'll switch the instructor into defense mode and place two cards face down. Then I'll give the turn to you."

"I've got a name damn it! I'll show you to respect me, teach you to acknowledge who I am! Camouflaged King, attack her directly!" He made his declaration within moments of drawing his card, and almost immediately it seemed like Chizuma was being pelted by something invisible. Perhaps even invisible skulls.

"That was a pretty reckless attack Baldy, and look how much it accomplished." She jerked her thumb into the air where a holographic display lit up with her life points. (Chizuma: 3500)

"What's with your life points? If I hit you then your life points should be at zero!" Chizuma responded by wagging a finger at him. As she did so a faint yellow field of energy appeared in front of her and then faded away. Moments later it appeared again and yet again disappeared.

"Not exactly. See this little shield that keeps popping in and out isn't perfect, but it works out well enough. This is my Reduction Barrier, and during this turn it reduces all damage I would take to one-tenth of the original. So instead of taking five thousand damage I took just five hundred. Pretty neat huh?" Shiro chuckled and gave her a V for victory, which she casually returned.

"Don't get so cocky just because you were saved from one attack, because I'm not finished yet! Skull Domination, attack her first Tango Dance Partner!" The visible King made a wave of his hand and a swarm of skulls were sent flying straight at Chizuma's monster. Some of them struck the Reduction Barrier as it came in and out, but many still got through.

"Since you're so eager to damage my life points, I'll help you out with my trap card, Deux Passé! This changes the attack on my monster to a direct attack on my life points." She raised her arms in front of her face as the remaining skulls struck her one by one. To her surprise they carried a heavy degree of force, and her arms actually hurt where they were being hit. (Chizuma: 3000)

Shaking off that surprise she snapped her fingers, and the targeted Tango Dance Partner did a leap into the air. "And the monster you tried to attack now gets to attack you directly in return! Tango Battle (2300)!"

It did a graceful spin, kicking out with a pointed foot as it started to come down, striking the Obelisk boy in the gut. He coughed violently, dropping to one knee. As his life points dropped drastically the dancer did a series of back-handsprings until she was in front of Chizuma again. "Pretty cool right? Bet you wish you had a Reduction Barrier." (Baldy: 1300)

He shook his head to clear it and rose to his feet, placing his newly drawn card into his duel disk. "Shut up and take your turn. I'm not finished yet, I'll crush you in just a few more turns!"

Chizuma drew, smiling confidently at her hefty lead. Yet inside was something different. _"I know I've got the lead in terms of life points, but right now my monsters can't hope to match his. I'm at a disadvantage."_

"I shift all three of my monsters into defense mode. Then I'll set one monster, and lastly…well I'll reveal that monster of yours by playing Cyclone to blow away your armor!" A spinning vortex of wind shoots out of the magic card and sweeps over a seemingly empty space on the opposite side of the field. But when it had passed a King of Skull Servants was standing there.

"That's all for now." Her opponent snapped up his next card immediately, and then tossed it down.

"How about some more fun? Another King of Skull Servants (5000/0) to enter the mix!" A third of the skeletal rulers formed on the field, giving him fifteen thousand points worth of monsters.

Kaoru felt her hands shake at the sight, and a jolt of worry for her young friend went through her. "It's my fault…Chizuma, don't lose!"

The bald Obelisk smirked and snapped his fingers. "She doesn't have a choice, especially when I've got this card. Reveal continuous trap, Coffin Seller! Now whenever one of your monsters goes to the grave you'll take three hundred damage. Even defending won't save you now!"

Chizuma looked over at Kaoru and winked. "Don't you worry your pretty little head. I've got this duel in the bag."

"We'll see about that! Triple Skull Domination! Blow away her partners and instructor!" This time it was a storm of skulls so thick it was almost impossible to see through. Chizuma winced as her three face-up monsters were pelted, exploding into tiny bits.

As the smoke from the damage started to fade Baldy's trap card shook violently. "Now spirits of Coffin Seller, strip some of her life points away!"

Three ghostly white figures shot out of the card and swirled around Chizuma's body. She shuddered in pain as they squeezed tight around her, draining away some of her life points. "That sucked…" (Chizuma: 2100)

Baldy glanced at the single card in his hand and grimaced. _"My ace card…I still can't play it yet. Oh well, at this rate she'll be finished without me needing it."_

"Alright Chizuma, my turn is over!" Chizuma nodded and slipped a card off her deck slowly, holding it up to see what it was.

Suddenly she grinned and tossed down the card. Instantly a man with swirled dark hair wearing a white jumpsuit appeared, his arms crossed in front of him. "Let's try a new dance if the old one wasn't working! Disco Dancer (1000/1000) is summoned, and when that happens I pick one of three continuous magic cards from my deck and add it to my hand."

A card popped out of her deck and she instantly held it out to activate it. "I'll play that chosen card right now, Disco Challenge! When this card is activated I select one dancer monster on my field. When that monster is destroyed so is this card, and then it gets to activate a special effect."

Disco Dancer winked at Chizuma, and the doll-faced girl winked right back. "With that done, so am I. Guess that leaves it up to you Baldy."

"Ha! Another piece to the puzzle that is kicking your ass! Book of the Undead lets me search my deck for a level four or lower zombie and add it to my hand. Like I mentioned earlier my Kings are level one." He shifted through his deck and plucked one card free, and then returned it to its place in his disk where it was auto-shuffled.

"I summon King of Skull Servants in attack mode! And now I've got four monsters to your two! So let's see…how well they stand up to my fire power! Crush that Disco Dancer!" The king of the dancing field was struck directly in the face by a skull almost instantly. He keeled over and then blew apart.

Chizuma held her hand straight out and her continuous card shattered. "When Disco Challenge is destroyed I get to special summon the selected monster back to the field!"

She plucked a card free, and then used it to point to the space Disco Dancer had previously occupied. "Disco Dancer revives in defense mode! And I'll use his effect to grab another continuous magic card!"

Her opponent grimaced and snapped his fingers. "It doesn't matter; I'll just blow him away again! Skull Domination!"

Once more the dancer was crushed by the force of the flying skulls, leaving Chizuma with only her face down monster. "And guess what? Coffin Seller gets to deal you six hundred more damage!"

Once more Chizuma was assaulted by the spirits, and her legs shook as her life points were hit. The spirits faded as her life points dropped almost to equal her opponent's. "I've still got one more monster, so I'm safe." (Chizuma: 1500)

"Your math sucks, because I've got two more attacks! Skull Domination, blow away that set monster!" Her set card quivered under the assault by the King and flipped up. For the briefest of moments an attractive woman in just underclothes could be seen before she shattered.

Another spirit shot out of Coffin Seller, plowing straight into Chizuma and out through her back. She groaned and put a hand over her stomach. It hurt almost like it really had punched through her, even though there was no wound. "Damn…" (Chizuma: 1200)

Her so-called rival laughed long and hard, his head thrown back, his body shaking with the force of it. "It's my win Chizuma! Finally, I've defeated you!"

The only response he got from Chizuma was a scoff and a simple sentence. "I'd look again if I were you."

He lowered his head and took a step back in surprise. Standing directly across from him in front of Chizuma was…a King of Skull Servants. "What the heck? Where did that come from?"

"Simple, the monster you just destroyed was Exotic Dancer (600/700). When she's flipped I get to take control of one monster on my opponent's field for the turn. Unfortunately since I have no Skull Servants or Kings in my grave my stolen monster has no attack points. But since I took the one King of yours that hadn't attacked, I've forestalled your victory." He grimaced and looked at the one card in his hand once again.

_"Just one more King and I'll be able to play my ace card. If I haven't won before then, my ace card will finish her off for sure!" _He nodded confidently and lowered both of his arms.

"End Turn!" As soon as he finished his declaration the King that was on Chizuma's side floated back to him, its attack score shooting up to five thousand again.

Enzeru glanced over at Frost, who met his gaze with her own. "Do you think she can win? Chizuma is a good duelist, but I'm not sure if she has it in her to win something like this."

To his surprise Shiro cut in, his face a happy smirk. "You're wrong. Trust me…she's strong. Stronger than anybody gives her credit for. You of all people should know that you don't get to be the number one rookie just through good looks!"

Kaoru nodded in agreement, her worries faded as she watched Chizuma from behind. "He's right Enzeru. I can see it in her heart. She's happy, and she's confident. She's going to win, there's no doubt!"

Chizuma placed two fingers on the top card of her deck, and her grey eyes met her rival's with a force that shocked him. "I promised to myself. I promised to myself that I wouldn't lose a single duel! I'll win and keep winning so I can have a chance to face Mizuki-sama in a rematch and make her proud! So between me and that goal, a guy like you isn't even a roadblock!"

Her draw pulled the card free and far off to the side. She glanced at it out of the corner of her eyes, and she smiled. "I've always been a dancer. My monsters dance together, and I wanted to dance with them. For that reason I did everything I could to find as many of these cards as I could. Cards that would let me dance together with my monsters!"

She held the card up over her head and it began to glow brightly. "I managed to get three of them, and this is the card that represents my ultimate defense! I activate the player equip card Bracers of the Goddess!"

The light of her card seemed to split into two, shooting down and striking each of her wrists. When the light faded she now had long bracers that were glowing with that same light on each wrist. Enzeru's eyes widened at the sight. "A player equip? All of them are extremely rare…to think she had such a thing, and even three of them. Incredible!"

Chizuma pounded her fists together and a wave of light pulsed out from the bracers. "When I add a player equip I get treated like a monster, with attack and defense points based on what my player equip would give me. In this case, I have five hundred attack and two thousand defense."

Baldy let out a sigh of relief and then snickered. "For a second there I was worried, but if that's the kind of effect you get then I don't need to fret. I'll break through those two thousand points easily!"

The dancing girl reached up behind her and pulled a hand through her hair, slowly releasing it from its long braid. It was only then that Shiro realized that her hair was even longer than it had been the previous year. "Wow…I've never seen her with her hair down. She's even hotter than normal."

Chizuma lowered her hand and then thrust her right arm into the air. The glowing bracer expanded, forming a bladed shield of light that extended out from the right side of her arm, in the same position as her duel disk on the other arm. "I'm not defending, I'm attacking! I don't even need my other effects, I just need my attack! So here I come (500)!"

Her rival stepped back in shock as she began to barrel down the field, right arm held straight out to her side. "Are you stupid? My Kings have ten times as many attack points! But if you want to be suicidal, I'll destroy you anyways! Counter attack, Skull Domination!"

The King raises its arms up and a swarm of skulls shot out like meteors, straight at the onrushing Chizuma. Chizuma screamed out a challenge and dipped and dodged gracefully with all her dancer's training. "When I attack I can swap my attack for my defense points, so I'm not quite done! I'm still going to finish you (2000)!"

"That's nowhere near enough! You're finished, rival!" Chizuma jumped over a skull and then dived past the next volley, coming to her knees right in front of the King. He pointed a hand down at her and a group of skulls appeared behind him.

There was a flash, and the skulls clattered to the ground. Baldy's eyes widened as the King stumbled backwards and then split in two straight down the middle. As it slowly dissipated he could see Chizuma standing on her feet, right arm raised all the way above her head. Everyone stared in silence, with the only sound being Chizuma's steady breaths and a trickling noise. (Baldy: 0)

He stared in shock, and then fell to his knees. "But…how? My monster had three thousand more attack points than you did! You should have been crushed! I should have won!"

Chizuma lowered her arm and the bracers faded as did the rest of the field. "It has no defense points though. When I battle with the Bracers of the Goddess by discarding one magic card from my hand I can choose to switch the attack and defense of the opposing monster. So by discarding the continuous magic card I searched for with Disco Dancer I made it a battle of two thousand versus zero. I told you, I won't lose to the likes of you."

She started to walk towards him, and he grimaced, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a card. "A deal's a deal. Take this card. If you play it you'll get an exit from the Chaos Shield without having to search for where I put the card."

The dancing girl took it from it and noted the name. Dark Door…it made sense. "It was a good duel. What is your name anyways?"

He chuckled and looked up at her. "Finally asking again are you? My name is"

His words were cut off when his body seized up. "What…the hell?"

Nobody moved as he let out a fearful scream…and his body burst into tiny little motes of yellow light. Chizuma leapt forward, but all she caught was handfuls of air. "Baldy!"

Kaoru stared in horror at the spot that he once was standing. "What happened? Where did he go?"

The air around them shimmered, and suddenly an image of the Supreme King appeared. He didn't appear to be looking directly at them, and as Frost circled the Supreme King she saw that no matter where he was she was looking at his face. "He doesn't know where we are…it's preprogrammed."

"For the victors of the duel that just occurred, allow me to tell you the fate of those who fail to win duels while I rule this island. Those who are defeated will be instantly transported to my castle and placed in chains with the other prisoners. Through this method, defeat Mizuki Mitsuhiro and Kaoru Tsukada to bring them to me. That is all." The image flickered and vanished, leaving them standing alone in the darkness.

Enzeru stepped forward and placed a hand on Kaoru's shoulder. "We need to move on, regardless of the consequences. We can't lose any duels, that's all this means. Anyone who ends up there, we'll save them so it doesn't matter. Let's go."

She nodded and they all looked to Chizuma, who held up the Dark Door card. In front of them a pitch black door appeared, and one by one they all went through it.

Moments later a figure stepped out of the darkness, looking directly at the Dark Door even as it vanished. His jade eyes narrowed and he looked off into the distance where he knew the Supreme King's castle was. "Supreme King…to meet you again…this will be interesting."

Without another word Hitokage walked back into the darkness, swallowed up by the shadows that were his namesake.

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Author's Note: Indeed.

New Section-Secret Section! Here I'll give you all little tidbits of info that would otherwise not happen. Basically things like production notes.

Secret Two: Similarly to the previous secret where Mizuki was to be Drake's daughter, Tobias (then with a different name) was to be the child of one of Drake's 'rivals'. More accurately the first duelist he beat in Battle City, Lucas Braunhaum. Instead of that German rival, Tobias ended up split into the guy he was and is, and also Harrison who became the German rival.

Shout Out: Also I'd like to point you readers in the direction of two author's GX stories. Check out G.O.T. Nick and Viewtiful Jeff's stuff, it's all good. Trust me on this you won't be disappointed. Also, take a look at AngelofBlade's new fic, should be interesting. And of course, I still advertise the works of WolfGeneral.

_Next Time: Chizuma's opponent has been beaten and the terrifying penalty for losing a duel has become clear. With this new threat the group must move quicker than ever before. However, a new opponent appears before them who is deadlier than any they could have imagined. The power of Alexei Surichev, King of North School, is unleashed!_

_See it all in, Terrifying Assault: Power of Devils!_


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